Kitchen refit, with the wall opened up

A new kitchen and the building work that opens the room up are usually two separate jobs handled by two separate contractors. On a combined job like this, one team takes on both — the structural opening and the fitted kitchen — so there is one quote, one schedule, and no hand-off in the middle.

What's actually involved when you open up for a new kitchen

A kitchen renovation in London usually splits into two scopes: the building work — removing a wall or opening up a rear return — and the kitchen fit itself, meaning cabinetry, worktops, appliances and tiling. On most jobs those scopes go to different trades with a gap in between. Handling both under one roof means a single quote, a single programme, and no delay waiting on a hand-off.

The structural side is what sets the timeline and the cost. Opening a wall between a rear reception room and a kitchen — the classic Victorian terrace knock-through across areas like Clapham (SW4), Battersea (SW11), Tooting (SW17) and Earlsfield (SW18) — means installing a steel beam (RSJ) over the new opening. A structural engineer specifies the beam size and building control signs it off. Those two steps are not optional and not quick, but they are straightforward on most period terraces, and they sit inside the renovation scope rather than being left for you to arrange. A side-return kitchen extension follows the same logic at a larger scale: the flank wall opens up, a longer steel runs overhead, and the rear of the house grows out into what was the side passage.

What a typical combined job of this kind covers:

• Structural opening or knock-through: steel beam, padstones, temporary support, wall removal
• Building control application and sign-off
• Any party-wall notices where the work is on a shared or boundary wall
• Re-routing of gas, water, drainage and electrical runs affected by the structural work, including disconnecting and reconnecting the gas hob
• Full kitchen fit: base and wall units, worktops (quartz, granite or solid surface), sink and appliances
• Tiling — floor and splashback
• Plastering, decoration and floor finish to match or replace the run through the new open space

What drives the cost and the programme

For a knock-through with a fitted kitchen on an inner south or north London terrace — think Islington (N1), the Wandsworth borough streets, or Chiswick (W4) — a kitchen refit with a knock-through in London typically runs from around £25,000–£55,000, depending on the opening size, the kitchen spec, and the worktop material chosen. A side-return extension with a full fitted kitchen is a bigger job and a bigger number; that range starts around £55,000–£90,000. For a fuller breakdown of where the money goes, see the guide to kitchen renovation cost in London.

Programme: most knock-through-and-refit jobs run four to seven weeks on site. A side-return extension takes longer — typically ten to fourteen weeks — because the foundation, structure and weatherproofing all have to be complete before the kitchen fit can start. Both figures are confirmed at survey, in writing, before any work begins.

The terrace stock in SW and N London is where these jobs are most common. The original Victorian floor plan put a small back room behind the front reception with a narrow kitchen at the rear, and opening the two up — ideally with a run of units and an island facing the garden — is one of the most-searched kitchen upgrades in the city. Work runs across Greater London and out into the home counties.

One team, start to finish

The planning, structural engineering liaison, building control, every trade, and the kitchen installation are coordinated by one project manager. You do not manage the handover between builder and kitchen fitter — that is handled for you. You get an itemised quote that separates the structural work, the services alterations, and the kitchen fit, so you can see exactly where the budget sits.

For the fitted kitchen itself — cabinetry, a kitchen island, quartz or granite worktops, integrated appliances, and any fitted storage or joinery around it — the work follows the layout agreed at the survey, with any design adjustments confirmed before cabinetry is ordered.

Related

• Kitchen renovations — the fitted kitchen, start to finish
• Renovations and extensions — the structural and knock-through scope
• Kitchen renovation cost in London — where the budget goes
• Is an open-plan kitchen extension worth it? — the case for opening up
• Get a quote — an itemised price after a free site visit