Every trade under one contract across Cockfosters and EN4. Structural work, extensions, kitchens and bathrooms, building control handled for you.
Cockfosters is interwar suburban housing, and it is remarkably consistent. The 1930s semis and detached homes running back from Cockfosters Road towards Trent Park share a plan: bay fronted reception rooms, a separate kitchen at the rear, a hipped roof and frequently a garage to one side. That predictability works in your favour, because the survey rarely produces the surprises a converted period house does. We appoint the structural engineer for anything structural and we run the Barnet Council building control side of the work.
The layout that suited a household in the 1930s puts the kitchen in a small room at the back, separated from the garden and from everyone else. The single change that alters your daily life most is opening that kitchen into the rear reception room, or into a modest extension beyond it, so the back of the house becomes one space.
The other common move is the through opening between the two reception rooms, which gives a room with light at both ends. Both are structural. The wall carries the floor above and sometimes a partition upstairs, so a beam is designed for what is actually standing on it.
Three details recur in this stock. The bay carries the wall above it on slender piers with a lintel that may be timber, so cracking above a bay is usually a lintel or a pier rather than the ground. The garage is normally built to a lighter construction with shallower foundations, which matters if it is being brought into the house.
The walls are generally cavity rather than solid, and the inner leaf is the one doing the structural work. A beam bearing across both leaves is a detail that fails. The engineer specifies the padstone and the bearing onto the inner leaf, with the cavity closed and insulation carried past so the bearing does not become a cold spot.
A hipped roof gives less usable volume than a gable, because the roof slopes in from three sides and the head height under the ridge is reached over a smaller area. Whether a conversion is worth doing in your roof is a question of measured height rather than floor area, and it is answered before any design work.
Where the roof is trussed rather than cut, the timbers form an engineered frame and none of them can be removed to open the space. The conversion then replaces trusses with a designed structure rather than modifying them. Ceiling joists also become floor joists and are rarely deep enough on their own.
Every Service, One Team
One accountable team for every trade in Cockfosters. Choose the work you need:
RSJ and Steel Beam Installation in Cockfosters: steel beam installation, RSJ and structural alterations.
Load-Bearing Wall Removal in Cockfosters: safe load-bearing wall removal with steel beam support.
Structural Alterations in Cockfosters: structural alterations, new openings and steel support.
Chimney Breast Removal in Cockfosters: chimney breast removal with gallows bracket or beam support.
Open-Plan Conversions in Cockfosters: open-plan kitchen, diner and living conversions.
House Extensions in Cockfosters: single and double storey extensions.
Home Renovation in Cockfosters: full refurbishments and whole-house renovations.
Kitchen Renovation in Cockfosters: bespoke kitchen design and installation.
Bathroom Renovation in Cockfosters: luxury bathroom and wet-room refurbishment.
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FAQ
Usually yes, and it is the most requested alteration in this stock. The wall between them generally carries the floor above, so a beam sized by the engineer replaces it and bears into masonry at each side. The span is modest, which keeps the steel manageable and the making good straightforward. Services within the wall are traced and diverted first.
Frequently, and the structural opening is the smaller part. Converting the garage itself brings requirements for floor level, insulation, damp proofing and ventilation, and altering the front elevation may need permission. Where the wall between the garage and the house is removed, a beam is designed for it. The existing garage foundations are checked rather than assumed adequate.
Most often a failed or missing lintel rather than movement in the ground. Bays of this period carry the wall above on slender piers with lintels that may be timber or shallow brick arches, and decay or spreading shows as cracking following the line of the opening. The repair installs an adequately bearing lintel designed for the load above it.
Sometimes, and the head height decides it. A hipped roof reaches usable height over a smaller area than a gable, so the measurement comes before the design. Where the roof is trussed, the frame is replaced with a designed structure rather than cut. The stair, the escape route and fire separation are part of the same design.
It's the second time I have hired George and he has been absolutely professional and the work he did resembles perfectly what I had in mind. Being an interior designer, I will keep hiring his team for any incoming projects.
Saiid did a complete refurbishment of our small bathroom. This involved ripping out the existing bath/shower, basin, toilet, pipework, and tiles and replacing with new. Saiid was very helpful during the planning stage giving useful advice…
George was very friendly and helpful from start to finish. He worked really hard to ensure our kitchen was installed to a high standard and was accommodating to the changes we wanted along the way. We're really happy with the end result…
Free, no-obligation quote for any renovation work in Cockfosters. Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder, fully insured, and building control handled for you.