Moving a load bearing wall

jq80

Hello im after some advise!


I own a tenement flat in the second floor of a 3 storey tenement. The flat has a
Huge kitchen and beside it is a small single bed room, I would like to take some
Of the kitchen and make a bigger double bedroom. And move the kitchen into a double box room with the old kitchen becoming a bed room.

I am a total novice and would like some advise before I start talking to structural engineers and thinking about getting plans made

a) Can I remove a load bearing wall in a 2nd floor tenement with one floor above?

b) What would it likely cost to knock down the wall (5m ish) put in a steel beam and put up a stud wall, I know its hard to say without seeing it but would it be a 1K job or a 5K job?

c) as the wall I am moving has a cooker & vent and sink attached would it cost also to move these services into the box room?

swake

Hi Jq

Ill try to answer a best i can but obviously without more facts there guestimates at the moment.


a) Can I remove a load bearing wall in a 2nd floor tenement with one floor above?

Not without proper consultation at least. In theory you can remove most things provided additional support is reinstated.


b) What would it likely cost to knock down the wall (5m ish) put in a steel beam and put up a stud wall, I know its hard to say without seeing it but would it be a 1K job or a 5K job?

If you were to include decoration costs and everything i would say you would be looking around £1500 - 2000 area but thats if everything went according to plan.

c) as the wall I am moving has a cooker & vent and sink attached would it cost also to move these services into the box room?

Depends on where your moving them too , how far , would you do any of the work yourself.. There is a lot of variables to that one but if you could assume there might be work for a plumber for a couple of days half a day for an electrician but its tough to say without a bit ore information.

Sorry i couldnt be of more help.

jq80

thanks fore the quick reply!!

currently the kitchen is beside the box room, the distance would be roughly about 2/3 meters as the crow flies

The box room has lighting and there are some sockets, there are also a number of sockets on the wall that are covered over i.e there is not 3 spaces for a plug? im not sure what they are tho?

i would not be able todo any of it myself..
there is also a vent in the box roomroom but once i switch off the light it goes off straight away i believe this is against regulations?

swake

In theory it doesnt sound that complicated from your description to switch the existing kitchen into your box room. The builder would need to provide ventilation/extraction to that room for obvious reasons so that would have to addressed. There would be a couple of days work for an electrician from the sounds of it and then as i said earlier i would say a couple for a plumber.

You will then have the installation of new kitchen units which any competent fitter would complete in a day (based on the size of your room). You would then require another visit from the plumber to connect up the water feeds taps and anything else plumbing related i.e dishwasher , washing machine etc. Then you may or may not need odd job man/making good man for small amounts of tiling to the splashbacks and general decorating.

You would also have to replace the frame and door to that room to comply with fire regulations.

Going back to the job of knocking down your wall something worth considering.

Could a builder get a 5-7metre RSJ into the property without having to remove windows or punch holes through the wall ?

What you are considering isnt going to be cheap with all the modifications you have mentioned it may be worth consulting someone on how best to plan your new layout.

I have a post i placed on another board which ill stick here as well with regards to working with builders.

Good luck with whatever you do.

swake

Every day i continue to become more disappointed with the level/quality of my younger/newer employees as they do not appear to have either the training or the enthusiasm for what my company is attempting to achieve.

While i know there are a few decent contractors out there that "go round the houses" as opposed to site work operatives. I can tell you that the majority of the kind of guys being described will nearly allways fall short of your expectations and for a number of reasons.

90 percent of what i would describe as competent workers, work exclusively on new build/housing sites. The money has steadily risen over the last 10 years and they either dont want the aggrevation of pursuing "bits" of work from door to door or the hassle (and believe me there is such a thing as dodgy clients also) of dealing with difficult private clients.

The kind of guys who do troll around the private construction market ARE doing so because they cant get the legitimate contracts. These kind of operators infuriate the 90 percent of us who are responsible for some of the most dynamic building projects that we have seen in the last few years.

There are a few things you can do as a responsible client to ensure your building work goes as smoothly as possible.

most important is get a good recomendation from someone you trust. If you dont have someone you can rely on there are contractors you can get through the master craftsman association. Any contractor affiliated with these kind of reputable organisations will have no problem providing you with a list of previous clients and a portfolio of recent work.

Once you have decided on a contractor make sure you CLEARLY define in writing what you need them to do.A massive problem the builders face is when the client changes the details/design/specification of the project and expect to not incur additional costs.Once you have a concise idea between you and the builder on paper the costs involved become far more transparent at a later date.

Once they have provided you with a clear breakdown of costs and schedule of works take some time to review there trade per hour costs and what they are charging for materials if it appears consistant with online sources then its down to you to make the decision. If for any reason they attempt to squirm out of any of these very basic pre requisites then you can be pretty sure you will encounter problems with them later on in your project.

Billing payment and retention.

When you both are happy about the work involved and agreed on in my opinion it is not unacceptable for them to ask for a minimal advancebut definetly no more than around 5-10 % especially if they are a smaller contractor. The important part to mange is the stage payments and final account throughout the project. You should include in the schedule of works a payment schedule that ties your payments directly into definative percentage of the job completion. Also as a client i would insist on a retention that you can withhold on agreement it will be released when you are completely satified that everything is finished to your standards.

My last piece of advise would be that ALL good builders are very busy.
If someone tells you they can start in 2 weeks there full of !!!!. If you have to wait 3-4 momnths for the work to start then wait its not like its life threatening to get your conservatory done in the next 3 weeks.

Once your happy take photographs and provide statements for your builder and recommend him and i would ask him for discounts on future works for yourself if you start doing referalls.

Good luck

woodbutcher_2

If only.......................................Always said the worst part of my job is the clients and their unrealistic view of the building trade.