Moving kitchen to another room

[Hornsofadilemma72]

We have a small, awkward kitchen (1930s bungalow) without much scope for improvement. It’s next to a dining room and then both kitchen and dining room are open plan to a living room extension that runs across the back of both rooms.

I’m thinking - dependent on cost of course - we should move the kitchen into the living room, which would give us a larger kitchen with room for a sofa etc open plan to the dining room. We could then block off and rip out the old kitchen, giving us a much needed third bedroom/study.

We have another, separate sitting room so that isn’t an issue.

The problem is the living room is currently all windows. Two along the back wall either side of a fake fireplace, one in the left hand wall and a set of French windows on the right hand wall. The windows are currently too low to accommodate kitchen units.

I think we would need to completely block up one of the windows on the back wall - the one to the left of the fireplace - and site the cooker on that wall and replace the window in the left with a smaller window and door to the outside (it would be awkward only having the French windows for taking rubbish out etc)

We’d also need to run water pipes from the existing kitchen. This would be a distance of about three metres and we’d need to dig into the solid floor. I don’t think drainage is much of an issue as the drain the water currently discharges into is outside the living room anyway.

I have a good idea how much the kitchen itself would cost, having had a new one not long before moving, but clueless about the likely cost of making the changes to the windows/door/pipes.

The window that would need to be blocked up is just over 2 metres wide x about 1.3 metres deep. The one that would need to be changed for a smaller window and door is the same depth but about 30cms wider. They are triple glazed.

Any ideas on costs please? Thanks in advance for any advice.

My gut reaction is to pull down the extension and design it properly as a kitchen. You also need to make good your existing kitchen. Don’t just cobble something together that isn’t what you need or want and is ugly from the outside. You need new wiring too. Could you consider raising the windows and having new ones?

My kitchen has two sets of French doors but rubbish goes out of the front door.

Thanks Bubbles. Yes, sorry, I didn’t make that clear, I’d raise the level of the window and get a new one. Maybe a door isn’t necessary - I could do as you do and use the front door for rubbish if that makes it an easier job. So it would be a question of replacing one window with another one at a higher level and blocking one up.

I can’t consider pulling down and replacing the extension. There’s nothing wrong with the extension itself - it’s just the height of the windows really. Definitely couldn’t afford to do that!

Making good the old kitchen - I have a rough idea of how much that would cost - it’s the cost of replacing/blocking up windows and changing pipe work and electrics I’m at a loss with - could be anything really (though hopefully nowhere near the cost of a new extension!)

Without a detailed understanding of what those electrical/plumbing changes it is difficult to give an idea of what things may cost. You need a couple of plumbers and electricians to come and look at your set up and how you want to change it to give you quotes.

I used a site called household quotes to sense check prices I received from my builder for the extensive work we have undertaken on our house.

Up here where we are builders labourers are £25/hr (or £200/day) ex VAT. you need to get a builder to give you an estimate of how long it will take and add costs of materials. As you are bricking up rather than knocking through, you don't need to factor in the costs of steel supporting beams etc just bricks, mortar, insulation and plaster.

We did work recently involved removing raising a window, blocking up doorway, taking down a wall and adding steelwork. Moving of pipework etc. All the 'wet work' came to about £3k including levelling of floors etc

Should have said that included all electrical work, new lighting, all plastering so basically left the place entirely ready for new kitchen to be fitted

£3000 would not get near all that work where we live! That’s a bargain. It would be double that!

OP. Do make sure you have enough light in the kitchen. Blocking up windows leads to loss of light and I had a kitchen with two windows and it was too dark! Could you add ceiling velux type roof lights? I would very much consider natural light for the kitchen.

Additionally, do consider what the house will look like from the outside. Will the window look good if it’s smaller? What is the style of the house?

Also consider how you would use the kitchen. If it doesn’t have a door you have wall space to plan something with a good layout and you will not have several doors in which restricts use and makes it more of a corridor.

Can part of the room be separated out for a laundry room and an external door? My laundry room isn’t near my kitchen but it does have French windows! Is there another area for a back door?

I was being cheeky about rebuilding! Sorry!

@Hornsofadilemma72
We’d also need to run water pipes from the existing kitchen. This would be a distance of about three metres and we’d need to dig into the solid floor. I don’t think drainage is much of an issue as the drain the water currently discharges into is outside the living room anyway.

I think you really need some professional advice from a builder. Drilling into solid floors to lay pipes is not straightforward as you could breach the damp proof course. In addition, even if you could, if you ever get a leak it is disastrous.

For water supply pipes they could run them behind a plasterboard wall but the drains you would most likely need to create a new connection to the outside drain which helpfully sounds well located, as long as it is a grey water drain and not freshwater.

I know as we had building work done a couple of years ago and head these issues.

Don't expect it to be cheap. Unless you live in the middle of no where, builders and associated trades are all in huge demand and from friends experiences compared with our, are demanding hugely inflated prices

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Bubbles I don’t think light is going to be an issue. Currently has two mahoosive windows on one long wall, another huge one on a short wall (that’s the one we’d make smaller) and a set of French windows on the other end wall with glazed panels either side so glass the full extent of the wall. The one we’d make smaller we could really just raise by a few inches but keep most of the width so it would just be one window blocked up. We’d end up with a window at the end, say 1600 x 1150, one on the long wall 2000 x 1300 and then a whole wall of French windows and glazed side panels.

That said, I realise it’s hard to assess the impact of losing light until it’s done. I’m always surprised by the difference it makes opening the backdoor in the current kitchen and that’s half glazed anyway. Hmmm...something to think about.

Not big enough for a laundry room (I wish) but washer and dryer can be sited in a utility cupboard elsewhere. Not as good as a laundry room but what I had in the last house and way better than having them in the kitchen as I do now.

It’s a 1930s bungalow. Very pretty from the front, the back less so (not awful just a bit bland). The room is question is a 1970s extension. Solid, inoffensive. Can’t imagine blocking up a window will either enhance or detract really. It is what is is.

Marie, thanks - hadn’t considered being able to put pipework behind a plasterboard wall - that would be a better option. The current kitchen pipes must go under the floor anyway as they discharge into the drain we’d use in the new arrangement. Fingers crossed for no leaks. How do you know if something is a grey water or freshwater drain? It’s certainly being used as a greywater one atm - hope we’re not going to discover it shouldn’t be!

Nyancat encouraging you got all that done for £3k. I’d guess round here (SE) it would be nearer to Bubbles estimate.

Thanks again to all of you. Appreciate your taking the time to help. It’s definitely given me bit of a steer.