Two sides of the valley
Carlton lies in a valley, and its two sides were built at different times. The northern side grew mainly during the Industrial Revolution and the early 1900s, while the southern side was developed mostly in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Next door, Netherfield is known for its rows of Victorian terraces, built as its population climbed from 60 in 1801 to more than 4,600 by 1901, the century that brought the railway. Different houses tend to bring different stud wall jobs, and we are only about two miles away in Mapperley.
Putting a wall back
Over the years, plenty of terraced houses lost the wall between the front and back rooms to make one long through-room. Some owners now want separate rooms again: a snug at the front and a dining room or playroom behind, each easier to keep warm. A stud wall is the lightweight way to do it. It goes in the line of the old wall, with a door opening wherever you want one, and is boarded and skimmed to match the plaster either side.
If a beam was put in when the original wall came out, the new partition doesn't take over its job; it simply fills the gap underneath. The frame is fixed to the beam and the floor, and the ends are scribed to the old walls so there are no gaps to fill later.
Houses from the 1930s to the 1950s
South of the valley the jobs are often smaller: a cupboard formed under the stairs, a bedroom carved off a big front bedroom, an en-suite tucked into a corner, or a soil pipe boxed in after a bathroom refit.
Where the new room is a bedroom, think about how you reach it. A bedroom you can only get to by walking through another room is known as an inner room, and building regulations treat it carefully because of escape in a fire. The same goes for a wall that would leave either room without an opening window. A word with building control before the frame goes up avoids surprises. If either room needs new sockets or a light, a qualified electrician wires them while the frame is open.
Arranging a visit
Gedling Borough Council's conservation area list doesn't include Carlton, so for most homes here the building regulations points above are the ones that matter. Whether you are near Carlton Hill or out towards Standhill Road, call 07877 353120, email Patchmeifyoucan@outlook.com or use the enquiry form. We work seven days a week, 7am to 5pm.
