skip to main content

Renovating Kitchens

New Kitchen, creating an open diner by taking down the wall

2 years ago

Dear All,

Just bought a house that is need of a complete refurbishment, lucky me, it’s also going to be my first home

It needs a new kitchen, pics enclosed are self-explanatory. My plan was also to knock down the wall between the diner and kitchen, to create an open diner.

The building survey advised me to put up a supporting beam. Cut and pasted that below

“There is no masonry wall directly above this area however, there is a masonry wall separating the bathroom and bedroom, which is approximately 1.0 m away from the lower masonry wall in question and if the wall is removed, a supporting beam will be needed in this location to prevent any downward settlement of any of the internal walls and floors above”.

However the structural Engineer says this is not required, which was a little confusing. His opinion is cut and pasted below

“We do not consider the Surveyor should have commented on this area as this is more of an engineering function.

We checked floor joists at first floor level, and they ran from front to rear consequently there is no load from floors or imposed loads from floors onto the dividing wall.

The wall at first floor level however is a masonry wall consequently if the wall is to be removed between the kitchen and dining area, we would advise a steel beam is incorporated beneath the remaining wall at first floor level in accordance with current recommendations for adequate support of the first-floor area”

Any advice on how to go about a new kitchen. Is it better to get a local tradesman to do it, or hire a big company? Anyone has taken such walls down?

Any advise would be much appreciated

Kind Regards

Mel

Comment

Related Discussions
Open plan kitchen diner...incorporating existing chimney breast
Q
Comments (6)
Hi there, we deal with this issue on a daily basis, generally we will always try to remove the chimney either to roof space or entirely (including roof stack on main roof). These options do of course involve the party wall and advice and guidance is needed. We do provide our own free PDF advice here. Failing to remove the chimney, you can as you mentioned, have shelving units etc. along that same wall to hide the chimney. Alternatively, you could use the money saved from the removal to purchase a heating system which could be fitted within the existing chimney flue (just a thought!). One piece of advice (hope this isn't out of turn!), your extension beyond the rear of 1500mm internally is a very minimal gain for the expense of the steel work involved in removing the rear wall of your property. We would generally advise against such extensions as you are not gaining enough floor space for the cost of works involved. The only way to save on some of the fabrication/steel costs would be to have a support post where your two large steel beams will meet, this then may impact the open feel you are trying to achieve! If you would like to discuss this further please don't hesitate to get in contact.
...See More
How to create open plan kitchen/diner
Q
Comments (14)
You must be so excited to make your house a HOME. This ongoing project is also an extension & we can help you designing your house & sourcing materials. We also have a wonderful Christmas offer at the moment - Free First Hour Consultation. Please don't hesitate to contact us at anytime, we would be delighted to be involved. Much love from Andreea De Mirabela Design Tel 07814 100108
...See More
New open plan kitchen / snug / diner layout
Q
Comments (9)
Hi Julie I think you’ve probably hinted at this yourself but you might be trying to squeeze too much into the space. It’s a good size room so you really have the opportunity to create a feeling of space. Re. the oven, I think that a tower with an eye level oven will actually balance the fridge freezer tower at the other end and will look fine. More practical to see food while cooking and considerably easier for handling. Also gives you the opportunity to have a 1 and a half or double oven which is well worth it if you can stretch to it. Hold firm with the hubby on the breakfast bar. Do you really need it when the dining table is less than a metre away? Far better to have the space to stretch out at the table which currently looks tight as others have said. Do you already have the sofa? If not, I would be tempted to buy a smaller two seater, an armchair and a footstool so you can be more flexible with the furniture. A large L shape like this will block the room off whichever way you position it and impede movement and make the room seem smaller. I don’t think anyone else has mentioned this but it might be worthwhile rethinking the lighting plan. I’m all for downlighters in the kitchen area but not in the living and dining zones. A really attractive statement pendant above the dining table would look great and if dimmed, give more atmosphere when dining. Similarly in the tv area, a pendant would look good or a smaller number of downlighters and functional dimmable floor lamps for atmosphere when you are watching tv or function if reading. Good luck with the renovations
...See More
Open plan kitchen diner, is this possible?
Q
Comments (7)
I agree, your first idea (removing weight bearing wall but keeping the kitchen in the same location with a peninsula) doesn't really make sense in my eyes. You're not really adding much, other than a view of the dining area. If you go to the expense of removing a wall, think about how you can make the most of the new bigger space. I made a draft below of what I would do with the layout - this reflects my personal priorities (adding natural light, view of the garden while dining, using the dining table as additional prep surface...like in the old days). You may prefer a view of the garden whilst doing dishes in which case you could stick to a smaller patio door (as opposed to the full-width sliding doors in my draft) and extend the worktops along the back wall, adding a sink and window. What I'm saying is: think about what's important to you, the details that will bring you joy when you're using the kitchen and that reflect your idea of what's practical (foot traffic, workflows between fridge/freezer+sink+hob, etc). This might then actually also answer your second question - would combining current kitchen and dining room meet your needs and priorities? If it would be just a compromise and you think you'd end up wanting an extension anyway, then I would leave things as they are and take time to design your ideal ground floor extension. PS can't hurt to reach out to architects/build companies now and get some estimates, at least then you can work out when you might be in a position to tackle the project and if you're happy to live in the house as it is until then.
...See More

Sponsored

More Discussions

living room layout challenge

13

need ideas for living room with stairs and under stairs space

8

need advice please!

10

Plumbing and elec design

1

AluSplash splashbacks

4

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.