We have a two-bedroom apartment in a brick building from the 1970s. We want to remove the wall between the kitchen and the room, but we don't know how to get it approved or how much it'll cost. Do we need to go to the BTI or are there simpler options?
Have you already checked whether the wall is load-bearing or not? If not, your first step should be to call an engineer from a design organization to inspect it and determine that. It'll be cheaper than full design work, and then you'll know whether to go ahead with the renovation or look for a compromise (like making a wide opening instead of completely tearing the wall down). By the way, when you apply for approval at the BTI, you'll need an inspection report from the engineer anyway, so there's no way around that expense.
Unfortunately, there are no simple solutions here - you can't just remove a wall and forget about it, because in a brick house from the '70s it's almost certainly load-bearing. You need to go to a design firm so they can do the calculations and issue a redevelopment project, then you have to get that project approved by the cadastral office and obtain a permit - without this, you'll run into problems later when selling or if you need to make any other changes to the apartment.
The cost depends on the region and the complexity of the work, but overall it's not cheap - the project plus approvals will cost a decent amount, and if you end up needing to reinforce the floors or create an opening with a beam, the demolition work itself will also be quite expensive.
I agree that getting designers is a must, but let me clarify on the cost side. Prices vary a lot depending on the region and the specific company, plus you need to keep in mind that if the wall is load-bearing (and it probably is), you'll need reinforcement with a lintel or beam - that significantly drives up the project cost. It'll definitely be more expensive than if the wall weren't load-bearing, but you can only nail down the exact amount after the designer inspects it and does the calculations.
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