House renovation plans: knock-throughs, new openings and new layouts

Opening up a kitchen, moving walls or remodelling a whole house? Auto Builder draws your house as it is today, then the changes: walls to remove hatched, new walls, and new or blocked-up windows and doors. You get existing and proposed plans, elevations, 3D and a building regulations specification.

Click + New plan and choose Whole-house renovation, then upload your floor plan. It builds the house for you, and you mark what changes.

What you get

• Existing and proposed floor plans, with walls to remove and new walls shown clearly.
• Existing and proposed elevations where windows or doors change.
• A list of the alterations to describe the work on the application or building notice.
• A building regulations specification for the renovation, including the energy rules and an asbestos reminder.
• A 3D model and walk-through so you can see the new layout before you start.

Do I need planning permission?

• Work inside the house, such as removing walls, usually doesn't need planning permission.
• New or bigger windows and doors are often permitted development for a house, if they look similar to the existing ones. Upper-floor side windows must be obscure-glazed and fixed shut below 1.7 m.
• Listed buildings need listed building consent for most changes, inside and out.
• In a conservation area, or where an Article 4 direction applies, changes to windows and doors may need permission.
• Flats and maisonettes don't have the same permitted development rights.

Building regulations for a renovation

• Removing a load-bearing wall needs building regulations approval and a structural engineer's calculations for the beam, its bearings and padstones.
• New windows and doors must meet the energy rules (about 1.4 W/m²K). Use an installer registered with FENSA or a similar scheme, or tell building control.
• Upgrading walls, floors or roofs: when you renovate a large part of an element (for example re-plastering more than half of an outside wall), it normally has to be insulated to the improved levels in Approved Document L, where that is practical.
• Fire safety: opening a hall into a living room changes the escape route from upstairs. Usually you need mains-powered linked smoke alarms, and sometimes a sprinkler or a protected route.
• Electrics, heating and drainage must be done by a registered installer or approved by building control.

Party walls and asbestos

• Cutting into a party wall, for example to seat a steel beam, is covered by the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. You must give your neighbour notice, normally 2 months before work starts.
• Houses built before 2000 may contain asbestos in textured ceilings, boards, floor tiles or pipe lagging. Have a refurbishment survey done before you knock anything out.

Questions