Ground Floor Reconfiguration — Opening Up Your London Terrace

A ground floor reconfiguration is a structural alteration project that removes or partially removes the walls dividing the ground floor rooms of a house, creating a more open and connected layout.

• The most common version in London terraces:
• •Removing the chimney breast partition between the front and back reception rooms (where the chimney breast sits in the middle of the plan)
• •Removing or partially removing the wall between the back reception room and the kitchen
• •Relocating the kitchen from the narrow back extension to the expanded main ground floor space
• •Creating a continuous open-plan kitchen-dining-living area from the front of the house to the back

Depending on whether the walls are load-bearing, the project may be relatively simple (non-structural partitions) or more complex (load-bearing walls requiring RSJ steel beams supported by padstones and foundations).

A ground floor reconfiguration is often done in combination with a rear extension — the extension adds floor area at the back while the reconfiguration opens up the existing ground floor.

In a Victorian terraced house, most internal walls on the ground floor are load-bearing — they carry the weight of the floors and walls above. Before any wall is removed, a Chartered Structural Engineer must determine:

• •Whether the wall is load-bearing
• •What beam size is required to span the opening
• •What padstones (concrete bearing pads) are required at each end of the beam
• •Whether the foundations can support the new concentrated loads at the beam ends

**Typical scenarios**:

**Wall between front and rear reception rooms**: often load-bearing. Typically requires an RSJ (rolled steel joist) of 100–150kg spanning 3–4 metres. Padstones are built into each supporting wall/pier at each end.

**Chimney breast removal**: where the chimney breast sits on the party wall between the two reception rooms, removing it is more complex — the chimney above (on the first floor and in the roof) must be supported by a steel beam spanning across the opening. Requires careful sequential construction to ensure the chimney above is supported before the breast below is removed.

**Wall between reception and kitchen**: often non-structural in Victorian terraces (a later addition), but must be confirmed. If structural, requires a beam.

**Cost of structural opening with RSJ**: typically £4,000–£8,000 per opening (RSJ supply and installation, padstones, structural engineer fee, building control, making good to ceiling and floor above).

No. Internal structural alterations — wall removals, beam installations, partition changes — do not require planning permission. Planning permission controls what you build externally, not how you arrange space inside your home.

However, Building Regulations approval is always required for structural work. The Building Regulations process for a ground floor reconfiguration typically involves:

• •**Building Notice or Full Plans application**: submitted to Building Control before work starts
• •**Structural engineer's calculations**: submitted with the application or provided to Building Control before structural work begins
• •**Site inspections**: the Building Control inspector will visit when the structural works are exposed (typically before the beam is installed and after, so they can check the beam size, padstones, and support)
• •**Completion certificate**: issued when the work is complete

• A ground floor reconfiguration also affects party wall obligations if:
• •The chimney breast is on the party wall (which it typically is in a terraced house)
• •Any wall removed is within or adjacent to the party wall

Party Wall notice to the adjoining owner(s) is required before work starts in these cases.

Ground floor reconfiguration costs in London (2025):

• **Opening one wall (structural) — without extension**:
• •Remove one load-bearing wall, supply and install RSJ, padstones, making good: £4,500–£8,000
• •Includes: structural engineer, Building Control, scaffold if needed, plaster making good, floor making good

• **Full ground floor reconfiguration (two wall removals, kitchen relocation) — no extension**:
• •Two structural openings, chimney breast assessment, kitchen plumbing/gas relocation, redecorating throughout: £15,000–£35,000

• **Full reconfiguration with chimney breast removal**:
• •Removing chimney breast from ground and first floor (or just ground floor) plus new beams: adds £6,000–£12,000 to the above

• **Reconfiguration as part of a rear extension**:
• •Where the reconfiguration is done at the same time as a rear extension, the additional cost is typically £8,000–£15,000 on top of the extension cost — sharing scaffold, preliminaries, and making good.

**Kitchen relocation cost** (within a reconfiguration): if the kitchen moves from its original position, budget £2,000–£5,000 for rerouting plumbing, gas supply, and drainage to the new position. This is separate from the kitchen unit cost.

A standalone ground floor reconfiguration (without extension) typically takes 3–6 weeks on site. Here is the sequence:

**Week 1**: Preparation. Protect and isolate adjacent areas. Confirm wall type (structural/non-structural) if not already established by structural engineer's inspection.

**Week 1–2**: Structural work. Temporary support props installed to carry the load above. Wall removed section by section. Padstones installed. Steel RSJ or flitch beam installed. Props removed. Building Control inspection.

**Week 2–3**: Services rerouted. If the kitchen is being relocated, plumbing, gas, and drainage are rerouted to the new position before any plastering.

**Week 2–4**: Plasterwork. Ceiling and wall making good where the removed wall met the ceiling, floor, and adjacent walls. This is the most visible element of the work and requires a skilled plasterer.

**Week 3–5**: Second-fix and finishing. New skirting, new coving if needed, floor making good where the wall stood, and full redecoration.

**Critical consideration**: the first floor may need to be temporarily supported while the structural work is carried out. In most Victorian terraces, this is not complex — but it requires the rooms above to be cleared and protected during the structural phase. Discuss with your contractor what access to the upper floors will be available during this period.