Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth

Why open-plan kitchen knock-throughs for an Exmouth home?

Some households in Devon want a kitchen-diner for having people round, where guests can sit at a table or island while the food is still being cooked.

When an Exmouth kitchen is dark because its only window faces a narrow side return, a wide opening into the next room borrows light from the other end of the house. Homes right across Exmouth are covered, as are nearby places such as Exeter, Newton Abbot and the villages in between.

What we cover for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth

Here is what usually goes into open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, adjusted to your Exmouth kitchen after we have measured it:

Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
Cables, pipes and radiators in the wall rerouted by qualified trades
Temporary props set, the wall removed and the steel beam bedded on padstones
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
Beam boxed in, the opening plastered and the floor joined where the wall stood

Guide prices for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth

As a starting point for Exmouth, these ranges include VAT at 20% and allow for typical labour costs in the South West. Prices across the South West are broadly in line with UK averages.

Guide prices for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth
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%.

House types around Exmouth and what they mean for a kitchen

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.

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. 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.

Building regulations, electrics and gas in Exmouth

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.

Getting the most from your open-plan kitchen knock-throughs

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.
Keep the completion certificate somewhere safe after the work, as a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for it when you sell your Exmouth home.
Check your home insurance and mortgage terms before structural work in Exmouth; some insurers and lenders ask to be told about alterations like this.
Check what runs through the wall: sockets, switches, radiator pipes, gas pipes and sometimes a soil stack all need rerouting first.

Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth

How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Exmouth?

Guide prices in Exmouth are about £820 to £2,100 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.

Which parts of Exmouth do you work in?

All of them. Our Devon coverage takes in the whole of Exmouth, including the EX8 postcode district, as well as surrounding towns such as Exeter. If you are unsure, send us your postcode.

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.

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.

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in neighbouring towns

We also carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in these towns near Exmouth: