Knock-through walls in Selly Oak

Knock-through walls in Selly Oak: approvals and local details

There's no planning application for internal work in Selly Oak, 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.

Steel beams usually take one to two weeks to make once the calculations are approved.
A beam bearing on a wall shared with a neighbour needs party wall notice at least two months before work.
Internal alterations to a listed building need listed building consent from Birmingham City Council.

Postcode district: B29
Planning and building control: Birmingham City Council
From our West Bromwich base: 6 miles

Which option fits your home?

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.

Load-bearing wall with a steel beam

Where the wall supports floors, other walls or the roof, a structural engineer sizes a steel beam and the padstones that carry its ends. Temporary props hold everything up while the wall is removed and the beam goes in. The steel is then boxed in with plasterboard, usually fire-rated, and skimmed so it looks like part of the ceiling.

What does your knock-through cost in Selly Oak?

Prices in Selly Oak match the rest of our area: £1,200–£14,000 depending on size and specification. Opening up a 3.5 m load-bearing wall between kitchen and dining room in a semi: usually £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.

Before you book in Selly Oak

Should I do the knock-through before a new kitchen?

Yes, the structural work comes first, but plan both together. Knowing the kitchen layout tells us where the steel can sit, where lights and sockets should go, and whether radiators need to move. Doing the wall and kitchen as one project avoids re-plastering twice and means the floor can run through in one go.

How do I book a survey in Selly Oak?

Send the form on this page, use the guide-price tool or call 0800 088 6248 free. We'll ask a few questions about your knock-through and arrange a time to visit.

How much does it cost to knock through a wall?

In the West Midlands, a knock-through typically costs £1,200–£14,000 including VAT where it applies. Removing a non-load-bearing partition is usually £1,200–£2,800. Opening a load-bearing wall of about 3.5 metres between a kitchen and dining room, with an engineer-designed steel, building control and re-plastering, is typically £4,500–£6,800. Decorating and new flooring across both rooms are usually extra.

Does Birmingham City 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 Birmingham City Council or a registered building control approver.

Close to Selly Oak

Other work we do in Selly Oak

Book a free visit in Selly Oak and we'll tell you whether your wall is likely to need steel before you commit to anything.