Wall or nothing?

This type of work must be checked and signed off by a building control officer from the local council, or an approved inspector (who does the same job for a private company), to ensure it complies with building regulations. Even removing nonload-bearing walls can be of concern to building control, if, for example, it would create a layout that breaks fire regulations.

To determine if a wall’s holding something up, there are various things to look at, including the joists and what’s sitting on the wall, if anything, in the loft – visit www. wikihow.com/ Tell-if-a-Wall-is-LoadBearing for advice.

Sometimes it’s obvious, but if it’s not, consult a structural engineer - don’t take a chance because getting it wrong could make your home liable to collapse. A structural engineer will also be able to calculate what type of steel is needed to replace the wall.

In most cases, removing a wall won’t require planning permission. However, if you’re combining wall removal with an extension, as is often the case with kitchen-diners, you may need consent from the local council for that, and all the layout changes will need to be drawn on plans for the application. With listed buildings, it’s important to get listed building consent from the local council before removing a wall. Of course, permission may not be granted, which could make creating an open-plan layout impossible. With leasehold properties, you usually require the permission of the freeholder for alterations – knocking down a wall could potentially affect the whole building. If the work affects a shared (party) wall or other shared structure, you may need to serve a party wall notice on your adjoining neighbours – see www.gov.uk/party-wall-etc-act1996-guidance for more information. If in doubt ask a structural engineer Removing walls to create an open-plan living space requires careful planning AS long as a paintbrush or roller has some (waterbased) paint on it and the air doesn’t get to it, you can wrap it in a plastic bag or thin plastic sheet for days without having to wash it out. You can also store roller trays in plastic bags to keep the paint in them from drying out too, or alternatively invest in a tray with a lid.

Paint scuttles with lids, such as the No Nonsense Scuttle Kit & 6 Sleeves (£29.99, Screwfix), are another great way to store paint mid-job.