Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Plymstock

Is open-plan kitchen knock-throughs right for your Plymstock kitchen?

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.

If your Plymstock 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. Our Devon coverage reaches every part of Plymstock (PL9) and out towards Plymouth.

What does the job involve?

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

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
In England and Wales, party wall requirements checked where a beam bears into a shared wall
Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
Building Regulations approval arranged, or a building warrant before work starts in Scotland
Cables, pipes and radiators in the wall rerouted by qualified trades

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices in Plymstock

Typical open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices for homes in Plymstock, including VAT and adjusted for the South West. Your own figure depends on the size of the kitchen, the layout and what is moving. For the South West, these ranges are close to the national figures.

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs prices in Plymstock
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%.

Fitting kitchens in older and newer Plymstock homes

You will find cob and thatched cottages, Victorian terraces, post-war houses and flats and seaside bungalows throughout Devon. 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 Plymstock

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.

Worth knowing before the fit

Plan the heating for your new Plymstock kitchen-diner; removing a wall can also remove a radiator, and the larger room may need more heat.
Clear both rooms completely before the opening is made in your Devon home, and seal doors to the rest of the house with dust sheets and tape.
Tell your neighbours early if a beam may bear into a wall you share; in England and Wales a party wall notice may be needed 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.

Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Plymstock

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

For removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, budget around £820 to £2,100 including VAT in Plymstock. That reflects typical costs in the South West; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.

Do you cover all of Plymstock?

Yes. We work across Plymstock, including the PL9 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Plymouth and Saltash. Book a free survey visit and we will arrange a time that suits you.

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.

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.

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.

Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs near Plymstock

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