GS Renovation creates open-plan spaces across Clerkenwell, playing to the strengths of its loft-style warehouse conversions and new-build EC1 apartments. With 30+ years of structural work in Islington, we handle knock-throughs, kitchen-diners, broken-plan layouts and Crittall-style dividers, opening these homes up without compromising the structure that holds them together.
Open-plan living in Clerkenwell conversions
Clerkenwell's warehouse conversions already lean towards open volumes, so the work is often about removing one remaining wall to link a kitchen and living area, or reordering a new-build flat's layout. Many of these dividers are non-structural partitions that come out easily; others are load-bearing and need a steel beam sized by an engineer, on padstones, with propping during a staged demolition.
Broken-plan is popular here because it keeps the loft feel while defining zones: a Crittall-style glazed screen between kitchen and lounge, or a half-height divider that preserves light across the whole floor. We design the layout around whatever is structural, so you get the open sightlines the space wants without hiding a beam where it looks awkward or losing the character of the conversion.
Consents for open-plan work in EC1
Since Clerkenwell flats are leasehold, an open-plan conversion that removes a structural wall needs the freeholder's licence to alter and the managing agent's approval of the engineer's scheme. Building-management rules on working hours, protection of shared parts and sound insulation between flats all shape how a knock-through is sequenced, and we settle those before starting so the job runs without hold-ups.
Any structural element, the beam and its bearings, is controlled under the Building Regulations and inspected by Islington Council's building control, not the planning department. Non-structural partitions and Crittall dividers carry no structural risk but still need doing neatly. Where a removed wall is shared with a neighbouring flat, the Party Wall Act applies and you serve the notices as part of the package.
- Rooflights and glazed roofs to bring light deep into the plan
- Flush beam detailing where a downstand would look wrong
- Making good, plastering and decorating the finished space
- Beam depth checked against existing ceiling heights
- Knock-throughs between front and rear reception rooms
Why Clerkenwell Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Clerkenwell clients choose GS Renovation because we design the open-plan layout around the structure, not against it. One team handles the engineer's beam, freeholder licence and building control sign-off, working tidily in an occupied EC1 flat. Thirty years across Islington means the result is open, characterful and fully certified.
- Heat loss and acoustics considered before the wall comes out
- Broken-plan and Crittall-style options priced alongside full open-plan
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
- Floor levels and thresholds evened out across the whole space
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site