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

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs · Wiltshire

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Wiltshire

Calculations, approvals, propping, steel and making good for kitchen-diner knock-throughs across Wiltshire.

  • Free survey visit in Wiltshire
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled for you

Free survey in Wiltshire

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  • 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 Wiltshire

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs remove the wall between a kitchen and a dining room to create one open-plan room, with a steel beam carrying whatever the wall supported. The work is planned around the kitchen itself: gas, water, waste and extraction runs, where units and any island will go, and how the ceiling should look once the steel is in.

From the first survey visit to the completion certificate, we take care of kitchen-diner knock-throughs across Wiltshire. Towns we cover include Swindon, Salisbury and Chippenham, among other places in the area. The engineer sizes the steel, we deal with building control, and our team fits and packs the beam before making good.

Things to plan for

  • Older kitchens can hide asbestos in textured ceiling coatings, floor tiles, boxing around pipes or the backing of old heaters. In buildings from before 2000 it must be identified before the fabric is disturbed, so a survey of the affected area is arranged first.
  • 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.
  • Taking the wall out removes the switches and sockets on it, and an open-plan room usually needs a new lighting layout. Electrical work in England must comply with Part P of the building regulations where it is notifiable, so rewiring is planned early.
  • In many houses the kitchen and dining room wall carries the bedroom floor joists, and sometimes a bathroom wall above. Lifting a floorboard upstairs to see which way the joists run is a useful first look, though the engineer confirms what the wall actually supports.
  • A gas hob or cooker supply often runs along or through the wall being removed. By law, any work on gas pipework must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, so the pipe is capped or rerouted by one before the wall comes down.

From survey to sign-off in Wiltshire

  1. Free visit

    A short visit to Wiltshire 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.

What do kitchen-diner knock-throughs cost in Wiltshire?

As a guide, budget £2,600–£6,200 including VAT for kitchen-diner knock-through in Wiltshire, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South West (+3%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Kitchen-diner knock-through£2,600–£6,200Internal structural wall between kitchen and dining room, steel beam, approvals and making good (kitchen fitting extra)
Steel column or post£520–£1,540 per columnColumn supplied and fitted with base and cap plates on a pad foundation
Plastering and making good£310–£1,240Boxing the beam, bead and skim, reveals, floor infill where the wall stood and tidy-up
Fire protection to a steel beam£150–£620 per beamFire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the South West (+3%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Approvals in Wiltshire

For Wiltshire, building control is provided by the local council's building control team, or by a registered building control approver if preferred. We send them the engineer's calculations with a building notice or full plans application and book the inspections. Work done without approval can cause problems at sale and is far dearer to put right later.

Terraced and semi-detached homes often need party wall notices, because cutting into a shared wall to take a beam end is notifiable under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Allow at least two months for the notice period unless your neighbour agrees sooner.

Building rules in England

Kitchen-diner knock-throughs by town

Local questions answered

Do I need a party wall agreement for kitchen-diner knock-throughs in Wiltshire?

Yes, if the beam bears into a shared wall: the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange it through a party wall surveyor.

How much do kitchen-diner knock-throughs cost in Wiltshire?

As a guide, budget £2,600–£6,200 including VAT for kitchen-diner knock-through in Wiltshire, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South West (+3%). The exact figure depends on the span, what the wall carries, access and the finish, and is fixed in writing once the scope is agreed.

How long will I be without a kitchen?

The structural work itself usually takes three to six working days, and the kitchen is out of action during that time. After that come plastering, drying, flooring and the kitchen fit, so the overall period without a finished kitchen depends mostly on your fitter's programme and when the units are delivered.

Can the steel beam be hidden in the ceiling?

Yes, a flush beam can be set into the ceiling void so there is no step between the kitchen and dining ceilings. It needs enough joist depth and more labour to connect the joists to the steel, so it costs more than a downstand. The engineer confirms whether it is possible in your house.

Can I knock my kitchen and dining room into one?

In most houses, yes. The wall can be removed even if it is load-bearing, as long as a steel beam designed by a structural engineer takes over the load and building control approves the work. The main things to check early are what the wall carries, where services run, and whether the layout still works around any column.

Is the wall between my kitchen and dining room load-bearing?

It often is, particularly in older semis and terraces where it supports the bedroom floor joists. The clearest signs are joists bearing on it from above and a wall in the same position upstairs, but only an engineer's site check confirms it. We arrange that check as part of the survey and design stage.

Which towns in Wiltshire do you cover?

We cover towns including Swindon, Salisbury, Trowbridge and Chippenham, plus the villages and smaller towns around them.

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.