Knock-through walls in Rubery

Before your knock-through in Rubery

There's no planning application for internal work in Rubery, but Building Regulations still apply to structural changes, electrics, drainage and fire safety. We tell you at the survey which parts need approval or certification.

Keeping a short section of wall at each end can mean a smaller steel and a lower cost.
If you have a loft conversion, opening the hallway may break your protected escape route, so the fire strategy needs checking first.
Steel beams usually take one to two weeks to make once the calculations are approved.

Postcode district: B45
Planning and building control: Bromsgrove District Council
From our West Bromwich base: 8 miles

Which options suit homes in Rubery?

Kitchen into dining room

A very common knock-through in older houses, creating one sociable room for cooking and eating. It often goes alongside a new kitchen, so the steel position, lighting and sockets are planned with the kitchen layout in mind. Radiators and doors may move to make the most of the longer wall space.

Wide opening instead of full removal

Keeping short sections of wall at each end, or a bulkhead above, lets you open two rooms up while keeping some separation and somewhere to put furniture. It can mean a shorter, lighter steel, and it sometimes gives a better result where the two floors are at slightly different levels or the ceilings don't line up.

How much should you budget in Rubery?

Guide prices start at £1,200 and run to £14,000 depending on size and specification. Opening up a 3.5 m load-bearing wall between kitchen and dining room in a semi: around £4,500–£6,800.

Guide prices for knock-through walls
Option	Guide price	Good to know
Non-load-bearing wall removed	£1,200 – £2,800	No steel, mostly making good
Load-bearing wall with steel beam (up to about 4 m)	£3,800 – £7,500	The usual kitchen-diner or through-lounge
Wide span, chimney breast or multiple steels	£7,500 – £14,000	Bigger steels, more propping and making good

Guide ranges include VAT where it applies. We confirm a fixed price for the agreed specification after visiting.

Knock-through walls in Rubery: common questions

How do I know if a wall is load-bearing?

You can't be sure by looking, so we check on site. Clues include floor joists running across the wall rather than alongside it, a wall directly above on the next floor, or solid brick rather than hollow stud. Even a wall that seems light can carry a load in older houses. A structural engineer confirms it, and the calculations form part of the Building Regulations approval.

Which postcodes in Rubery do you work in?

We cover B45 and the streets around them. If you're on the edge of Rubery, neighbouring Longbridge and Northfield are covered too.

How long does a knock-through take?

Most take 1–2 weeks on site. The steel usually takes one to two weeks to make after the engineer's calculations are approved, so allow three to five weeks from instruction to finished walls. The wall removal and steel installation themselves typically take two to four days; plastering, drying and refitting sockets take up the rest.

Does Bromsgrove District Council need to approve my knock-through?

Not for planning — internal work isn't development unless the house is listed. Building Regulations approval is needed for structural work such as removing a load-bearing wall, through Bromsgrove District Council or a registered building control approver.

Also covering nearby

Other work we do in Rubery

Planning a new kitchen too? Tell us both jobs and we'll quote them together, so the steel and the layout fit.