Open-Plan Conversions Kennington
Open-plan kitchen, diner and living conversions in Kennington, steel, floors, heating and finishes as one job.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- London guide: £3,000 to £8,000+
- Free site survey, itemised quote
GS Renovation creates open-plan and broken-plan living in Kennington homes, from the compartmented ground floors of SE11's Georgian and Regency townhouses to the post-war flats that make up most of the area. We knock through, form kitchen-diners and fit Crittall dividers, all properly supported and signed off by building control.
In Kennington, a knock-through finished as one room typically costs £3,000 to £8,000 or more, including the steel beam (indicative London ranges, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Kennington: the structural engineer we appoint designs the steel, we install it, and building control signs it off.
Price guide
| Work | Indicative London range |
|---|---|
| Open-plan conversion, steel beam and finishing | £3,000 to £8,000+ |
Indicative London ranges (MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026), not a quotation. Prices checked September 2026. Full breakdown: Open-Plan Kitchen-Diner Ideas.
How the job runs
- Free site survey at your Kennington address, covering the walls, services and floor levels, and an itemised quote.
- The engineer we appoint sizes the beam, and the work is registered with Lambeth Council building control or an approved inspector. On a shared wall you serve the party wall notice as building owner; we supply the drawings.
- Props in, opening cut, beam on padstones; then floors, heating and electrics are joined up.
- Building control inspects the steel before it is covered. We finish the room, and the completion certificate follows.
Opening up Kennington's period floors
Georgian and Regency townhouses in Kennington were designed as separate front and rear rooms divided by a solid spine wall, which is precisely why so many SE11 owners want them opened out into a single light-filled space. Because that dividing wall is load-bearing, a knock-through is never just a demolition job. A structural engineer sizes the steel beam that will span the new opening and carry the floors above once the wall has gone.
We install the beam onto padstones, prop the structure while we work, and take the wall down in staged sections so the load transfers safely onto the new steel. Many Kennington clients now prefer broken-plan layouts, using a wide structural opening with Crittall-style glazed dividers to keep a kitchen-diner feeling connected yet distinct, which also respects the proportions of a period room rather than gutting it completely.
Housing in Kennington
Kennington has about 8,500 homes on the Council Tax list: 28% pre-1919, 12% interwar and 60% post-war, with flats making up 82% and houses 18%. Most homes here are flats, and opening up a flat in Kennington changes its fire escape route, which building control checks.
Opening up a Kennington raised ground floor flat under someone else's home
Only 18% of Kennington's homes are houses, so a Kennington owner opening two rooms into one is usually doing it in a flat, sometimes the raised ground floor of a converted terrace with one flat above and another below. The wall between the front and back rooms usually carries the flat above, and the props for removing it bear on a floor that is the ceiling of the flat below. Both neighbours are part of the job. Arrange access to both flats at the design stage, because the structural engineer we appoint may need to see what sits over and under the wall.
Lambeth offers two routes to building regulations approval, a building notice or a full plans application, and a knock-through in a flat goes through one of them. Pick full plans where the scheme also changes the escape route from the bedrooms, because the fire strategy is then checked with the structure before anything is demolished. Lambeth says its domestic charges apply to applications deposited on or after 1st April 2024 until further notice, so check the schedule current on the day you deposit rather than an older figure.
Getting sign-off right in SE11
An open-plan conversion in Kennington is governed by Building Regulations, not planning permission, so Lambeth Council's building control inspects the beam and its bearings against the engineer's calculations and issues the certificate you will want on record. Where the new beam bears into the party wall shared with your neighbour, the Party Wall Act applies and you serve the required notice before starting, so consents are in place from day one.
Many Kennington houses are within a conservation area, which affects the exterior rather than an internal knock-through, though listed ones need listed building consent; we keep the structural work inside and flag early if a change would ever reach a controlled facade. The result is a bright, connected ground floor, ready for a kitchen-diner opening onto the garden and signed off by building control.
