Steel BeamInstallers
Finished open-plan kitchen diner with a plastered boxed beam across the ceiling

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs · Bexley

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Bexley

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs for homes in DA5, DA6, DA7, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Price fixed in writing once scope is agreed
  • Building control arranged
  • Temporary works and making good included

Free survey in Bexley

Tell us about the kitchen-diner knock-through job in Bexley.

Please enter your name.
Please enter a UK phone number.
Please enter a valid email.
Please enter a UK postcode.
Please tell us a little about the job.
  • Free survey visit
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled
  • Fixed written price once scope is agreed
  • England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI

About our kitchen-diner knock-throughs service in Bexley

Planning kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Bexley? Our team covers DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8 and DA14 and the streets around them. We also cover the surrounding towns and villages in London. You get one written quote for the calculations, approvals, propping, steel and making good.

We plan the structural work alongside your kitchen design so the beam, any column and the services all land in the right place before units are ordered. A survey visit, engineer's calculations, building control, propping, the steel and making good are all covered in one itemised written quote, with the price fixed in writing once the layout and specification are agreed.

Key points for your project

  • While the wall is out you will usually be without a working kitchen for several days. Many households set up a kettle, microwave and fridge in another room for that period and plan simple meals that need little cooking.
  • Cooker hood ducting that currently runs out through the wall may need a new route once the wall goes. Ducting can often be run in the ceiling void alongside the beam, but the beam's position and depth need to be known first.
  • Sinks and dishwashers usually sit on an outside wall, but supply pipes and waste runs sometimes cross the internal wall. Moving the sink to an island means planning a waste route with enough fall under the floor, which affects how the floor is prepared.
  • The structural work comes first, then first-fix electrics and plumbing, plastering, flooring and finally the kitchen fit. Booking the kitchen fitter only once the beam has passed inspection and the plaster has dried avoids units going onto damp walls.
  • The structural price depends mainly on the span, what sits above and how the beam ends are supported. Kitchen-related extras, such as moving gas, relocating a soil pipe or rerouting ducting, are listed as separate items so you can see what each one adds.

How the job runs in Bexley

  1. Free visit

    A short visit to Bexley to see the job, agree what you want and check the bearings, floors and services that affect the design.

  2. Calculations

    The engineer's calculations and a simple drawing are prepared for your opening and shared with you before anything is ordered.

  3. Building control

    We submit a building notice or full plans application to the local council's building control team, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.

  4. Steel in, made good

    On site we prop, open up, fit and pack the steel, then fire protect, box in and plaster once the inspection is done.

Guide prices for kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Bexley

As a guide, budget £3,200–£7,700 including VAT for kitchen-diner knock-through in Bexley, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for London prices (+28%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Kitchen-diner knock-through£3,200–£7,700Internal structural wall between kitchen and dining room, steel beam, approvals and making good (kitchen fitting extra)
Steel column or post£640–£1,920 per columnColumn supplied and fitted with base and cap plates on a pad foundation
Fire protection to a steel beam£190–£770 per beamFire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified
Plastering and making good£380–£1,540Boxing the beam, bead and skim, reveals, floor infill where the wall stood and tidy-up

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for London prices (+28%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Approvals in Bexley

In England, taking out a load-bearing wall or putting in a beam is building work under the Building Regulations 2010. It needs approval from building control, either the local council's building control team or a registered building control approver, through a full plans application or a building notice. Part A covers the structure and Part B covers fire safety, which is why steel in homes is usually fire protected.

If the beam bears into a wall you share with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange this through a party wall surveyor.

Building rules in England

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs near Bexley

Questions about kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Bexley

Can I stay at home while the work is done in Bexley?

Usually, yes. The work area is screened and floors are protected. The rooms either side of the opening are out of action for a few days, and there is some noise and dust while the masonry comes out.

Do I need permission from my landlord or freeholder to open up a kitchen?

If you own a leasehold flat, usually yes. The lease will normally require the freeholder's or landlord's written consent for structural alterations, so get that before any work is booked. Freehold houses do not need this, and planning permission is not normally needed for internal changes unless the building is listed.

Do I need building regulations for a kitchen-diner knock-through?

Yes, if the wall is structural. In England it needs building regulations approval through a full plans application or a building notice, in Wales an application under the Welsh regulations, and electrics and any change to fire escape routes are checked too. Scotland requires a building warrant before work starts, and Northern Ireland requires an application to council building control. We handle the application or notice.

Can I have a kitchen island where the wall used to be?

Often you can, but it depends on whether the engineer needs a column and where the beam ends bear. If an island is part of the plan, tell us at the survey so the steel can be designed around it. Plumbing or power to an island also needs a route under the floor.

Planning to take a wall out?

Book a free survey visit. You get an itemised written quote covering calculations, building control, steel and making good.