Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · England
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in East Sussex
We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across East Sussex, from Brighton to the smaller towns, with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote as standard.
Thinking about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in East Sussex?
Parents across East Sussex 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.
Some households in East Sussex 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 East Sussex include?
Your written quote lists everything included. For open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, that normally means:
- 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 East Sussex?
The figures below are guide prices for East Sussex, including VAT and adjusted for typical costs across the South East. The fixed price comes after we have measured up. 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%.
Kitchens in homes across East Sussex
The housing mix across East Sussex includes Regency townhouses and flats, Victorian terraces, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows, so no two kitchen fits are quite alike. Regency and Victorian houses split into flats often have small kitchens in former reception rooms, while 1930s semis usually have a compact kitchen at the back.
East Sussex has hard water, so limescale builds up on taps, kettles and boiling water taps, and a filter or softener is worth considering. Seafront flats without lifts, permit parking and steep streets in the coastal towns can make delivery and waste removal slower, so access needs planning.
Flats in converted Regency and Victorian houses often have narrow kitchens that need careful planning to fit a fridge, washing machine and enough worktop. In a 1930s semi or bungalow, opening the kitchen into the dining room is a common change.
Rules for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in East Sussex
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 Regency buildings, conservation areas and homes inside the South Downs National Park may need consent for a new external vent, and flat owners usually need freeholder consent.
Before you start
- 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.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
- Think about fire escape if the kitchen will open onto the hall and stairs, particularly in homes of three storeys or more.
- Check what runs through the wall: sockets, switches, radiator pipes, gas pipes and sometimes a soil stack all need rerouting first.
- Keep the completion certificate somewhere safe after the work, as a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for it when you sell your East Sussex home.
- Choose the new floor finish before the wall comes out, so the strip where the wall stood can be levelled and covered in one go.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in East Sussex
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in East Sussex?
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in East Sussex typically cost £920 to £2,300 including VAT for removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, based on prices in the South East. 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 East Sussex?
Yes. We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across East Sussex, including Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings and Hove. Every job starts with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote.
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.
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.
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 East Sussex
Choose a town for local guide prices and postcode coverage:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Brighton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Eastbourne
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hastings
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hove
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bexhill-on-Sea
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hailsham
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Seaford
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Rottingdean
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Crowborough
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Portslade
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Peacehaven
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Uckfield
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lewes
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Rye
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Battle