Small 'extension' to corner of kitchen - worth it? (Pics)

FoxtrotOscar · 27 Sep 2014

Hi all

We have a kitchen that looks like this in one corner:

We basically don't like it and want the wall to be square. This would allow us much more flexibility when we get the kitchen replaced in terms of layout, as well as an extra couple of square metres of space.

I know very little about this, but it doesn't look like a massive job to square off that wall to me.

This is what it looks like from the outside:

Could we in theory (subject to structural assessment etc.) build a brick wall to fill in that gap, then knock down the internal wall, thereby squaring off the end?

This section is an old outhouse that was incorporated into the main part of the house back in the day.

The only complication I can see is that the kitchen wastes to a drain on the left of the alcove (not quite visible).

We'll obviously get a builder out to come and assess, but I was just wondering if you guys had any idea of how much this might cost and whether it's as simple as I'm assuming?

Many thanks.

noseall · 28 Sep 2014

Looks fairly straightforward other than re-hashing the drains etc. No doubt that once the foundations and over site material are dug away, the drains will become more visible and simpler.

I would expect the building work to come in at around £6k.

The only stumbling block could be the new wall thickness. Building to the latest (thermal) reg's may mean that the new and existing walls do not line through unless your designer can come up with an alternative plan.

mfarrow · 28 Sep 2014

What is the corner of the upstairs house resting on? It's not the corner jutting out is it? I can't see any lintels dropping down but that could cause trouble if there is any load resting on that corner.

FoxtrotOscar · 28 Sep 2014

Thanks both. Two very good points that I had not considered.

1. The wall thickness. I believe you're correct in saying that the thicknesses would be different, especially on the right as it's single leaf down the right side of the kitchen. Solution presumably being to build a stud wall inside the kitchen? This would also have the benefit of adding insulation to counter the single skin wall.

2. The weight of the top half of the house. To me it looks like this could be resting on the section of wall I'm proposing to demolish. I'm unsure if there's a lintel transferring the load somewhere else. Hopefully the load can be borne entirely by the nearside wall.

noseall · 28 Sep 2014

The beam that is there already would need extending to the new outside wall or replacing depending upon the size of the existing beam and the additional span/loads.

FoxtrotOscar · 28 Sep 2014

noseall said:
The beam that is there already would need extending to the new outside wall or replacing depending upon the size of the existing beam and the additional span/loads.

Ah OK.

I've had another look at there's a very solid feeling column in the corner that juts into the kitchen, made obvious by the crack that you can just make out in this picture:

So in order to remove that, I'd have to get a beam run across the entire width of the kitchen from old wall at the rear of the house to new wall at the front?

noseall · 28 Sep 2014

FoxtrotOscar said:
So in order to remove that, I'd have to get a beam run across the entire width of the kitchen from old wall at the rear of the house to new wall at the front?

I don't know.
All we can see is a view from the outside (rear) and a view of the rear most portion of the kitchen and not a look at the rest of the kitchen viewed with your back to the garden, so to speak.

However, what you say sounds typical.

FoxtrotOscar · 28 Sep 2014

This is the rest of the kitchen.

We've got the names of a couple of builders so we'll ask them to come out to quote.

Many thanks.

noseall · 28 Sep 2014

Another down-side is that you may be asked to expose the found's on the existing (front end) masonry unless a previous application has already established suitability.

noseall · 28 Sep 2014

New revised quote £10k.

FoxtrotOscar · 28 Sep 2014

Thanks for your help!

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Small 'extension' to corner of kitchen - worth it? (Pics)

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