Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs · Devon
Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Torquay
If you live in Torquay and need open-plan kitchen knock-throughs, we can measure the room, send an itemised written quote and book every trade in the right order until the kitchen is handed over.
Who usually needs open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Torquay?
Plenty of Torquay 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.
If your Torquay 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. We cover all of Torquay, including the TQ2 postcode district, and travel out to neighbouring towns across Devon.
What is in a typical job?
Every kitchen is different, so we confirm the scope in writing. Most jobs of this kind include:
- 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
- New kitchen fitted once the opening is made good and the structural work inspected
- Temporary props set, the wall removed and the steel beam bedded on padstones
- Free survey visit to check the wall, the floors above and the services running through it
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Torquay?
As a starting point for Torquay, 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.
| 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%.
Kitchens in homes around Torquay
In and around Torquay, homes range across cob and thatched cottages, Victorian terraces, post-war houses and flats and seaside bungalows. 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.
Do you need approval for open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Torquay?
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.
Tips before you start
- 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.
- Before asking for prices for your Torquay home, look upstairs: a wall directly above the one you want removed is a strong sign it is load-bearing.
- Keep the completion certificate somewhere safe after the work, as a buyer's solicitor will usually ask for it when you sell your Torquay home.
- 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 Torquay
How much do open-plan kitchen knock-throughs cost in Torquay?
Guide prices in Torquay 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.
Do you cover all of Torquay?
Yes. We work across Torquay, including the TQ2 postcode district, and nearby towns such as Paignton and Newton Abbot. Book a free survey visit and we will arrange a time that suits you.
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.
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.
Nearby places we cover
Close to Torquay? We cover these nearby towns too:
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Paignton
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Newton Abbot
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Totnes
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exmouth
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs in Exeter
- Open-plan kitchen knock-throughs across Devon