GS Renovation designs and builds kitchens throughout Forest Hill, from the bay-fronted terraces around the Horniman Museum to the Edwardian homes on the SE23 hills. With 30+ years in the area, we handle the cabinetry, worktops, plumbing, electrics and any structural knock-through as a single, coordinated project rather than a string of separate trades.
Open-plan kitchen-diners in Forest Hill
The favourite Forest Hill kitchen project opens the rear of a Victorian terrace, joining the kitchen to the middle room or claiming the side return to make a bright kitchen-diner. Because the wall being removed is usually load-bearing, we install a steel beam sized by a structural engineer and signed off by building control. The result turns a dark galley into a sociable space that opens onto the garden, typical of these SE23 terraces.
We plan the new layout around how the closet wing and side return actually sit, so the run of units, the island and the appliances work for the real footprint. Quartz, granite or composite worktops, integrated appliances, proper task and ambient lighting and considered ventilation all come as part of the package. Plumbing, electrics, tiling and making good the structural opening are handled by our own team, keeping the project under one roof.
Bespoke fitted kitchens for SE23 homes
The chimney breasts, alcoves and tall ceilings of a Forest Hill terrace suit made-to-measure cabinetry far better than off-the-shelf units. We design around those period proportions, using the alcoves for tall larder units or a dresser and squaring up the inevitable out-of-true Victorian walls with scribed fillers. Whether you want a handleless contemporary kitchen or a classic in-frame Shaker look, we build it to suit the age and character of the house.
Good kitchens are as much about services as looks. We reroute plumbing and waste to suit the new layout, add the circuits and sockets a modern kitchen needs, and make sure extraction is properly ducted rather than recirculating. New kitchen electrics are notifiable under building regulations, and we handle that sign-off for you. From design to the final splashback tile, one team keeps your SE23 kitchen on track and on budget.
Rooflights, glazing and where light comes from
Rear kitchens in SE23 terraces are often the darkest room in the house, and no amount of cabinetry fixes that. If a side return is being filled in or the rear is opening up, the glazing decision matters more than the units. A rooflight over the working area brings even light down all day, while glazed doors at the back give a view but leave the middle of the room dim, so most Forest Hill kitchens want both.
There are consequences to plan for. Glazing loses heat, so the insulation elsewhere and the heating design have to keep pace, and building control will want the thermal performance of new glazing to comply. A south-facing rear elevation on the hill can overheat in summer, which is worth weighing before choosing a large expanse of glass. We also set the structure out so that the beam position and the rooflight openings do not fight one another.
- New circuits and consumer unit work certified under Part P
- Waste, water and gas runs moved before the units are set
- Plastering, decorating and second fix carpentry
- Extraction ducted through to outside air
- Tiling, flooring and feature lighting
The GS Renovation Difference in Forest Hill
Forest Hill homeowners choose GS Renovation because we deliver the whole kitchen, including any steel beam or knock-through, the services and the finish, as one accountable job. You get honest pricing, careful working in an occupied home, and a kitchen built around the quirks of a period terrace. Three decades across SE23 and nearby Catford stand behind it.
- Suppliers used across every budget, with options priced
- Services moved and tested before the units go in, not after
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Registered in England, Companies House no. 14611254
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site