Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ashford, Kent

Is open-plan kitchen knock-throughs right for your Ashford, Kent kitchen?

Buyers in Kent sometimes take on a house divided into small rooms and plan a knock-through first, so the new kitchen can be designed for the larger space.

If your Ashford, Kent home is an older terrace, the wall between the kitchen and the middle room may well be load-bearing, so an engineer and a steel beam are likely to be part of the plan. Homes right across Ashford, Kent are covered, as are nearby places such as Tenterden, Hythe, Kent and the villages in between.

What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ashford, Kent include?

Your written quote lists everything included. For open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, that normally means:

Building Regulations approval arranged, or a building warrant before work starts in Scotland
Beam boxed in, the opening plastered and the floor joined where the wall stood
Structural engineer arranged to design the beam, padstones and temporary propping
Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
New kitchen fitted once the opening is made good and the structural work inspected
Temporary props set, the wall removed and the steel beam bedded on padstones

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices in Ashford, Kent

As a starting point for Ashford, Kent, these ranges include VAT at 20% and allow for typical labour costs in the South East. Labour in the South East generally costs more than the UK average, which lifts these ranges a little.

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices in Ashford, Kent
Typical project	Guide price
Non-load-bearing wall removed and made goodStud or light partition, minimal services	£920–£2,300
Load-bearing wall with a steel beamStructural engineer's design and making good; building control or warrant fees listed separately	£3,400–£9,800
Knock-through with a new kitchen-dinerSteel beam, new kitchen, new floor throughout	£28,500–£63,000

Load-bearing guide ranges include the structural engineer's design for a typical single opening and making good; council building control or building warrant fees, rerouted services, decorating and the kitchen itself are listed separately. Prices include VAT at 20%.

Fitting kitchens in older and newer Ashford, Kent homes

In and around Ashford, Kent, homes range across Victorian terraces, weatherboarded cottages, 1930s semis and oast house conversions. Victorian terraces in the Medway towns and along the coast often have a narrow back-addition kitchen, while 1930s semis usually have a small kitchen beside a separate dining room.

Water across Kent is hard, so limescale builds up quickly on taps and boiling water taps, and a scale-reducing filter is worth considering. Seaside terraces, permit parking and narrow village lanes can each make deliveries slower, so the route for long worktops is best checked at the survey.

What rules apply to open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ashford, Kent?

In England, removing a load-bearing wall needs a structural engineer's design and Building Regulations approval through local authority building control or a registered building control approver. Where a beam bears into a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 means serving notice on the neighbours before work starts. If the new open-plan kitchen opens onto the hall and stairs, building control will check the escape route, and homes with a floor more than 4.5 metres above ground may need extra fire safety measures.

Listed weatherboarded and timber-framed cottages, oast conversions and homes in conservation areas such as historic Canterbury may need consent for new external vents.

Planning ahead

Clear both rooms completely before the opening is made in your Kent home, and seal doors to the rest of the house with dust sheets and tape.
Before asking for prices for your Ashford, Kent home, look upstairs: a wall directly above the one you want removed is a strong sign it is load-bearing.
Plan the heating for your new Ashford, Kent kitchen-diner; removing a wall can also remove a radiator, and the larger room may need more heat.
If a beam will bear into a wall shared with a neighbour in England or Wales, the Party Wall Act may require notice before work starts.

Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ashford, Kent

How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Ashford, Kent?

Guide prices in Ashford, Kent are about £920 to £2,300 including VAT for removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good. The final price depends on the size of the kitchen and what is moving, and is set out in an itemised written quote.

Do you cover all of Ashford, Kent?

Yes. We work across Ashford, Kent, including the TN24 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Tenterden and Hythe, Kent. Book a free survey visit and we will arrange a time that suits you.

When is the new kitchen fitted after a knock-through?

After the opening is complete. The order is propping, removing the wall, setting the beam on its padstones, inspection, then boxing in, plastering and joining the floor where the wall stood. Fresh plaster usually needs three to six weeks to dry before full decorating, though a mist coat can go on sooner, so the units are often fitted while the walls dry and the decorating follows later.

Do I need approval to remove a wall between kitchen and dining room?

For a load-bearing wall, yes, everywhere in the UK. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that means Building Regulations approval through building control; in Scotland a building warrant must be granted before work starts, followed by a completion certificate. A non-load-bearing partition is simpler, although a listed building may need listed building consent and a leasehold flat usually needs the freeholder's written consent.

How can I tell if a kitchen wall is load-bearing?

Usually you cannot be certain by looking. Clues include floor joists landing on the wall from above, another wall directly on top of it upstairs, or the wall running down the middle of the house on its own foundation. A hollow knock is not a reliable test, because some stud walls carry loads. We check at the survey, and where there is doubt a structural engineer confirms it before anything is removed.

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in neighbouring towns

We also carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in these towns near Ashford, Kent: