Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · Scotland
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Edinburgh
Our open-plan kitchen knock-throughs work covers the whole of Edinburgh, and we also work in neighbouring the Lothians and Fife.
Why do people in Edinburgh choose open-plan kitchen knock-throughs?
Parents across Edinburgh 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.
If your Edinburgh 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.
What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Edinburgh 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
- 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 Edinburgh?
The figures below are guide prices for Edinburgh, including VAT and adjusted for typical costs across Edinburgh and Glasgow. The fixed price comes after we have measured up. Costs in Edinburgh and Glasgow sit close to the national guide.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Non-load-bearing wall removed and made goodStud or light partition, minimal services | £820–£2,000 |
| Load-bearing wall with a steel beamStructural engineer's design and making good; building warrant fees listed separately | £3,100–£8,700 |
| Knock-through with a new kitchen-dinerSteel beam, new kitchen, new floor throughout | £25,500–£56,000 |
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 Edinburgh
You will find Victorian tenement flats, Georgian New Town flats, stone villas and post-war council-built houses throughout Edinburgh. Tenement flats often have a small kitchen off the hall, while Georgian flats may have kitchens in former bedrooms or reception rooms with tall ceilings.
Edinburgh's mains water is soft, so limescale is rarely a problem and taps, sinks and boiling water taps stay cleaner for longer. Common stairs without lifts, controlled parking and cobbled streets in older parts of the city mean deliveries and stair carries need planning before fitting day.
Tenement and Georgian flats often have kitchens in small rooms, and opening one into the living room needs a building warrant if the wall is load-bearing, and can need one even if it is not, where the change affects the escape route or fire separation in a flat. Stone villas and bungalows on the edge of the city more often suit a larger supply-and-fit kitchen.
Rules for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Edinburgh
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.
The Old and New Towns form a World Heritage Site with many listed buildings, so new vents or internal changes may need consent, and tenement neighbours may need to agree.
Before you start
- Find out whether the wall is load-bearing before planning the layout; joists landing on it or a wall directly above are common clues.
- 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.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
- Plan the heating for your new Edinburgh kitchen-diner; removing a wall can also remove a radiator, and the larger room may need more heat.
- Check your home insurance and mortgage terms before structural work in Edinburgh; some insurers and lenders ask to be told about alterations like this.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Edinburgh
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Edinburgh?
Guide prices in Edinburgh are about £820 to £2,000 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 Edinburgh?
Yes. We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Edinburgh. Every job starts with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote.
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.
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.