GS Renovation creates open-plan spaces throughout Paddington, opening up the compartmented rooms of W2's Georgian and Regency townhouses into kitchen-diners and broken-plan living. With more than 30 years in Westminster, we combine engineered steelwork with careful finishing so these period homes near Hyde Park feel light and connected while staying structurally sound.
Open-plan conversions in Paddington townhouses
Paddington's period homes were built as a run of separate rooms, so opening them up usually means removing one or more walls between the front and rear reception rooms or through to a kitchen. Where those walls are load-bearing, a structural engineer sizes a steel beam on padstones to carry the floors above, and we prop and demolish in safe stages before the steel goes in.
Not every dividing wall is structural; some are later stud partitions that can come out simply. For homeowners who want zones without losing the period feel, we fit broken-plan touches such as Crittall glazed dividers and part-height walls, keeping light flowing through these tall W2 rooms while defining the kitchen, dining and living areas.
Getting a Paddington knock-through signed off
A knock-through inside a Paddington home is governed by the Building Regulations, so Westminster City Council's building control inspects the beam, the propping and the padstones and issues the completion certificate. This is not a planning matter; internal open-plan work needs no planning permission, and only exterior alterations to a listed or conservation-area property would require separate consent.
Because these W2 townhouses share a party wall with the neighbour, any beam bearing into that wall makes the work notifiable under the Party Wall Act, and we serve the notices before starting. One GS Renovation team then handles the engineer, the steel, the building control sign-off and the plastering, so you get a finished, certified open-plan space with minimal disruption.
- Broken-plan layouts and Crittall-style dividers
- Structural engineer calculations and building control
- Level flooring and threshold removal across rooms
- Lighting, heating and electrical reconfiguration
- Knock-throughs between reception rooms
Why Choose GS Renovation in Paddington
Paddington homeowners choose GS Renovation for open-plan conversions because we join the structural and the beautiful in one accountable team. You get engineer-sized steels, party wall notices and Westminster building control handled throughout, Crittall and broken-plan finishing to suit a period W2 home, tidy working and a certified result, backed by more than 30 years locally.
- 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