We have a long conservatory across the back of the house i.e. not a UPVC shed, it’s 2 brick end walls, a wall of glass + door and a UPVC roof supported on wooden joists. We’ like to re-do the kitchen, and take out the dining room window and wall to make it one large U shaped room (could even make the kitchen and dining room open plan, but that would be a bigger job, the kitchen an dining room already have windows that extend across most of the back wall so lintels etc are already there, so just sledgehammer out the bottom section of wall an make good.

I already know the conservatory walls aren’t tied into the house, so job #1 would get to get a brickie to do that.

#2 would be to replace the roof with something a bit more solid like the lightweight tile systems an insulate it.

#3 probably have to replace the glass an/or frames to get them upto whatever building regs say they should be, and likewise insulate the cavity walls.

But would they need some evidence that it’s built on sufficient foundations? AFAIK it’s been there 30+ years with no subsidence, and we’ not be adding any weight to it. There might be a foundation there, or the might not, I haven’t the foggiest, it’s built on the same concrete slab as the house and garage which AFAIK is a good foot thick because the neighbours house is lower than ours so you can see that much concrete.

The backup plan is spend the same money save by not doing any of 1/2/3 apart from the roof, on bi-fold doors in the kitchen and dining room openings giving the same effect, but keeping it arbitrarily a separate conservatory.

We can’t just ask the council because it’s covered by an indemnity with a clause ‘this is invalid if you tell the council’.

We can’t just ask the council because it’s covered by an indemnity with a clause ‘this is invalid if you tell the council’.

😯

We can’t just ask the council because it’s covered by an indemnity with a clause ‘this is invalid if you tell the council’.

Surely you don’t need that anymore as once it’s been there ages, it’s too late for anyone to complain about it?

but that would be a bigger job, the kitchen an dining room already have windows that extend across most of the back wall so lintels etc are already there, so just sledgehammer out the bottom section of wall an make good.

Er no! While you think the wall under the window is only supporting the window, there is a fair chance its sharing some of the load of the lintel, passing it diagonally near the edges of the window. Have someone who knows what they are on about look before you knock out the whole back of your house!

And id question if the conserve is on the same slab as the house if its not even tied into the back wall, far more likely a crappy thin slab was laid for the light weight conservatory.

Is that indemnity from the previous owner? care to guess why they dont want you to get it checked, Cos of its shoddy build perhaps? 😉

care to guess why they dont want you to get it checked, Cos of its shoddy build perhaps

Is a standard endorsement on an indemnity. Basically, don’t point out the issue and hope for the best.

I’d get some advice on this from an architect or plan-drawer.

It sounds like you are wanting to do a proper job, but for what you are planning you’ll need the right permissions if you ever want to sell, so you’ll need to speak to the council at some stage.

Or do the work and don’t move – ever!

Surely you don’t need that anymore as once it’s been there ages, it’s too late for anyone to complain about it?

Planning yes (it would be permitted development anyway), building regs no, or at least as far as I know they can refuse to sign off on anything that hasn’t already been signed off.

Is that indemnity from the previous owner? care to guess why they dont want you to get it checked, Cos of its shoddy build perhaps?

No we had to to take it out to satisfy the mortgage company.

Er no! While you think the wall under the window is only supporting the window, there is a fair chance its sharing some of the load of the lintel, passing it diagonally, at least near the edges of the window. Have someone who knows what they are on about look before you knock out the whole back of your house!

I thought that too, in the kitchen the windows are normal height but in the dining room at least they’re only about 40cm from the floor. But it should still be less of a job than it would be to knock an entire wall down. We’d have to get a builder in anyway, and the work would need signing off by building control as the new bi-folds would be the (official) external door.

The question is should we be asking them to sign off on a conversion form a window to bi-fold doors, thus keeping a separate conservatory which they don’t need to sign off on. Or would they be able to sign off the upgrades to the existing conservatory which would turn it into a proper part of the house.

And id question if the conserve is on the same slab as the house if its not even tied into the back wall, far more likely a crappy thin slab was laid for the light weight conservatory.

It could well be, or the visible edge could just be retaining a load of hardcore underneath a thinner slab. But the same point would still stand, if we’re not adding any weight to a building that’s already stood for 30 years, are they likely to want further proof which I guess would be fairly destructive to obtain!

if we’re not adding any weight to a building that’s already stood for 30 years, are they likely to want further proof which I guess would be fairly destructive to obtain!

Well put it this way, ages is irrelevant, if you dont know you’ll need to find out to go with any option other than keep it a conservatory. Id get someone in who knows about building regs to get it checked out and tell you what needs to be done, bound to be more stuff than youre spotting.