GUIDE TO RENOVATING

Improve a dated layout with our practical low-down on the most common remodelling jobs involved in a renovation project

- NATASHA BRINSMEAD

Our modern lifestyles tend to require very different room layouts to that of our ancestors and it's not at all unusual for renovators of old properties to find themselves faced with a maze of small, dark rooms, long corridors and downstairs bathrooms, added on as an afterthought some time during the 1950s.

Small kitchens are another common issue to be tackled, with this room now being high up on the list of priority projects. Many people spend a lot of time in their kitchens, so it's common for renovators to want to move walls, doorways and windows around, relocate key spaces and add new areas. Here, we cover several of the most common jobs undertaken as part of a remodelling project.

REMOVING INTERNAL WALLS

Knocking down internal walls is one of the top jobs undertaken by those tackling a renovation, allowing for the existing layout to be opened up, and for light to reach into areas of a property it previously couldn't. Removing walls will also be necessary when incorporating an extension into an existing house.

However, before you think about wielding a sledgehammer, you need to be sure that the walls you plan on removing are not holding anything else up - we're talking structural walls, the removal of which needs to be undertaken with great care. Any wall being removed needs to be assessed to see whether it is load-bearing (structural) or just there to divide the space. Simply tapping on the surface to see whether it sounds 'solid' is not enough - some stud walls are load-bearing, while some solid masonry walls are not. You should ask a structural engineer or builder to check which ones are structural. If a wall you want to remove does happen to be load-bearing, a structural engineer will need to prepare calculations for a lintel or steel beam to support any new opening that's created.