Knock-through walls in Shirley

Before your knock-through in Shirley

Work inside your Shirley home isn't development, so planning permission doesn't apply — the exception is a listed building, where Solihull Council would need to give listed building consent. Structural work, new electrics and drainage changes come under Building Regulations.

Keep the completion certificate and engineer's calculations safe, as a buyer's solicitor will ask for them.
If you have a loft conversion, opening the hallway may break your protected escape route, so the fire strategy needs checking first.
Textured ceilings applied before 2000 should be tested for asbestos before they're cut or disturbed.

Postcode district: B90
Planning and building control: Solihull Council
From our West Bromwich base: 10 miles

Options to consider in Shirley

Non-load-bearing partition removal

Stud or thin block partitions that carry no weight can be removed without steel, once we've confirmed what's above. The work is mostly making good: patching the ceiling and walls, filling the floor where the wall stood, and moving any sockets or switches. It's the quickest and cheapest kind of knock-through.

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.

Knock-through walls prices in Shirley

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. Access, parking and the state of what's there now can move the price — the survey settles it.

Before you book in Shirley

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.

Do you cover Shirley?

Yes. Shirley (B90) is about 10 miles from our West Bromwich base and inside the area we cover. Call 0800 088 6248 or send the form on this page to book a free survey.

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.

Will I need permission from the council in Shirley?

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 Solihull Council or a registered building control approver.

Knock-through walls near Shirley

Other work we do in Shirley

Give us a call on 0800 088 6248, or send a photo of the wall and your postcode, and we'll take it from there.