Services
Internal alterations
More space from the house you already have, by changing the walls inside it.
Free no obligation quotes.
What it covers
Changes to the walls and openings inside your house. Our own jobs include knocking through into a new extension and a kitchen refit with new window and door openings.
Planning
Internal alterations do not normally need planning permission. A listed building needs listed building consent for any significant works, inside or out.
Building regulations
Taking out a load-bearing wall needs building control approval, because it changes the structure. You will need a structural engineer's report and calculations. Removing a stud wall that carries nothing will likely not need approval, as long as it does not affect a fire escape route.
Fire, services and party walls
The hall and stairs are often the protected way out of the house. In a home with a loft conversion, an open-plan layout needs new partitions to enclose that route, or an alternative such as sprinklers with extra separation.
A new bathroom with plumbing, a new fuse box, or electrics near a bath or shower can need building regulations approval, unless a registered competent person does the work and self-certifies it.
Cutting into a shared wall needs a notice to next door.
What you need to know
- Planning
- Not normally needed. A listed building needs listed building consent.
- Building regulations
- Needed to take out a load-bearing wall. Usually not for a stud wall that carries nothing, if the escape route is untouched.
- Structural engineer
- A report and calculations for any load-bearing wall that comes out.
- Fire safety
- In a house with a loft conversion, opening up the hall means protecting the way out another way.
- Party wall
- A notice to next door before cutting into a shared wall, for example to seat a beam.
These are the general rules, from GOV.UK and the Planning Portal. Every house is different, so check your own job with the council or building control.
How a job runs
Step 1: Enquire
Ring, or send a few lines about what you want to change and your postcode.
Step 2: Visit and quote
We come out, look at what you want to change and what the walls are doing, and give you a free no obligation quote.
Step 3: Build
Then the approvals the job needs, the work and the making good.
Free no obligation quotes.
The work
Photos from our own jobs.
See all projects
Questions about internal alterations
Do I need planning permission to knock through?
Not normally. Internal alterations, including building or removing an internal wall, do not usually need planning permission. A listed building is different: you need listed building consent for any significant works, inside or out. If you are not sure whether your home is listed, ask the council before work starts.
Do I need building regulations approval to remove a wall?
If the wall is load-bearing, yes, because removing it alters the structure, and you will need a structural engineer's report and calculations. If it is a stud wall that carries nothing, probably not, as long as it does not affect a fire escape route. Have it checked first rather than guessing.
Will opening up my ground floor affect fire safety?
It can. The hall and stairs are often the protected route out of the house. In a home with a loft conversion, an open-plan layout needs new partitions to enclose that route, or an alternative such as sprinklers with extra fire separation. Building control will look at this as part of the application.
Who checks the electrics and plumbing?
A new fuse box, electrics near a bath or shower, or a new bathroom with plumbing can need building regulations approval. A tradesperson registered with a competent person scheme can self-certify their work instead, and you get a certificate within 8 weeks that shows up in a sale.
Do I need a party wall notice for internal work?
Only if the work touches the shared wall. Cutting into a party wall, for example to seat a beam, needs notice. Plastering, new sockets, rewiring or putting up shelves do not. If you live in a semi or a terrace, ask about it at the quote stage.
How long will we be without a kitchen?
It depends on what is moving: walls, drains, electrics and the kitchen itself. Lead times on steels and kitchen units can matter as much as the building work. Ring, or send a few lines and ask us for a free no obligation quote, and we can talk through the order of work.
Get a quote
Ask for a free no obligation quote
Ring, or send a few lines about the job and your postcode.