Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · West Sussex
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Shoreham-by-Sea
From the survey to handover, open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Shoreham-by-Sea are run by us as one job, with the fitters and trades booked in the right order.
Is open-plan kitchen knock-throughs right for your Shoreham-by-Sea kitchen?
If your Shoreham-by-Sea semi has the kitchen at the back and a separate dining room beside it, opening the wall between them often makes space for an island or a proper table.
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. Shoreham-by-Sea sits about 20 miles south of Crawley, and our West Sussex coverage takes in everything in between.
What we cover for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Shoreham-by-Sea
Every kitchen is different, so we confirm the scope in writing. Most jobs of this kind include:
- Building Regulations approval arranged, or a building warrant before work starts in Scotland
- Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through 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
- Structural engineer arranged to design the beam, padstones and temporary propping
- Cables, pipes and radiators in the wall rerouted by qualified trades
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Shoreham-by-Sea?
As a starting point for Shoreham-by-Sea, these ranges include VAT at 20% and allow for typical labour costs in the South East. Expect costs in the South East to sit somewhat above UK averages, reflecting local labour rates.
| 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
You will find 1930s semis, flint and brick cottages, post-war new town houses and seaside bungalows throughout West Sussex. 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.
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. West Sussex has mostly hard water, so limescale on taps, sinks and boiling water taps is common and a filter is worth considering.
What rules apply to open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Shoreham-by-Sea?
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.
Worth knowing before the fit
- Keep the completion certificate somewhere safe after the work, as a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for it when you sell your Shoreham-by-Sea home.
- Check your home insurance and mortgage terms before structural work in Shoreham-by-Sea; some insurers and lenders ask to be told about alterations like this.
- If your Shoreham-by-Sea home is leasehold, ask the freeholder for written consent before any structural work is designed or booked in.
- Think about fire escape if the kitchen will open onto the hall and stairs, particularly in homes of three storeys or more.
Questions about open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Shoreham-by-Sea
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Shoreham-by-Sea?
For removing a non-load-bearing wall and making good, budget around £920 to £2,300 including VAT in Shoreham-by-Sea. That reflects typical costs in the South East; we confirm the actual figure in writing once we have measured up.
Do you work near Shoreham-by-Sea as well?
Yes. As well as Shoreham-by-Sea itself, we cover the rest of West Sussex and nearby towns such as Lancing and Portslade. The process is the same wherever the kitchen is.
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.
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.
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.
Nearby places we cover
Neighbouring towns where we offer open-plan kitchen knock-throughs:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Lancing
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Portslade
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Worthing
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Hove
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Brighton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Rottingdean
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across West Sussex