Knocking through - do I need an architect?

6 years ago

We are thinking of knocking through the wall dividing our kitchen & dining room. Currently you have to exit the kitchen and walk through the conservatory to get to a table to eat!
It's a load bearing wall so we will need a structural engineer. My question is - do we really need an architect or maybe a designer to make sure it looks good and is done well? My partner (who is a builder) says it's not complicated just knock a hole in the wall but I'm worried there may be design considerations I hadn't thought about? But it seems a piddly job for anyone decent....thoughts appreciated! Thanks.

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Comments (5)

PRO
BetterSpace: The Floor Plan Experts
6 years ago
Hi there. It's a bit hard to tell without seeing a plan or a picture. But it sounds straight forward so you might be able to get by with a structural engineer and without a designer / architect. Having said that - there is a difference in the way a builder and a designer approach a space, so we always recommend to not let your builder do the design. For your peace of mind - we'd be happy to help you produce a floorplan. Juts check out our site: www.betterspace.co or drop me a line to service@betterspace.co.
Best of luck!
Ed
PRO
OnePlan
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Sounds like you are approaching this sensibly - as your Partner is a builder - I would imagine they have sourced a SE to do the calculations and then he will know what materials are required etc.
From a design point of view - it might help you to have things drawn up ( like the drawings on our pro page ) so you can see the effect the new opening will have on the flow of the home - and see what it would look like before you start . If you are coupling this with a re jig of your existing cabinets or a complete new kitchen - then having design drawing for this should help.
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For me it would depend on whether you have another separate toilet in the house. If you do then it's nice to knock through and have everything together. If not then I'd keep separate - there is nothing worse than someone needing the toilet when you're in the shower. Normally one of kids!
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Agree with Jonathan - if it is just internal structure and you are not changing the external footprint of the house then you are unlikely to need an architect. I'm undertaking building work which involves knocking through three rooms and creating doors, a loft conversion and creating a bathroom in a bedroom where there was no plumbing. The builders I engaged handle all the building regs etc. For the loft conversion, as part of the fixed price quote they include structural calcs and submission of a building notice - to the council I presume (I think stuff like this depends on the local authority and if you live in a conservation area etc.). No architects involved as I don't need planning permission for any of the work. I also trust my builders as they have done so much other we ork locally and I know exactly what I want. The planning portal online can help you understand what can be done with and without planning.
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Ok, this is embarrassing. We STILL haven’t had it done. We’ve had structural reports and building regs done. Then another builder came round to quote... and... he thinks we should do it another way. Essentially he suggested what Minipie and Rinq suggested!! 👏👏👏 I’ve put a shambolic plan below. Basically keeping the utility (again, as suggested by you guys, I’ve realised I cannot live without a utility - especially now we have a dog!). So the builder said it would be cheaper and just as effective to push the bifolds down and remove the wall in between. So, now my concern is, will we have enough space for a seating area and dining table. If not, I’m concerned it’ll be a big space with not much in it? New wall in red.
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That is a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" question! First question to ask is who are you planning to have to project manage the whole works? If you already have a good idea of what you want to do and rough sizes of extension etc, I would be tempted to seek out a good local independent kitchen contractor that is also capable of doing the structural elements & managing the whole project. Not all do that level of works, but a studio like ours specialises in such things - we have an in-house building surveyor, a tame structural engineer, access to architects when absolutely necessary (it rarely is!) and can manage all the building regs, planning permission process etc. in house. If we were doing such a project, we'd probably do initial indicative designs, get a structural engineer in to advise on openings, steels etc. and only then use the minimal amount of architect (or architectural technician) time, keeping the costs manageable. A good structural engineer and architectural technician are, in my experience, worth a dozen architects for such tasks! Of course, if you are determined to burn money, go straight to the the architect...
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cwsandra
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for your thoughts. I have a hunch that a lot of architects wouldn't want to get involved especially as we would be doing the work and buying materials. But I could do with the creative ideas of an expert and I can see that drawings would be needed. Here's the floorplan and pics of kitchen & dining. We don't want to touch the kitchen.
PRO
OnePlan
6 years ago
Looks like if you open up at similar height to the door - ie under the picture rail - it will keep the character intact - and give you the free flowing space you crave... I think it will look great ! Lucky you !!
lincoln18
6 years ago
A civil engineering technician or architectural technician is all you need, and for them it is a simple calc.

Knocking through - do I need an architect?

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Knocking through - do I need an architect?

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