GS Renovation creates open-plan living across Merton, opening up the compartmented layouts of Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden's terraces into bright kitchen-diners and flowing reception spaces. Drawing on 30+ years in SW19, SW20, CR4 and SM4, we combine engineer-sized steel beams with careful finishing, whether you want a full knock-through, a broken-plan scheme or a Crittall divider.
Knock-throughs in Merton's period homes
The classic Merton terrace was built as a series of small rooms, and the walls between the front reception, the middle room and the rear closet-wing kitchen are usually load-bearing. To join them into one open space we have an engineer size a steel beam for each opening, set it on padstones, prop the floors above and remove the walls in controlled stages so the ceiling never drops.
Not every home wants a single vast room. In many SW19 and SW20 houses we create broken-plan layouts instead, keeping a structural pier or a low return so the kitchen and dining zones read as one but retain some definition. Where clients want light without full openness, a Crittall-style glazed divider set into an engineered opening gives a bright, defined kitchen-diner with the industrial look these period homes carry well.
Consents and finish for Merton kitchen-diners
Opening up the ground floor is structural work, so it is governed by the Building Regulations and Merton Council's building control inspects the beams and signs off the completion, rather than any planning application. Internal open-plan work does not need planning permission unless you are in a conservation area and altering the exterior. We manage the inspections and hand over the certificate and the engineer's calculations.
Because these beams often bear into the party wall shared with the neighbour, the Party Wall Act applies and you serve notice before work starts, which is standard on Merton's continuous terraced rows. We then finish the space properly: beams boxed in or flush, floors levelled across the old wall lines, and plaster, skirting and services made good so your new kitchen-diner feels like it was always one room.
- Ventilation and extraction planned for an open kitchen
- Beam depth checked against existing ceiling heights
- Radiator relocation and underfloor heating in the new layout
- Openings formed in stages to keep the home usable
- Kitchen island services routed through the new floor
Why Choose GS Renovation in Merton
Merton homeowners choose GS Renovation for open-plan work because one team takes it from engineer's design to finished room: beam sizing, safe staged demolition, building control sign-off and a clean plastered finish. We protect your home while we work, keep the dust and disruption down, and bring 30+ years of turning SW19, SW20, CR4 and SM4 terraces into open-plan living.
- Cooking smells and extraction planned into an open kitchen
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages
- Beam depth checked against ceiling heights before you commit