Removing archway doorway and widening (Kent)

moneysaver1978

Looking to make an arch doorway (between the kitchen and dining room) wider and square off. Parts of the wall is brick and plasterboard. The work will require a concrete lintel and moving the light switch a bit further.

Been quoted between £1000 and £1800.

Does this sound fair or...? Any concerns?

stuart45

Does it include Building Control fees?

moneysaver1978

stuart45 said:

Does it include Building Control fees?

No it does not. Should this be part of the quote or do I organise this separately?

FreeBear

moneysaver1978 said:

stuart45 said:

Does it include Building Control fees?

No it does not. Should this be part of the quote or do I organise this separately?

As the home owner, you are legally responsible for getting Building Control approval & sign-off for any notifiable works. Usually, the builder liaises with BC to arrange inspections at predetermined stages and a responsible one will handle all the paperwork on your behalf.

A structural wall requiring the insertion of a lintel is notifiable, so Building Control should be contacted before work commences (after the event incurs higher fees). They may want to see structural engineer's calculations for the size & specification of the lintel. More expense, but spend a little now, and it will make life a lot easier when you come to sell the property.

moneysaver1978

FreeBear said:

moneysaver1978 said:

stuart45 said:

Does it include Building Control fees?

No it does not. Should this be part of the quote or do I organise this separately?

As the home owner, you are legally responsible for getting Building Control approval & sign-off for any notifiable works. Usually, the builder liaises with BC to arrange inspections at predetermined stages and a responsible one will handle all the paperwork on your behalf.

A structural wall requiring the insertion of a lintel is notifiable, so Building Control should be contacted before work commences (after the event incurs higher fees). They may want to see structural engineer's calculations for the size & specification of the lintel. More expense, but spend a little now, and it will make life a lot easier when you come to sell the property.

Thank you.

So I guess that even a small increase to the width and height of the doorway (hopefully roughly 1200mm wide and 2200mm high) still requires Building Control.

Spoke to the council and they quoted a fee of £300 but trying to understand what this fee covers and if there were other fees we should expect.

stuart45

The fee covers their inspection and final certificate. 
Do you know if it's a load bearing wall or not?

FreeBear

moneysaver1978 said: Spoke to the council and they quoted a fee of £300 but trying to understand what this fee covers and if there were other fees we should expect.

The structural engineer's calculations will incur an additional fee. How much, I wouldn't like to say..

It will be worth your time getting a structural engineer to take a look at the wall and tell you whether it is structural or not - Never take the opinion of a builder for this.. Even a stud wall could be providing support, despite what many will tell you. With a brick wall, it is safer to assume it is structural unless an expert tells you otherwise.

moneysaver1978

Two separate builders mentioned that it's not a load bearing wall after their assessments and seem to think it is a straightforward job.

Upstairs is a door entering the study.