Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · England
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Devon
If you need open-plan kitchen knock-throughs anywhere in Devon, we survey the kitchen, agree the scope with you and book every trade through to handover.
Why do people in Devon choose open-plan kitchen knock-throughs?
Plenty of Devon 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.
Parents across Devon often want to see the garden and the children from the hob, which a knock-through between the kitchen and family room can make possible.
What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Devon include?
Here is what usually goes into open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, adjusted to your Devon 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
- Building Regulations approval arranged, or a building warrant before work starts in Scotland
- 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
- Cables, pipes and radiators in the wall rerouted by qualified trades
- Beam boxed in, the opening plastered and the floor joined where the wall stood
- New kitchen fitted once the opening is made good and the structural work inspected
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Devon?
These guide ranges include VAT at 20% and are adjusted for prices in the South West. We confirm your price in writing after a free survey visit. Prices across the South West are broadly in line with UK averages.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Non-load-bearing wall removed and made goodStud or light partition, minimal services | £820–£2,100 |
| Load-bearing wall with a steel beamStructural engineer's design and making good; building control or warrant fees listed separately | £3,100–£8,800 |
| Knock-through with a new kitchen-dinerSteel beam, new kitchen, new floor throughout | £26,000–£56,500 |
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%.
Kitchens in homes across Devon
Across Devon you will often find cob and thatched cottages, Victorian terraces, post-war houses and flats and seaside bungalows, and each shapes the kitchen differently. Victorian terraces in Exeter and Torbay often have a narrow back kitchen, while post-war houses and seaside bungalows usually have a square room that suits an L-shape.
Much of Devon has soft mains water, which is kind to taps and appliances, though some eastern parts are harder, so check with your supplier. Single-track lanes, steep town streets and cottages with no parking can make deliveries slow, so long worktops and tall units need a planned route into the house.
Cob and stone cottages often have walls that are out of true and need breathable finishes, which affects how units and splashbacks are fixed. Seaside bungalows more often need a full replacement with better storage, sometimes with the old dining area opened into the kitchen.
Rules for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Devon
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 Dartmoor or Exmoor national parks, listed thatched cottages and conservation areas may need consent before a new extractor vent goes through an outside wall.
Before you start
- Think about fire escape if the kitchen will open onto the hall and stairs, particularly in homes of three storeys or more.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
- 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.
- Expect dust and noise for several days; clearing both rooms and sealing doors to the rest of the house saves a lot of cleaning.
- Tell your neighbours early if a beam may bear into a wall you share; in England and Wales a party wall notice may be needed before work starts.
- Plan the heating for your new Devon kitchen-diner; removing a wall can also remove a radiator, and the larger room may need more heat.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Devon
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Devon?
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Devon typically cost £820 to £2,100 including VAT for removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, based on prices in the South West. Larger or more involved jobs cost more, and your price is fixed in writing after a free survey visit.
Do you cover the whole of Devon?
Yes. We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Devon, including Plymouth, Exeter, Paignton and Torquay. Every job starts with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote.
Who designs the steel beam for a knock-through?
A structural engineer does. We arrange the engineer, who calculates the loads and specifies the beam size, the padstones it bears on and the temporary propping needed while the wall comes out. Those calculations go with the Building Regulations application or building warrant. We do not design steelwork ourselves; the work follows the engineer's design and is inspected as part of the approval.
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.
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.
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in towns across Devon
Choose a town for local guide prices and postcode coverage:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Plymouth
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exeter
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Paignton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Torquay
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Newton Abbot
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Barnstaple
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bideford
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Plymstock
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Tiverton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Tavistock
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Honiton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ilfracombe
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Totnes
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Okehampton