Kitchen and Bathroom Fitters in Coulsdon (CR5)
The 1930s Coulsdon house has a small kitchen at the back and a dining room next to it, separated by a wall. Almost every kitchen job on this stock is a version of the same question: how much of that wall goes, and what is holding up the floor above it?
The standard layout and how to change it
There are three usual answers and they cost very different amounts.
Refit the kitchen where it is, with a better layout and the services brought up to date. Take out part of the wall to make a wide opening between the two rooms, keeping some structure and some separation. Or remove it entirely for one open room, which is the biggest change and the biggest structural job. All three are legitimate; what we would rather avoid is fitting an expensive kitchen into a layout you will change in two years. On these houses the wall is generally load-bearing, so whichever option you take needs the load worked out and a beam sized for it rather than assumed.
What tends to need doing at the same time
Houses of this age have usually had their wiring extended more than once, and the waste runs at the back were laid for a much smaller kitchen. Once things are open we tell you what we have found before units are ordered. Bathrooms across the 1930s stock share a recurring issue too: they sit above the kitchen or the bay, so a leak upstairs shows up downstairs, and the floor and the waste fall are worth getting right first.
Trades in sequence
A kitchen is several trades in order and sequencing is where most jobs come unstuck.
Our own team does the building work and we bring in and manage the specialists, so each arrives when the job is ready.
More in Coulsdon
Everything we do in Coulsdon is on the Coulsdon area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the bathrooms & kitchens page.
Common questions
Q.01Should I open the kitchen right up or keep some separation?
Both work and it is a genuine preference. A wide opening keeps some structure and some sense of two rooms; full removal gives one space and costs more. We price both so you can see the difference.
Q.02Is the wall load-bearing?
On most 1930s Coulsdon houses, yes. It can still come out, it just needs the load calculated and a beam sized for it.
Q.03Do you do bathrooms too?
Yes. On this stock the bathroom usually sits above the kitchen, so the floor and the waste fall matter more than anything you put in the room.
Q.04How long will I be without a kitchen?
For part of the job, unavoidably. The programme comes with the written price so you know which weeks and can plan around them.
Q.05Do you do bathroom renovations as well as refits?
Both. On the 1930s Coulsdon stock the bathroom usually sits directly above the kitchen, so a renovation that moves the waste has to be planned around what is underneath. A straight refit avoids that; a change of layout does not, and it is priced accordingly.
Thinking about bathrooms & kitchens in Coulsdon?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.