Cost/complexity of moving kitchen into former lounge (1930s semi, SE coast UK)

[tp1983]

Hi all,

We’re currently in the process of buying a 1930s semi on the Sussex coast and are in due-diligence mode before committing. The survey has flagged a fair bit of remedial work, and alongside that, one of the major changes we’d want to make (fairly early on) is to move the kitchen into the current lounge on the ground floor.

Portion of the floorplan below, and the conservatory would be removed (it's well past it's best).

Before we go too far, I’d really value a sanity check from people who’ve done similar or get builders/fitters take on this project.

We’re not planning major structural alterations at this stage and would prefer to design around the existing chimney breast rather than remove it.

In practice, we believe this would likely involve:

• Strip-out of the lounge
• New kitchen installed there
• Plumbing and waste brought through from the existing kitchen on the other side of the wall
• New electrics for the kitchen
• New flooring and plastering / making good
• Possibly underfloor heating, depending on cost and practicality

Some (hopefully) useful specifics:

• Lounge floor is suspended timber, current kitchen is concrete
• The wall between the rooms is solid brick (likely loadbearing), but we are not planning to remove or alter any internal walls
• There is an existing external waste nearby where the current kitchen sink is
• We’d likely use a downdraft extractor to give flexibility on hob position
• We wouldn’t be removing the chimney breast

We’re likely using a mid-range supplier (e.g. DIY Kitchens), so we have a rough handle on cabinetry and appliance costs already. What we’re really trying to understand is the other build costs and complexity around moving the kitchen.

In particular, it would really help to hear:

• Is there anything inherently mad about relocating a kitchen into a former lounge like this?
• Where do the biggest costs usually sit on this type of change?
• What do people most often underestimate?
• And very roughly, for everything outside of cabinets/appliances, does this tend to land more in the realm of £10–20k, £20–40k, £40–60k, or higher, assuming no major structural changes?

We’re already lining up electrics testing, asbestos sampling, and a drain survey. We'll obviously get a builder in to see all this first hand but would love to get some input on here too!

Thanks in advance.