Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · Scotland
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Dundee and Angus
Our open-plan kitchen knock-throughs work covers the whole of Dundee and Angus, including Dundee, Arbroath and Forfar.
Why do people in Dundee and Angus choose open-plan kitchen knock-throughs?
If you are already replacing the kitchen in your Dundee and Angus home, knocking through first means the layout is planned for the bigger room rather than squeezed into the old one.
Some households in Dundee and Angus want a kitchen-diner for having people round, where guests can sit at a table or island while the food is still being cooked.
What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Dundee and Angus include?
Every kitchen is different, so we confirm the scope in writing. Most jobs of this kind include:
- 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
- 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 Dundee and Angus?
Typical open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices for homes in Dundee and Angus, including VAT and adjusted for Scotland. Your own figure depends on the size of the kitchen, the layout and what is moving. Labour rates in Scotland are generally lower than in London and the South East, so these ranges are a little below the national guide.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Non-load-bearing wall removed and made goodStud or light partition, minimal services | £750–£1,900 |
| Load-bearing wall with a steel beamStructural engineer's design and making good; building warrant fees listed separately | £2,800–£8,000 |
| Knock-through with a new kitchen-dinerSteel beam, new kitchen, new floor throughout | £23,500–£51,500 |
Load-bearing guide ranges include the structural engineer's design for a typical single opening and making good; council building standards or building warrant fees, rerouted services, decorating and the kitchen itself are listed separately. Prices include VAT at 20%.
Kitchens in homes across Dundee and Angus
The housing mix across Dundee and Angus includes sandstone tenement flats, Victorian villas, post-war council-built houses and fishing town cottages, so no two kitchen fits are quite alike. Dundee's tenement flats often have a narrow kitchen or a box room off the hall, while villas in Broughty Ferry and the Angus towns tend to have larger separate kitchens.
Dundee and Angus have soft mains water, so limescale is rarely an issue and taps and boiling water taps tend to stay free of heavy scale. Common stairs in tenements, steep streets in parts of Dundee and narrow glen roads in Angus can each affect deliveries and worktop lengths.
Tenement flats often have a small kitchen that owners open into the living room, which needs a building warrant if a load-bearing wall is involved, and can need one even if it is not, where the change affects the escape route or fire separation. Victorian villa kitchens may sit in an old scullery area with high ceilings and original features.
Rules for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Dundee and Angus
In Scotland, removing a load-bearing wall needs a structural engineer's design and a building warrant from the local authority before any work starts, then a completion certificate once it is finished. Taking out a non-load-bearing partition does not normally need a warrant in a house, but in a flat it can, where it changes the escape route or fire separation. Where the kitchen will open onto the hall and stairs, the escape route is assessed as part of the warrant, and all Scottish homes now need interlinked smoke and heat alarms, which should be positioned to suit the new layout.
Consent may be needed for new vents on listed buildings and in conservation areas, and homes in the upper Angus glens fall within the Cairngorms National Park.
Before you start
- Expect dust and noise for several days; clearing both rooms and sealing doors to the rest of the house saves a lot of cleaning.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
- Check what runs through the wall: sockets, switches, radiator pipes, gas pipes and sometimes a soil stack all need rerouting first.
- Think about fire escape if the kitchen will open onto the hall and stairs, particularly in homes of three storeys or more.
- Before asking for prices for your Dundee and Angus home, look upstairs: a wall directly above the one you want removed is a strong sign it is load-bearing.
- Keep the completion certificate somewhere safe after the work, as a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for it when you sell your Dundee and Angus home.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Dundee and Angus
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Dundee and Angus?
Guide prices in Dundee and Angus are about £750 to £1,900 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 the whole of Dundee and Angus?
Yes. We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Dundee and Angus, including Dundee, Arbroath, Forfar and Montrose. Every job starts with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote.
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.
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.
Does knocking through to the kitchen affect fire safety?
It can. If the new open-plan kitchen opens straight onto the hall and stairs, a kitchen fire could affect the escape route from upstairs, so building control, or the building warrant process in Scotland, will check how people would get out. In houses with a floor more than 4.5 metres above ground, usually three storeys or more, extra fire safety measures may be needed. We confirm what applies before work starts.
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in towns across Dundee and Angus
Choose a town for local guide prices and postcode coverage:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Dundee
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Arbroath
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Forfar
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Montrose
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Brechin