Structural alterations in Tyne and Wear

Covering Tyne and Wear

Our coverage across Tyne and Wear includes Newcastle upon Tyne, Sunderland, South Shields and Gateshead.

Homes in the North East

Housing across the North East ranges from colliery terraces and Tyneside flats to suburban semis and modern estates, each with different options for extending.

What does a structural alteration involve?

Structural alterations change the load-bearing parts of a house, most often removing a wall between two rooms and putting in a steel beam to create an open-plan layout. The work needs a structural engineer’s design and building regulations approval.

Structural engineer’s design and calculations
Building control application and inspections
Fire protection and plaster encasement

How much does a structural alteration cost in Tyne and Wear?

What structural alterations typically cost. These are guide ranges; the written quote for your house replaces them.

Structural alterations	Guide price incl. VAT
Single load-bearing wall removal with steel	£3,000 to £7,500
Chimney breast removal with support	£1,800 to £4,500
Multiple walls or full open-plan remodel	£8,000 to £20,000

How is a structural alteration approved in Tyne and Wear?

Projects in England go through two separate checks. Planning (or confirmation that the work is permitted development) comes from the district, borough or unitary council, and building regulations approval comes from the council’s building control team or a registered building control approver. Where work touches a shared wall or digs near a neighbour’s foundations, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies.

Internal work like this does not usually need planning permission unless the house is listed or your permitted development rights have been removed. It does need building regulations approval because it affects the structure.

What should Tyne and Wear homeowners check first?

Shared chimney breasts and walls can involve the Party Wall Act.
Removing walls can affect the fire escape route on open-plan ground floors in three-storey houses.

From first call to completion

Tell us about the project. Call, use the guide price tool or send the form with a few photos and a postcode.
Survey at your house. We look at the existing structure, services and access, and agree what the design needs to achieve.
Price and paperwork. The design is priced line by line, and we submit the planning and building control applications.
Build and hand over. Our teams build to the programme, building control inspects, and you get the completion paperwork at the end.

Questions about a structural alteration in Tyne and Wear

How much does it cost to remove a load-bearing wall?

Usually £3,000 to £7,500 including VAT for a single wall with a steel beam, calculations and making good.

Do I need building regulations approval to remove a wall?

Yes, for any load-bearing wall. Non-structural partitions usually do not need approval.

Can you visit a house in Tyne and Wear to quote?

Yes. After a short call we arrange a site visit to measure up and agree what the design needs to do, then send a written price.

Structural alterations in nearby towns

Learn more about structural alterations, or see every project we cover in Tyne and Wear.