- Structural engineer coordination and building control sign-off
- Kitchen island services routed through the new floor
- Lighting, heating and electrical reconfiguration
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Lambeth Walk & North Kennington and Oval. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Choose GS Renovation in Kennington
Kennington owners choose GS Renovation for open-plan work because one team carries it from engineer's design to finished, replastered space. We handle the steel, Lambeth building control and Crittall dividers, work cleanly in your occupied period home, and bring our founder's 30+ years of structural experience to every knock-through.
George was brilliant. Lovely bloke, very reasonably priced and a perfectionist to boot. He completed our small kitchen renovation with care and great…
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably…
Saaid is the best craftsman I have worked with. He knows what he is doing from the very beginning. He has a great knowledge of construction…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about Open-Plan Conversions Kennington
What should I budget for open-plan conversion in Kennington?
A Kennington budget for open-plan conversion should sit within £3,000 to £8,000 or more (indicative) and add a contingency for what the SE11 survey cannot see. In purpose-built post-war housing the unknowns sit behind plaster and under floors, so GS Renovation prices what is visible and names the rest. The Lambeth Council building control fee belongs in the same budget.
Do I need planning permission to go open-plan in my Kennington house?
For internal structural work, no. Knocking through in your Kennington home is governed by Building Regulations, and Lambeth building control signs off the steel beam, not the planning department. Planning only comes into play if you alter the exterior, but a listed SE11 home needs listed building consent for internal work too. In an unlisted house a pure internal knock-through stays a building control matter, and we manage that inspection and sign-off.
What fire changes come with open-plan living in a Kennington flat?
The escape route is redesigned. With 82% of Kennington dwellings flats (VOA), this is the usual case rather than the exception. Once the hallway joins the living area, a bedroom exit may pass the kitchen, so building control needs a fire strategy covering detection, doors and the route to the front door. That strategy is agreed before the beam design is finalised.
Will noise carry further in an open-plan Kennington flat?
Yes, and people notice it within a week. One room with a hard floor and no dividing doors lets the extractor, the television and conversation reach every corner. Rugs, upholstered seating and acoustic panels help. If you are replacing floor finishes at the same time, check the lease, since the freeholder may have rules about floors above other flats.
Does opening up a Kennington townhouse mean moving the stair wall?
Rarely, and in a house of three or more storeys it is the wall to leave until last. It usually encloses the protected stair that people use to escape from the upper floors. Removing it on a ground floor with a floor more than 4.5 m above ground needs a fire strategy agreed with building control. Opening the front and back rooms together avoids that question.
Can the kitchen in a post-war Kennington flat be opened to the living room?
Often yes, but the dividing wall may be concrete or blockwork carrying the floor above, so confirm that before planning a layout. Once open, the hob sits in the main room, so extraction ducted to outside under Part F matters more. Freeholder consent and a fire strategy apply here just as they do for any structural opening in a flat.
Does a knock-through in a Kennington terraced house need Lambeth's approval?
Yes. Lambeth's building control schedule lists a through lounge as an item with its own charge, which marks it out as notifiable work. 16% of Kennington's homes are terraced houses, where the wall between front and back rooms usually carries the floor above. The approval, the engineer's design and the completion certificate are what a buyer's solicitor later asks for, so keep all three together.
Can a Kennington flat in a block built since 2000 be opened up further?
Sometimes, within the frame. 18% of Kennington's homes were built in 2000 or later, and flats of that age usually arrive with kitchen and living space already combined. The walls left are often either lightweight partitions or structural cores, with little between. The building's drawings, held by the managing agent, show which is which, and the freeholder's written consent is needed before either is touched.
Does a knock-through in a listed Kennington house need more than building control?
Yes. Lambeth has over 2,000 statutory listed buildings, and in a listed Kennington house joining two rooms alters the plan form, which listed building consent covers as well as building regulations. The consent drawing and the engineer's drawing must agree before work starts. Apply for consent first, since its conditions can change where the beam goes and how the opening is finished.
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