INTERNAL ALTERATIONS
Why Work with Us?
Transforming the interior of your house or flat through well-planned internal alterations can dramatically improve your living space, making it more functional, modern, and tailored to your needs. Whether you're looking to reconfigure the layout of your home, create an open-plan living area, or enhance the flow between rooms, our expert architectural services can help you achieve your vision.
Internal alterations are especially beneficial in tenement flats, where space is often at a premium.
Whether you want to remove a load bearing wall to create an open plan kitchen/living area or create another bedroom we can help you with this.
Why Consider an Internal Alteration?
Maximise Space
Internal alterations allow you to make better use of your existing space, whether it's opening up smaller rooms, removing unnecessary walls, or repurposing underused areas.
Modernise your Home
Updating the interior layout of your home can bring it in line with contemporary living standards, improving both comfort and aesthetics.
Enhance Natural Light
By removing or repositioning walls, you can improve the flow of natural light throughout your home, creating a brighter and more welcoming atmosphere.
Tailored to Your Needs
Whether you want a larger kitchen, a more open living area, or an additional bedroom, internal alterations can be customized to suit your lifestyle and preferences.
Add Value
Thoughtful internal changes can increase the value of your property, particularly in tenement flats where space and layout are key considerations for potential buyers.
Our architectural services are designed to help you make the most of your home’s interior, whether you’re living in a tenement flat or a larger house. We provide expert advice, detailed design plans, and support throughout the process to ensure your internal alterations are both practical and beautifully executed.
Ready to rethink your living space? Contact us today to discuss your project and discover how our internal alteration services can help you create the home you’ve always wanted.
Nationwide Internal Alteration Design Services in Scotland
We specialize in providing expert architectural design services for internal alterations anywhere in Scotland. Whether you're nestled in the heart of Glasgow or Edinburgh, or in a remote part of the Highlands, we're here to help you transform your home's interior.
Why Choose our Internal Alteration Design Service?
We have a particular expertise in designing internal alterations for tenement flats in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities presented by these iconic buildings, ensuring our designs are both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
Beyond tenement flats, our experience extends across Scotland, allowing us to cater to various architectural styles and local planning regulations.
Our service is purely focused on design. We provide you with detailed plans and drawings that you can use to guide your construction team, ensuring a seamless and high-quality Internal Alteration.
We work closely with you to create a home interior that reflects your style and meets your needs, adding value and functionality to your space.
Our expertise across Scotland ensures that your design is both compliant with local regulations and optimized for your specific location.
Wherever you are in Scotland, our team is ready to help you create a stunning home interior. Contact us today to learn more about our design services and how we can bring your vision to life.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
No- Generally, internal alterations do not require planning permission.
This includes changes like removing or adding non-load-bearing walls, rearranging rooms, or changing the use of a room within the existing structure.
However, there are exceptions:
Listed buildings: If your home is listed, you’ll need listed building consent for any significant internal alterations.
What type of features do you need to preserve in a Listed building?
Interior features: Staircases, fireplaces, decorative plasterwork, paneling, and other internal features of significance.
Yes, most internal alterations require a building warrant.
Alterations that affect the structure or layout of your home typically need approval from your local building standards department.
While there are a few limited exceptions where a building warrant might not be required (e.g., minor cosmetic changes), the majority of internal alterations will need approval.
For tenement flats, any wall removal, regardless of whether it’s load-bearing or non-load-bearing, generally requires a building warrant.
Tenement flats are interconnected buildings, which means that alterations to one property can potentially affect the properties above and below.
When removing internal walls in a tenement flat, it’s crucial to consider the potential impact on neighbouring properties.
Almost all internal alteration projects, especially those involving structural changes like removing walls or creating new openings, require the expertise of a structural engineer.
A structural engineer can assess the feasibility of the alterations, identify any potential structural implications, and provide guidance on necessary support measures. Their expertise is crucial in ensuring that your project is carried out safely and complies with building regulations.
The timeline for obtaining a building warrant for internal alterations typically ranges between 8 to 12 weeks. However, this can vary depending on several factors, including:
- Complexity of the project: If your alterations involve significant structural modifications, such as removing multiple load-bearing walls or creating large new openings, the process may take longer.
- Local authority workload: The volume of applications being processed by your local building standards department can also influence the processing time.
Our Approach to Internal Alteration Projects
This is generally the workflow that we adopt for Internal Alteration projects.
In the very beginning we will have a phone or Zoom conversation and discuss your project in detail, it's always helpful to have a floorplan of your property or photos if possible.
Once we fully understand the extent and scope of your project we can provide a fee quote for our services.
Here's an overview of our process:
Inital Site Visit
We'll visit your property to carry out a measured survey
Initial Design Development
Based on our initial discussions, we'll draft a preliminary design concept. This will give you a visual representation of the proposed alterations and allow us to discuss potential options and modifications.
Iterative Design Process
We'll work closely with you to refine the design until you're completely satisfied. We'll make revisions and adjustments as needed.
Structural Engineering Consultation
Once you're happy with the design, we'll send the drawings to a structural engineer to obtain a fee quote. The engineer will provide a fee quote based on the initial drawings.
Structural Design and Building Warrant Application
The structural engineer will provide structural design drawings, which we'll incorporate into the overall project plans. We'll then submit the building warrant application to your local building standards department.
Efficient Workflow
If you are in a hurry to speed things up, we can submit the architectural drawings and building warrant application while the structural engineer works on their design. This can shorten the overall timeline.
Cost of Internal Alterations
The cost of internal alterations can vary significantly depending on several factors, including:
Scope of The Project
The extent of the alterations, such as removing walls, creating new openings, or reconfiguring layouts, will influence the cost.
Structural Modifications
If the project involves removing load-bearing walls or making significant changes to the building's structure, the cost will be higher.
Desired Finishings
The level of finishings and materials used will impact the overall cost.
Location
Geographic location can affect pricing due to factors such as labor costs and material availability.
Permits & Fees
Planning permission and building warrant fees can add to the total expense.
While it's difficult to provide a precise cost without a detailed assessment of your specific project, internal alterations typically range from £10,000 to £50,000 or more.
It's important to be realistic about the costs involved and to obtain a personalized quote based on your specific project requirements. By understanding the factors that can affect the price, you can make informed decisions and plan your budget accordingly.
Getting a Price from a Builder: Timing Matters for Internal Alterations
While it's natural to want to get a price estimate for your internal alterations as early as possible, it's important to understand that builders need specific information to provide an accurate quote.
Early stages of the project, such as design and planning, don't provide enough detail for builders to give a meaningful price. At this point, the scope of the project may still be evolving, and there may be uncertainties regarding structural requirements, materials, and finishes.
To obtain a reliable and accurate price, builders typically need the following information:
Once the builder has this information, they can provide you with a more accurate and competitive quote.
By waiting until the design, planning, and building warrant stages are complete, you can ensure that you're getting a price based on a well-defined project scope and avoid potential misunderstandings or cost overruns later on.
Internal Alterations - A Personalised Approach
While internal alterations can be grouped together as a general project type, each individual project is unique and has its own specific characteristics. Factors such as the desired layout, structural limitations, and the extent of the changes will significantly impact the scope and cost of your alterations.
To ensure that your internal alterations meet your exact needs and expectations, it's essential to work with an experienced architectural firm who can assess your specific situation and provide tailored guidance.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your internal alteration project. We'll help you understand the possibilities and explore the best approach to create a beautiful and functional new living space.
