How Much Does It Cost to Knock Through a Kitchen and Dining Room Wall? (UK 2026)
The knock through kitchen and dining room cost for a typical UK home is about £2,000 to £5,000 when a steel beam is needed. Small openings can cost less, and large or complex jobs can reach £5,000 to £10,000 or more.
Typical knock through kitchen and dining room cost
Cost guides vary quite a bit, so treat these as ranges rather than fixed prices:
- A doorway-sized opening with one small beam: about £1,200 to £2,500
- A full single wall of around three to four metres with one steel beam: about £2,500 to £5,000
- A large opening needing a double beam or a goalpost frame: about £5,000 to £10,000 or more
One national guide gives a lower average of about £1,500 for this job, which probably reflects smaller openings. If your wall is load-bearing and you want a wide opening, plan for the higher ranges.
A wall that isn’t load-bearing needs no steel beam, so it’s usually cheaper. You still pay for labour, making good and rubbish removal.
Where the money goes
One UK guide gives this example for a kitchen-diner knock through in a semi-detached house:
- Steel beam: about £300
- Structural engineer’s calculations: about £400
- Labour: about £1,800
- Building control: about £300
- Making good and extras: about £600
That comes to roughly £3,400. Across the UK, beams can cost anywhere from about £150 to well over £1,000 depending on length, and engineer’s calculations commonly run from about £250 to £700.
Costs people forget
Making good
Once the wall is gone you’ll need plastering, new flooring where the wall stood, skirting and decorating. It’s often left out of early quotes.
Moving services
Electrics, pipes and radiators inside or on the wall usually have to be rerouted. If your sink or appliances move too, see our guide to the cost to move a kitchen sink.
Skip hire and cleaning
Removing a wall creates a lot of rubble and dust.
A new kitchen layout
Many people redo the kitchen at the same time, and that’s a separate budget.
What pushes the price up
Several things can change your knock through kitchen and dining room cost:
- A longer opening, which needs a bigger beam
- Thick, solid walls in older homes
- A chimney breast or other structure above or beside the wall
- Awkward access for carrying heavy steel into the house
- A second beam or a goalpost frame
- Choosing to leave the steel exposed rather than boxing it in
- Higher labour rates in London and the South East
Cost guides warn that budgets can grow well beyond the first figure once steelwork, approvals and finishing are all added up, so keep a contingency.
Do you need approval?
Taking out a load-bearing wall needs building regulations approval, so you’ll also pay a building control fee. Read our guide to the building regulations to knock down a wall before you book anyone.
How to keep the cost down
- Get a structural engineer’s calculations first, so every builder quotes against the same design.
- Get at least three itemised written quotes that include making good.
- Combine the work with a kitchen refit so floors and walls are only redone once.
- Keep the opening as narrow as suits your layout.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a knock through take?
A typical load-bearing knock through takes around three to seven days of labour, including supporting the structure, fitting the beam and making good.
Is knocking through cheaper than an extension?
Usually, yes. Opening up existing rooms avoids building new walls, foundations and a roof.
Do I need a structural engineer?
For a load-bearing wall, yes. They calculate the beam size and supports.
Can I knock through a wall myself?
Taking down a load-bearing wall is not a DIY job. A mistake can cause serious structural damage, so use qualified professionals.
Sources
Prices in this guide are based on UK cost guides from Book a Builder UK, Trade2Base and Checkatrade, reviewed in October 2026. They are estimates, not quotes. Last updated: 30 October 2026.