GS Renovation creates open-plan spaces across Bexley, opening up the compartmented layouts of the borough's 1930s semis and interwar houses in Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Welling. With 30-plus years in DA5, DA7 and DA15 we knock through to kitchen-diners, form broken-plan living areas and fit Crittall-style dividers, all engineered and signed off by building control.
Open-plan living in Bexley's interwar homes
Bexley's interwar houses were designed as a series of small separate rooms, so the classic project here is knocking through the load-bearing spine wall to join the kitchen and rear reception into one bright kitchen-diner facing the garden. Because that wall carries the floor and roof above, a structural engineer sizes the steel beam and specifies the padstones before the wall comes down.
For homeowners who want light to flow without one cavernous space, we create broken-plan layouts and fit Crittall-style glazed dividers, giving a defined kitchen and sitting area that still share light and views across the generous ground floors these houses enjoy. We prop, remove the wall in staged sequence, set the beam and finish flush so the transition looks original.
Consents for knock-throughs in DA7
A knock-through is governed by the Building Regulations rather than planning, so unless your Bexley home is listed or in a conservation area no planning application is needed for the internal work. Bexley Council building control inspects the beam, bearings and any new structure, and issues the completion certificate for your records.
As the spine wall in a semi ties into the shared party wall, opening it up can be notifiable under the Party Wall Act, and we serve notice on your neighbour before starting. From the engineer's calculations and party wall notices to the steelwork, the Crittall glazing and the final plaster and flooring, we deliver the whole open-plan conversion as one coordinated job.
- Open-plan kitchen-diner conversions
- Steel beam installation to remove the dividing wall
- Side-return integration for wider spaces
- Broken-plan layouts and Crittall-style dividers
- Structural engineer calculations and building control
The GS Renovation Difference in Bexley
For open-plan conversions in Bexley, GS Renovation is one accountable team from first survey to signed-off certificate. We handle the engineer's beam design, party wall notices, Bexley Council building control, the steelwork and any Crittall dividers, working cleanly in your occupied interwar home and finishing flush, all underpinned by 30+ years of knock-throughs across the borough.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Over 30 years of experience
- Dedicated project management
- Fully insured and guaranteed work
- Building control and planning support
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople