So we are looking to open out our kitchen into the lounge/dining room. We want to be able to incorporate this into the house more.

I have some images below pre and post cutting the hole. In order to make the cut I am going to have to move some cables and possibly some water pipes when I have worked out where they route. It is a new build house and I have pictures of the house before the wall was put in. The joists go sideways across the house and the wall is not load bearing (it is a 63mm thick stud partition wall). The house is 6 years old.

We plan to do the majority of the work ourselves with the aid of a plasterer and a joiner to redo the kitchen worktop which will extend into the hole to finish the job of neatly.

I have looked at Buiding Regulations and I dont believe that there is anything that should be an issue but this isnt my area of exerpertise and everyone loves a good building thread!

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is the wall load bearing? thats the critical point. It will need a suitable lintel in in unless its just a stud wall with nothing above it. Still straightforward to do but depending how the house is built it could need nothing or could need a RSJ or any number of things inbetween

I do not know but I would expect that needs building warrants

you’ve answered your own question , a 63mm stud wall ain’t load bearing , just cosmetic really , work away .

Probably the only thing you may fall foul of is fire safety regulations, but other than that it’s just a partition wall.

looks like a galley not a kitchen atm , i take it the house is breeze block with some facing externally , dot n dab walls , and stud partitions ?

is the wall load bearing?

from the OP

The joists go sideways across the house and the wall is not load bearing (it is a 63mm thick stud partition wall). The house is 6 years old.

Looks like the building structure won’t be a problem based on the info given but I have some kind of nagging feeling that being a kitchen opening up are there any fire regs that need considering?

Just an general question, why would or could fall foul of fire regs? It’ll be just like and open plan kitchen dinner, surely? No access routes are blocked off..

Sorry I misread the OP

Yes there will be fire regs implications I would have thought. Depends on the rest of the layout to some extent but IMO interlinked fire alarms with a heat detector in the kitchen and a smoke detector outside it would be a good idea. gonna be compulsory in scotland soon

Edit – the implications for fire regs is the kitchen is no longer closed off from the rest of the house so a kitchen fire will spread much more quickly

Presume you don’t have cupboards on that wall in the kitchen? Sorry, I think it looks odd if you’re just cutting a massive hole there. That seems less of an open plan kitchen/diner more a serving hatch on steroids.

serving hatch on steroids.

I prefer the term ‘Modern Serving Hatch’. No cupboards on the other walls so that isnt impacted. We looked at fully open plan but that will swallow the budget. The dining room table and chairs is just the other side of the hatch, marked by the black square so it opens up the kitchen to the dining area. The hatch is 1.9m wide by 1.3m high so it is a pretty big hole.

With regards to fire regs – the wall isn’t fire resistant so doesn’t work to contain a fire. There are two doors that will remain and no access/escape routes are modified so I don’t believe that they would be affected.

Kitchen is 3.2m x 2.6m to give some context. There is also a window in the kitchen on the far wall opposite the hatch.

Just get rid of all the walls around the kitchen. Yeah the external door will open into kitchen, but it will rid that awkward space.

Buy some matching melamine to face the units onto the dining and the ends. if its a new build chances are you’ll still be able to get some matching worktop edging too.

Just get rid of all the walls around the kitchen.

That isn’t an option as my wife is a beauty therapist doing nails, facial treatments etc. This is done in the spare room upstairs but we want to be able to shut the lounge and kitchen of from the hallway so when people come in the house that is closed of.

WRT heat/smoke alarms we already have a heat alarm in the kitchen and a separate smoke alarm in the hallway.

Interlinked alarms? I would check with building control myself and get a fire safety certificate. It may be you do not need more measures but it may be you do.

A couple of years ago I rearranged my rental flat to be a kitchen / sitting room with separate bedroom – I had to put in 5 detectors long life battery interlinked to meet fire regs. thats for what is now a one bed flat.

Very similar layout in our house. We’ve two windows though in the kitchen, opposite wall, and where your cupboards are. MrsF wants to let more light through into the lounge, but that wall has all the units on. Only plan we could think is glass blocks at the top, but it’s a brick wall – the whole kitchen is brick walled (assuming fire regs) so would be a messy job.

If you still have a door from the hall to the living area and a door on the kitchen from the hall then it won’t affect escape routes in event of fire. The ‘non loadbearing’ stud is actually fire resistant it is 30mins duration by the nature of its construction therefore complies to provide 30 min separation between kitchen and living area.
Doesn’t mean you can’t knock a hole in it though as long as doors are as above. The ‘non loadbearing’ stud you should ask your joiner to check there are no cripple studs in it supporting anything as these can sometimes be in random places depending on the timber kit design, worth just checking.
I would still advise getting building regs approval it should be very straightforward and not costly for something so minor, as if you come to sell the first thing a solicitor will ask is where is your approval for that alteration, it affects the kitchen layout. Or call building control and ask their advice there’s normally a duty officer for such queries? or contact a local architect/technician/engineer for their advice.

In order to make the cut I am going to have to move some cables

technically does this need signed off by an electrician? I know when we did some work that did fall into building regs this was expected?

fire regs are very different according to the property , a private house has minimal , any business / rented has more strict and hmos are the ones requiring fire doors , door closers etc , building regs wil! charge you a fortune in some places even for minor consultation , you can see their charges on line .
Is the business registered to your house ? That’s where you’ll find it complicates matters , a private house you can pretty much do as you like , but with a business much different .
How about a shed for the beauty business ?

We wanted to do a beauty shed but in our area we need to get planning permission. We are unlikely to be granted the planning permission apparently from talking to them because it would be business use. Even though we can run it out of the spare bedroom without issue and lots of gardens now have similar style sheds in their gardens.

if you come to sell the first thing a solicitor will ask is where is your approval for that alteration,

And you say “no” and you will hear nothing more of it. At worst you’ll need an indemnity policy for about thrupence if the buyer demands it.

Hmmm any business operating from a residential premises that has customers visiting the premises will need planning permission.

Hmmm any business operating from a residential premises that has customers visiting the premises will need planning permission.

We checked with the council and dont need permission for running the business from home.

Are you saying that making alterations to the house will require planning permission even though the alterations dont alter the part that is affected by the business?

fire regs are very different according to the property , a private house has minimal , any

Depends where you are and there are plenty of regs for private housing. In Scotland ALL residential properties are soon to require a full interlinked fire alarm system

Even a private detached house has to have some fire control measures.

I am not sure if that alteration would alter the fire control measures needed but I would assume it does and I would not do the work without checking

Hmmm any business operating from a residential premises that has customers visiting the premises will need planning permission.

Not so. If it’s ancillary to the principle use of the dwelling as a family home (Use Class C3) then no change of use has taken place and PP isn’t needed. It’s a matter of ‘fact and degree’ (judgement) and depends on how, if anything, it effects the amenity of your neighbours in terms of noise, disturbance etc. If it’s one person at a time and one room of the house, there’s nothing to worry about. If there’s people queuing, deliveries etc then its a different matter….

PP isn’t needed for any internal works only if a change of use happens – which isn’t the case here.

To answer the question the OP actually asked: Ring Building Control at the Council.

Just get rid of all the walls around the kitchen.

Shame you can’t afford to do this as it may look like a canteen with just a large “serving hatch”.

Spoken to Building control and there is no impact on fire regulation and nothing regarding building regulations either. I just need to ensure that any electrical work is signed of by a certified electrician (or words to that effect).