Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · England
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hampshire
We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Hampshire, from Southampton to the smaller towns, with a free survey visit and an itemised written quote as standard.
Why open-plan kitchen knock-throughs for a Hampshire home?
Some households in Hampshire want a kitchen-diner for having people round, where guests can sit at a table or island while the food is still being cooked.
Buyers in Hampshire sometimes take on a house divided into small rooms and plan a knock-through first, so the new kitchen can be designed for the larger space.
What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hampshire 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 Hampshire?
The figures below are guide prices for Hampshire, 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 Hampshire
You will find Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, post-war estate houses and thatched and brick cottages throughout Hampshire. Terraces in Southampton and Portsmouth often have a narrow back kitchen, while post-war estate houses tend to have a compact rectangular room suited to an L-shape.
Water across Hampshire is mostly hard, largely from chalk sources, so limescale on taps and boiling water taps is common and a filter can help. Dense terraced streets can be very tight for parking, and New Forest lanes and village roads may limit the size of delivery vehicle.
Terraced houses often have a small back kitchen behind the dining room, and owners frequently knock through to make one family space. Village cottages bring thick walls, low beams and sometimes a range cooker, all of which shape the layout.
Rules for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hampshire
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 the New Forest or South Downs national parks, listed cottages and conservation areas may need consent for a new extractor vent or alterations to historic features.
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.
- 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.
- Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.
- Clear both rooms completely before the opening is made in your Hampshire home, and seal doors to the rest of the house with dust sheets and tape.
- Plan the heating for your new Hampshire 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 Hampshire
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Hampshire?
For removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, budget around £920 to £2,300 including VAT in Hampshire. That reflects typical costs in the South East; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.
Do you cover the whole of Hampshire?
Yes. We carry out open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Hampshire, including Southampton, Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Gosport. 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.
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.
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 Hampshire
Choose a town for local guide prices and postcode coverage:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Southampton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Portsmouth
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Basingstoke
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Gosport
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Waterlooville
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Farnborough
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Eastleigh
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Winchester
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Havant
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Andover
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Fareham
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Fleet
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Totton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in New Milton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Bordon
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hythe, Hampshire
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Yateley
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Alton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Emsworth
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Southsea
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Romsey
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Petersfield
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lymington
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Ringwood