Kitchens

Kitchens in East Sheen & South West London

A new kitchen is rarely just cabinets. Most of the projects we see involve moving a wall, adding a steel beam, rerouting pipework or building a small extension so the kitchen can become the room the house revolves around. For homes in East Sheen and across South West London, we handle the building work and the installation together, so there is one team responsible for the whole job.

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Kitchen

Types of kitchens

Knock-throughs

Opening the kitchen into the dining room or living space with a structural opening and steel beam.
Kitchen extensions

Extending into the side return or garden to create a larger kitchen-diner.
Kitchen installations

Fitting your chosen kitchen, with the plumbing, electrics, plastering and flooring around it.

What a kitchen project involves

The order of work matters more in a kitchen than anywhere else in the house. Structural changes come first: removing walls, installing steels and any extension work. Then first-fix plumbing, electrics and ventilation are run in, walls are plastered and floors are laid. Only then are the cabinets, worktops and appliances fitted, followed by the finishing trades.

Getting that sequence right avoids the most common problems, such as worktops templated before walls are straight or sockets that end up behind a tall unit. We coordinate the building work around your kitchen supplier's lead times and drawings, so the room is ready when the kitchen arrives.

A kitchen installation in an existing room usually takes a few weeks. A knock-through adds time for the structural work, and a kitchen that sits within a new extension follows the extension's programme. We plan temporary arrangements with you so the household can keep running.

Planning the layout around the building work

The best time to fix a kitchen layout is before any walls come down. Where the sink, hob and extractor sit decides where drainage, gas and ducting have to run, and some positions are far easier to serve than others. Moving a sink to an island, for example, may mean running a new waste under the floor.

It is also worth deciding early on flooring, underfloor heating and lighting, because each needs work to happen at a particular stage. Changing them later usually means undoing finished work. We walk through these points with you and your kitchen designer before the programme is fixed.

Structural openings, regulations and approvals

Removing or altering a load-bearing wall needs a structural engineer's design and Building Regulations approval, and the opening must be supported correctly while the steel goes in. Internal alterations usually don't need planning permission, but a kitchen extension may, and listed buildings need consent for most changes. The Planning Portal explains what applies to your home.

New drainage, gas work and electrical circuits must also meet the regulations and be signed off by suitably registered engineers, so you receive the right certificates at the end.

How your project runs

1
Visit and layout

We look at the room, the walls you want to move and your kitchen plans.
2
Structure and approvals

Engineer's calculations for any steels, building control, and a programme built around your supplier's delivery date.
3
Build and fit

Structural work, services, plastering and flooring, then installation of your kitchen.
4
Finish and sign-off

Decoration, snagging and the certificates for gas, electrics and building control.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need planning permission to knock through a wall?

Internal alterations usually don't need planning permission, but removing a load-bearing wall needs a structural engineer's design and Building Regulations approval. Listed buildings need listed building consent for most changes.

Can you fit a kitchen I have bought from a supplier?

Yes. We coordinate the building work around your supplier's drawings and delivery dates so the room is ready when the kitchen arrives.

How long will we be without a kitchen?

It depends on how much structural work is involved. We agree the sequence and a temporary set-up with you before work starts, so you know how long each stage will take.