Creating an open plan 2: from idea to doing

 

Of course when it comes to removing internal walls, it just doesn’t happen like this. There are many structural issues to take into consideration, and even though some walls don’t look like being load bearing, they have an important function in keeping the whole structure of the house stable and solid. It is therefore absolutely necessary to seek the advice of a professional and have a structural survey realised to see how to remove the walls.

In this project I called a structural engineer who visited the house and scrutinised and studied how the house was built. At this stage any special structure of the house has to be looked at, including cellars and roof space. The structural engineer did gave us hios report, which was sent to the building and regulation office for their approval and to the chosen builder, who was in close relation to both the structural engineer and the building and regulation office.

After getting all the green lights and approval, the builder was able to order all the necessary material and organise his work on our project.

Of course in such a project there are many things that need full consideration, for example heating and radiators, lighting, windows and door…

The heating: the heating of the new room had to be fully reconsidered as with the removal of a wall a big radiator had to go (a big radiator that was located on the wall). This is when it is important to be able to calculate the right amount of necessary BTUs to heat properly the new room and then decide if you want to have visible radiators or if you would rather go for under floor heating. I must say that I love the under floor heating solution as it frees up all the walls from radiators and it also creates a lovely warmth, and you can even walk bear feet on tiles in winter if you wanted….

In our case the client decided to keep radiators, so we had to calculate the right amount of radiators with the right size, and find a good localisation for them to be included in the finished scheme. As you can see there are many things to be taken into account and can’t be left to chance. Make sure your plumber is up for it!

The electrics: As there is a new space created, a new lighting plan is needed. The kitchen needs an especially good lighting as when cooking or chopping vegetables, you need to see what you are doing! For this project we chose energy saving lighting that provide at the same time a fantastic lighting for a kitchen. We installed LED recessed down lighters positioned in such a way that there wouldn’t be shadows falling in the wrong place. LEDs have improved so much in the last years. They used to be extremely white and bright and only good to light up a garage… It is now possible to find LEDs that produce a warm and comfortable lighting, that doesn’t make you look like a ghost, but which provide a good light. Here again, make sure your electrician knows what he is talking about (I am so lucky to work with an excellent team, including builder, electrician, plumber, decorator…) to avoid any problems later on.

Two pendant lights are also going on top of the island, for atmospheric and task lighting at the same time (not on the photo yet). Plint lights have also been installed, very funky result!

  LED recessed downlighters

New opening: With the artificial lighting we always have to think about how to improve the natural lighting, which is a comfortable and eco-friendly aspect of lighting. In this case we have opened the existing window in the kitchen into a patio door leading directly to the decking area in the back garden. This big new opening gives extra light and a beautiful view to the garden.

Emmanuelle Lemoine