You probably won’t require planning permission. If the wall is found to be load bearing, it is classed as a “Structural alteration” and you will require Building Regulations approval.

If your building is Listed, Listed Building Consent is almost certainly going to be needed for this work – this is not the same as planning permission and operates independently. We can help you with this if it’s requried.

Once your application is registered with the council, it can take anything from one week to eight weeks, depending on which council you are submitting to and how busy they are at the time of submission.

If you are unsure of the measurements to take then you will need to upgrade to our Supported Self Survey package. Here you will find simple instructions detailing the areas that you need to measure and photographs that you need to take. Click here to find out more.

If your wall is found to be non loadbearing we will issue you with a letter confirming this (you may need this when you come to sell your house in the future) and there is nothing further to pay. The fees that you pay covers our time making the structural assessment and our liability. 

A Building Notice Application doesn’t require detailed plans to be submitted. All charges (plan and inspection) are paid at the time of deposit.

Although you only have to wait 48 hours before starting the work, you do not have an approved plan to work to. If the work does not meet regulations, there may be a delay while the work is corrected and you may not know that the work is incorrect until it is inspected.

We would not recommend this route and if you start building work before you have approval, it’s at your own risk.

Full Plans Application

• You know that as long as you carry-out the work in line with the approved plans it will meet the regulations
• Everyone involved knows in advance exactly what is required. There should be few nasty (or expensive!) surprises
• You can provide an approval notice to financial institutions, solicitors, and so on, when you are applying for loans or moving home
• As long as the work is carried out in line with the approved plans, and all the relevant inspections find the work is of a satisfactory standard, you get a completion certificate

A party wall is the dividing wall between you and your neighbour, ideally it is best to avoid working on or near a party wall, however, if there is no alternative you may need to comply with Party Wall Act, we can help you with this.

To avoid this, we’d look at designing either a “goal post” or a “picture frame”.

We would advise that you wait for Building Regulations approval. That way your builder knows exactly what to build and the sizes of the steelwork required and you don’t risk abortive work

You will need to make contact with your house insurance provider, they normally require you to cofirm how long the works will take and evidence that the works are being undertaken by a competent person/company.

You will have our fees (please click here for a quotation), plus building control fees – typically £200 – £250