GS Renovation creates open-plan spaces across Shepherd's Bush, reworking the tight room layouts of W12's Victorian and Edwardian terraces into bright kitchen-diners and flowing living space. From full knock-throughs to broken-plan zones and Crittall-style dividers, our 30+ years in Hammersmith and Fulham mean the structure is handled properly beneath the finish you actually see.
Opening up Shepherd's Bush terraces
The classic Shepherd's Bush layout, two reception rooms front and back with a narrow kitchen in the closet wing, was never designed for modern family living. Knocking the receptions together, or opening the kitchen into the rear reception and side return, transforms how the house works. Because the dividing wall is usually load-bearing, the knock-through is a structural job with a steel beam at its heart.
A structural engineer sizes the beam for the span, and it bears onto padstones set into the flank and party walls. We prop the floors above, remove the wall in stages and lift the steel into place before releasing the props. For broken-plan schemes we can leave a structural pier or drop, or fit a Crittall-style glazed divider to zone the space while keeping the light flowing.
Consents and sign-off in W12
Knocking through inside a Shepherd's Bush terrace is building regulations work, so Hammersmith and Fulham Council's building control inspects and certifies it, not the planners. Internal open-plan conversions do not need planning permission; that only applies to external changes, particularly in conservation areas or on listed buildings. We make that clear from the outset so you know exactly which approvals your project needs.
As the wall you are removing usually sits against or ties into the party wall shared with the neighbouring terrace, the Party Wall Act commonly applies and you serve the notices in good time. We coordinate the engineer, the steelwork, building control inspections and the making good, so your new kitchen-diner is delivered as one properly certified job rather than a string of separate trades.
- Bi-fold and sliding door openings onto the garden
- Level flooring and threshold removal across the whole space
- Ventilation and extraction planned for an open kitchen
- Utility and boot room space carved out of the new layout
- Making good, plastering and decorating the finished space
Trusted Open-Plan Conversions in Shepherd's Bush
For open-plan conversions in Shepherd's Bush, GS Renovation is one accountable team from first drawing to final certificate. We handle the engineer's beam design to neighbouring terraces, safe propping and steel installation, and building control sign-off with Hammersmith and Fulham Council. You get tidy working in a lived-in W12 home and 30+ years of structural experience.
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Structure and finishes delivered by one team on one programme
- Founder-led team with 30+ years of hands-on experience
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
- Broken-plan and Crittall-style options priced alongside full open-plan