Case study: an old Wigan pub, rebuilt as a fully compliant 9-bed HMO.
A commercial-to-residential conversion at full scale: an old pub completely stripped back — in places to bare brick — then rebuilt over 19 weeks into nine lettable rooms, every one built to comply with Wigan Council’s 9-bedroom HMO guidance. New staircase, a 4-metre RSJ to building control requirements, fire-boarding and moisture-boarding throughout, a purpose-built downstairs shower room and a double kitchen.
Project at a glance Verified Wolsten build
- Property type
- Former public house — Wigan WN1
- Service
- HMO Conversions — commercial
- Time on site
- 19 weeks
- Outcome
- 9 lettable rooms, fully compliant
- Structural
- 4m RSJ + brand new staircase
- Fire strategy
- Fire-boarded throughout, FD30 doors, exit signage
- Amenities
- Double kitchen + purpose-built downstairs shower room
- Compliance
- Built to Wigan Council’s 9-bed HMO guidance
The biggest conversion type there is: commercial floor plates, residential standards.
Pubs make outstanding HMO candidates — big floor plates, high ceilings and commercial-grade construction — but they demand the most comprehensive rebuild of any conversion type. Nothing in a pub layout maps onto nine compliant bedrooms; the building has to be re-planned from the shell outwards.
This one was completely stripped back, in some locations to bare brick. The old pub staircase came out, the floor plan was re-cut with structural steel, and every partition, ceiling and room was rebuilt to comply with Wigan Council’s 9-bedroom HMO guidance — the room sizes, amenity ratios and fire strategy a licence at this scale demands.
Nineteen weeks of site work, one team, one contract — from a tired old pub to nine tenant-ready rooms.
Strip back, re-structure, rebuild to standard.
The photographs run the whole arc — from the original pub staircase buried in rubble to numbered fire doors and a double kitchen. The sequence:
- Complete strip-out — the pub gutted back to structure, and in some locations right back to bare brick; old staircase, ceilings and floor coverings out
- 4-metre RSJ installed — specified and fitted to building control requirements, with ceilings opened up and supported on acrow props while the steel went in
- Ceiling structure renewed — joists sistered and renewed where the strip-out exposed tired timbers
- Brand new staircase — a complete new flight built in, replacing the original pub stairs
- Re-partitioned for nine bedrooms — timber stud walls insulated and boarded in acoustic soundboard, with fire-boarding and moisture-boarding throughout
- Purpose-built downstairs shower room — formed from scratch: tray, moisture-board pod and first-fix services
- Double kitchen — twin ovens and twin hobs for nine tenants, the amenity provision Wigan’s guidance expects at this scale
- Fire strategy throughout — FD30 doors, protected corridors, emergency exit signage and full compartmentation
- Full replaster and finish — fresh ceilings and walls throughout, new flooring, grey carpets, and rooms furnished ready for tenants
From last orders to nine compliant, tenant-ready rooms in 19 weeks — structural steel, staircase, compliance and finishes, all in-house.
The whole project, in four shots.
Real photos from the actual Preston job.
The original pub staircase as found — decades of wear, buried in strip-out rubble.
Ceilings opened and propped while the 4m RSJ went in to building control requirements.
The floor plan re-cut: insulated stud partitions forming nine compliant bedrooms.
Protected corridors, fire doors and exit signage — licensing-ready.Every stage of the build.
The full set of photos taken throughout the project.
For the discerning investor.
What was actually built into this project.
A 4-metre RSJ, specified by building control
You can’t turn a pub floor plan into nine bedrooms without moving structure. A 4-metre RSJ went in to building control’s requirements, with the ceilings opened up and the load carried on acrow props while the steel was set. That single beam is what lets the old commercial floor plate carry the new residential layout above it.
Fire-boarded and moisture-boarded throughout
At nine tenants the fire strategy isn’t a checklist — it’s the architecture. The rebuild was fire-boarded throughout, with moisture-board in every wet area, protected corridors, FD30 doors and emergency exit signage. Compartmentation was designed into the new partitions from day one, not retrofitted.
Built to Wigan's 9-bedroom HMO guidance
Every room was set out to comply with Wigan Council’s 9-bedroom HMO guidance — room sizes, amenity ratios and the fire strategy a licence at this scale demands. Designing to the guidance from the first drawing is what makes the licensing process straightforward at handover.
A double kitchen, because nine tenants cook
Amenity provision scales with tenant numbers: a single oven doesn’t serve nine households. The shared kitchen was built with twin ovens and twin hobs — a double kitchen that meets the guidance and actually works on a weekday evening.
A purpose-built downstairs shower room
Rather than squeezing washing facilities into the old pub layout, a downstairs shower room was purpose-built from scratch — moisture-board pod, new tray and first-fix services — spreading the morning load across floors.
Acoustic separation between rooms
Nine unrelated tenants share these walls. The new stud partitions were insulated and boarded in acoustic soundboard — the difference between an HMO that retains tenants and one with constant turnover.
Three founders, plus extended crew when the job calls for it.
Liam, Ryan and Paul on every job. Where the work needs more hands, we bring in trusted regulars.
Liam
Survey, schedule of works, client liaison and the electrical installation.
Ryan
Structural work, brickwork and the heavy lifting of the strip-out.
Paul
Fire doors, linings, finish carpentry and the details that pass inspection.
Wigan
Wigan combines some of the most affordable property stock in Greater Manchester with a borough-wide Article 4 Direction in force since August 2025 — commercial conversions like this one always require change of use planning, which we manage end to end.
Questions investors ask about projects like this.
How long does a pub to HMO conversion take?
This Wigan conversion took 19 weeks in total — complete strip-out, structural steel, a new staircase, nine compliant rooms and full finishes. Commercial conversions typically run 4-6 months depending on scale; we provide a detailed programme of works before the build starts.
Do pubs make good HMO conversions?
Often the best — large floor plates, high ceilings and commercial-grade construction give you room counts a house can't reach. The trade-off is scope: everything gets rebuilt, planning change of use is always required, and the fire strategy must be designed in from the first drawing. Our team handles all of it in-house.
What is Wigan's 9-bedroom HMO guidance?
Local authorities publish standards covering minimum room sizes, kitchen and bathroom ratios, communal space and fire safety for larger HMOs. Every room in this conversion was built to comply with Wigan Council's guidance for a 9-bedroom HMO — designed in from the start so licensing is straightforward.
Why did the project need an RSJ?
Re-planning a commercial floor plan into bedrooms means removing and re-routing loadbearing structure. Building control specified a 4-metre RSJ; it was installed with the ceilings opened and supported on acrows, then inspected and boarded in.
Do you handle planning and building control for commercial conversions?
Yes — change of use planning is always required for pub and commercial conversions, and structural work at this scale runs under building control inspection throughout. We manage both as part of the turnkey service, alongside the build itself.
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Whether you're weighing up a purchase or ready to convert, we'll give you an honest view on planning, costs and returns — exactly the way these Preston projects started.
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