Are my wall knocking plans viable?

Fionaanne141

Hello all
Hoping you can help guide me. We're just moving into a new home and I would really like to knock down the wall between the lounge and kitchen to make one feature room with one long bi-fold running along the back wall. 
My budgets now quite tight so considering just replacing the existing french doors in the lounge / Kitchen instead. 
Any guesses on whether my original plan to knock through would actually be viable and how much it would cost? Or should I put that idea to one side and just commit to the bi-folds in both rooms as an affordable option for now.


Thanks

daivid

Both are dusty disruptive jobs so worth doing right away if possible. Putting a long bifold in will require a long steel to support the opening created and it will be an 'expensive' undertaking needing calculations and building regs approval. Opening the living room and kitchen may or may not need a steel depending if the wall is structural. You will need someone suitably competent to tell you if it is structural or not. If so, calculations and a steel (and building regs approval) will be needed, if not it can be knocked down and made good without any additional supports. Expect to pay around £400 for a structural engineer (civil engineers can also do this but it is not their 'bread and butter,) to do a site visit and draw up plans for the wall removal, they may bundle the plans for the bifolds too for a discount over 2 separate jobs.

FreeBear

A bi-fold door will require a lintel, as would a knock through. So aside from the door, the costs will be similar. You will need a structural engineer to advise and calculate the size of the lintel as well as Building Control sign off. The wall may well be providing lateral support for the structure, so it might not be possible to remove all of the wall.

Failing to get BC sign off could affect the value of the property and make it difficult to sell in the future..

daivid

FreeBear said:

A bi-fold door will require a lintel, as would a knock through.

I would think there is a reasonable chance the knock through will not need a lintel (thought the OP needs someone suitably qualified to tell them if it does or does not). Also OP it would be perfectly reasonable for you to seek quotes for this, ideally from personal recomendations, but if anyone quoting has a quick look then says "it can be done with a standard beam, no need for calculations or building control" do not believe them, there are too many tales of woe from those who have followed such bad advice already.