Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lancing

Why do people in Lancing choose open-plan kitchen knock-throughs?

Some households in West 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.

Plenty of Lancing homes have a small back kitchen beside a dining room that only gets used at Christmas, and joining the two gives one room the household actually lives in. We cover all of Lancing, including the BN15 postcode district, and travel out to neighbouring towns across West Sussex.

What do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lancing include?

Every kitchen is different, so we confirm the scope in writing. Most jobs of this kind include:

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
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
Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
New kitchen fitted once the opening is made good and the structural work inspected

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

These guide ranges include VAT at 20% and are adjusted for prices in the South East. We confirm your price in writing after a free survey visit. Expect costs in the South East to sit somewhat above UK averages, reflecting local labour rates.

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

Local homes and their kitchens

In and around Lancing, homes range across 1930s semis, flint and brick cottages, post-war new town houses and seaside bungalows. Crawley's new-town houses often have a compact galley, while seaside bungalows in Worthing and Bognor Regis tend to have a small square kitchen beside the dining area.

West Sussex has mostly hard water, so limescale on taps, sinks and boiling water taps is common and a filter is worth considering. Coastal flats may have no lift, and village lanes on the edge of the Downs can be narrow for delivery lorries, so the delivery route is checked at the survey.

What rules apply to open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lancing?

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 in the South Downs National Park, listed flint cottages and conservation areas such as central Chichester may need consent for a new external vent.

Planning ahead

Clear both rooms completely before the opening is made in your West Sussex home, and seal doors to the rest of the house with dust sheets and tape.
Plan the heating for your new Lancing 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 Lancing; some insurers and lenders ask to be told about alterations like this.
Allow time for the engineer's design and approval before work starts, especially in Scotland, where the building warrant must be granted first.

Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lancing

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

Guide prices in Lancing are about £920 to £2,300 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.

Can you measure up in Lancing before quoting?

Yes. Every quote starts with a free, no-obligation survey visit to your home in Lancing. We measure the room, check the walls, floor and service positions, then send 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.

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.

Also covering nearby towns

Neighbouring towns where we offer open-plan kitchen knock-throughs: