Transform Your Home with Open-Plan Living and Bi-Fold Doors

Author Profile
Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’.
Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space.

By Alexandra Giles

If you want to upgrade your home without the hassle of a major renovation, then simply changing the layout of your property can create a sense of space and make your home more suitable to your family’s needs. Adding bi-fold doors to the design can further create the illusion of increased square footage by opening up the room.

Although remodelling your home, as opposed to extending it, does mean you won’t be adding any square footage to your interior, there are a number of benefits to rearranging the layout:

Planning permission is not usually needed
Minimum impact on neighbours
Less building work required, so less disruption
Often more affordable than an extension
You can include useful spaces in the design such as a WC or utility room
You won’t lose any space in your garden

Building regulations and planning permission

The majority of building projects, even those that only involve knocking down or moving walls, require building regulations approval, but a small building project such as remodelling an existing layout is unlikely to require planning permission as well.

Building regulations differ to planning permission in the following ways:

Planning permission is concerned with the appearance of buildings and how changes to a building will affect the general environment.
Building regulations focus on the design and construction of the building to ensure that any changes made don’t have a detrimental impact on the people who use the building. The energy efficiency of a property is also included in building regulations.

Projects such as removing a chimney stack, installing a window, fitting bi-fold doors or knocking down and/or building internal walls all require building regulations approval. Any work involving electrics or drainage requires approval, and electrics in particular are likely to be part of a home remodelling project. Once the work is done and approved, you will be issued with a completion certificate that you will need to keep hold of for when you want to sell your property.

Listed buildings

If you live in a listed building, you will need listed building consent from your local planning office, as well as ensuring any changes conform to Building Regulations, even if they are just internal changes. You can find out more about gaining listed building consent on the Government’s Planning Portal website.

Rules and regulations for bi-fold doors

If you plan to install bi-fold doors, then you will need Building Regulations approval, but it is unlikely that you’ll need planning permission; however, check before starting any work to be sure. The opening where you install your doors may require a supportive beam to be fitted above it. A structural engineer can advise on if and how this should be installed.

If you want to change the layout of your terrace home or semi-detached property, then read up on the party wall act. If you’re making changes, then any new supporting beams (such as those needed to support the wall above bi-folding doors) may require masonry work to be removed in order to install the beam. A party wall is a wall that is shared by a neighbour. If you are altering such a wall in any way, you will need to give notice before the project starts. You can find out more about the party wall act, including how to give notice, here.

Before starting the project, it’s advisable to consult a structural engineer or building surveyor, who will assess which walls are load bearing and will advise on what support structures will need to be put in place. Stud walls can be load bearing and solid walls aren’t always load bearing, so the old trick of tapping the wall won’t necessarily tell you much. This is why it’s always best to get expert advice before altering the structure of your home, as it will save time and expense in the long run.

Which experts should you consult?

This will depend on the scope of your project, but at the very least, you should hire a surveyor.

A surveyor will complete a full building survey and give you advice on anything they think might affect changes to the layout, including any existing defects. A surveyor can offer advice on the planning permissions and building regulations required to make changes to your property, and can draw up building plans and a budget for proposed changes. Surveyors can project manage your project from start to finish.

Architects focus on what a finished building will look like. Although they are known to design buildings from scratch, if you are planning to remodel your home, an architect will help you make the best use of the space you have available. An architect will draw up what your finished project will look like, and will advise on the best place to position features such as bi-fold doors.

A structural engineer focuses on the structural aspect of the building by ensuring any changes are structurally sound. They will advise on the right materials to use for a job and work closely with an architect, providing guidance on the ‘behind-the-scenes’ aspects of a build, such as steel beams and flooring joists. If your surveyor highlights that the walls you want to remove are load bearing, then you will need to speak to a structural engineer before starting your project. You will need to consult a structural engineer before planning the aperture required for bi-folding doors to be fitted.

Making the most of your new space

When you decide to remodel your home and open up your living space, it’s a good idea to plan how you will use the space you have available. Zoning the area will give each section a clear purpose and avoid wasting space or making the area looking vast and uninviting.

Lighting, flooring and furniture can all be strategically placed to create distinct areas within the large space.

Lighting

Distinctive lighting, such as large pendant lights, above a dining table or kitchen island will clearly designate this area as a zone for eating, cooking or gathering. A dimmable light in a seating area can create an instant haven of relaxation.

In an open-plan area, you can use the main ceiling light to create a focal point by choosing an unusual design such as a collection of blown glass shades or an over-sized chandelier.

When designing your open-plan area, consider where your light fixtures will go as well as where any plug sockets will be for table top and standing lamps. Including a lighting control system with your re-design will enable you to turn on, turn off and dim the lights from multiple locations in the room and light specific areas of the room, without the need for multiple switches for individual lights on the wall.

Flooring

Rugs and flooring with different patterns can help zone an area too, with rugs used to designate areas of relaxation and different flooring patterns used in the kitchen to the dining room. Using boarders, such as a line of patterned tiles or wooden flooring with a wooden trim, clearly breaks the room up into specific areas.

What’s important to bear in mind is that wooden flooring can mean loud footsteps, which could be annoying in a large shared space, so choose a floor covering design that will soak up some of the sound. Specially designed products such as sound-dampening underlay like QuietWalk will reduce noise from the footsteps of people walking around the room.

Room dividers

Dividing the room with physical partitions is the obvious way to zone different areas. Bookcases, glass walls and screens can all be used to section off areas of your space.

Bi-fold doors

Installing bi-fold doors will significantly change how you use the room and where your furniture will be positioned. You will need to decide if you want your furniture positioned around the bi-fold doors, a dining table placed in front of them, or the space left completely open. Remember that if you are choosing a configuration where the doors fold inwards, you will need to leave space to allow the doors to be concertinaed when they are fully open.

Bi-fold doors create a true transitional space to the garden, so connect with greenery outside by introducing plants to the inside space. Adding stylish patio furniture outside the doors will create the sense of the room extending outdoors, while a suitable patio covering will allow the area to be used all year round.

Don’t forget!

There are a number of features that will likely need repositioning as a result of the changes you make to the layout including:

Radiators and fires
Fans and ventilation systems
Light switches
Light fixtures
Power sockets
Skirting boards

Consider the above at the design stage, and if you are unsure of where to position any of these elements, then speak to your architect, designer or electrician for their advice.