Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · Hampshire
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon
Looking for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon? We survey, quote and carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs for homes across Bordon and the rest of Hampshire, with one contract from the first measure to the final check.
Who usually needs open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon?
Plenty of Bordon homes have a small back kitchen beside a dining room that only gets used at Christmas, and joining the two gives one room the household actually lives in.
Some households in Hampshire want a kitchen-diner for having people round, where guests can sit at a table or island while the food is still being cooked. Our Hampshire coverage reaches every part of Bordon (GU35) and out towards Alton.
What we cover for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon
Here is what usually goes into open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, adjusted to your Bordon kitchen after we have measured it:
- Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
- Structural engineer arranged to design the beam, padstones and temporary propping
- In England and Wales, party wall requirements checked where a beam bears into a shared wall
- Temporary props set, the wall removed and the steel beam bedded on padstones
- New kitchen fitted once the opening is made good and the structural work inspected
- Cables, pipes and radiators in the wall rerouted by qualified trades
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Bordon?
Use these ranges to plan your budget. They include VAT, reflect costs in the South East, and are firmed up once we have seen your Bordon kitchen. Labour in the South East generally costs more than the UK average, which lifts these ranges a little.
| 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%.
What kind of kitchens do we fit in Bordon?
Typical homes in this part of Hampshire include Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estate houses and thatched and brick cottages. Terraces in Southampton and Portsmouth often have a narrow back kitchen, while post-war estate houses tend to have a compact rectangular room suited to an L-shape.
Dense terraced streets can be very tight for parking, and New Forest lanes and village roads may limit the size of delivery vehicle. Water across Hampshire is mostly hard, largely from chalk sources, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common and a filter can help.
Regulations for kitchen work in Bordon
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.
Homes within the New Forest or South Downs national parks, listed cottages and conservation areas may need consent for a new extractor vent or alterations to historic features.
Getting the most from your open-plan kitchen knock-throughs
- Plan the heating for your new Bordon kitchen-diner; removing a wall can also remove a radiator, and the larger room may need more heat.
- Before asking for prices for your Bordon home, look upstairs: a wall directly above the one you want removed is a strong sign it is load-bearing.
- If your Bordon home is leasehold, ask the freeholder for written consent before any structural work is designed or booked in.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Bordon?
For removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, budget around £920 to £2,300 including VAT in Bordon. That reflects typical costs in the South East; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.
Do you cover all of Bordon?
Yes. We work across Bordon, including the GU35 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Alton and Farnham. 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.
Nearby places we cover
Neighbouring towns where we offer open-plan kitchen knock-throughs:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Alton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Farnham
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Petersfield
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Aldershot
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Midhurst
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Fleet
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Hampshire