POSSIBLE NEW HOUSE RENOVATION QUESTION

[ryan kirkpatrick]

Good morning all, myself and my partner are in the process of negotiation for buying a house. We really like the location and the house is very nice too. There are a few things that we would like to consider before buying, one of which is to explore the possibility of having an open plan kitchen/dining room. I have made a plan of what we would like to do to the house but we are not sure if we are being realistic and would really appreciate any comments on the idea and if possible a ball park figure for installing any structural beams we would need. We're pretty handy with DIY (plastering/plumbing etc.) so wouldn't need any making good after, just the structural parts/work. We are based in Preston, Lancashire if that matters. Thanks.

 

[mikeey84]

Difficult to say without seeing the site, but having just done something similar, you should get change from £5k if it is just putting in the beam and removing the walls, and there are no complications.

Edit: that is if it's just 1 beam. Might be a bit more of you need more beams, but that depends on information you haven't provided

 

[ryan kirkpatrick]

Thanks for the reply. I understand there is more to it than that and we may need more than one and possibly a bigger supporting structure but was just after a rough idea of whether it would be possible. Did your costs include structural calculations?

 

[mikeey84]

It did, but my £60 cash in hand to a friend of a friend is probably not realistic for most situations!

You shouldn't be spending a huge amount on structural calcs for what, appears to be, a fairly run of the mill job.

I would imagine £300-£500 for calcs, up to £800 for beams, but that depends very much on what is required, could be less, could be more, and the rest to a builder to fit and remove rubble. As always, it could easily cost double what I have said, or half of what I've said.

I would say that it isn't a huge job, but I am no builder or engineer!

 

[ryan kirkpatrick]

Sweet, it really would just be calculations, beam/beams and someone competent to fit. I can hire a skip and clear up and make good after. Anything to avoid being ripped off.

 

[mikeey84]

Sweet, it really would just be calculations, beam/beams and someone competent to fit. I can hire a skip and clear up and make good after. Anything to avoid being ripped off.

Best thing to do is ask around friends and family for recommendations of builders. Issue is it's probably quite a small job, so you may have to wait a while for a good one, as they will prefer the big jobs where they make more money.

That being said, if it's just fitting the beams, and you will do the cleanup, it is probably only a day's work for 3 or so guys, as long as everything is prepped for them (radiators, sockets removed etc)

 

[^woody^]

You wont get a realistic cost. No one knows the loading situation to even guess at whether it's feasile or not, never mind then guessing at whether it this or that.