Kitchen Refurbishment

Kitchen Refurbishment
Manchester and Greater Manchester

Renovat Construction provides complete kitchen refurbishment services across Greater Manchester. Design, supply and full installation including all building works, electrics, plumbing, gas, plastering, tiling, flooring and decoration. In 25 years refurbishing kitchens across the region's varied housing stock we have designed for every layout Greater Manchester produces. One company, one project manager, one fixed price.

How Greater Manchester's Housing Stock Shapes Kitchen Design

The most common kitchen design mistake across Greater Manchester is specifying a layout that ignores the constraints and opportunities that a specific property type creates. A kitchen that works beautifully in a new build apartment does not automatically translate to a Victorian terrace. Understanding the housing stock you are working with determines whether the finished kitchen genuinely improves how a property functions or simply replaces old units with new ones.

Victorian terraced houses in Chorlton, Didsbury, Levenshulme, Withington, Salford and Eccles were typically built with a narrow kitchen at the rear, sometimes extended into the back yard over the decades since construction. These kitchens are often galley-shaped, around 2.2 to 2.5 metres wide and 3 to 5 metres long. The constraint of width means storage has to work vertically as well as along the run. Full height larder units, well-designed corner solutions and wall units up to the ceiling make a genuine difference in these spaces. The most transformative intervention for this property type is knocking through the wall between kitchen and dining room to create an open plan kitchen-diner. In Victorian terraces this wall is almost always load-bearing, requiring a structural engineer and a steel beam or RSJ, which we manage throughout as part of a full house refurbishment or as a standalone kitchen project.

1930s semi-detached houses across Trafford, Sale, Altrincham, Stockport and Cheadle typically have larger, more square kitchens with a separate dining room alongside. These layouts respond very well to knocking through to create a combined kitchen-diner with an island or peninsula. The structural wall between kitchen and dining room in this property type is typically a non-loadbearing timber stud partition, which can often be removed without steelwork. However we always check rather than assume. The extra floor area created by combining these two rooms is significant and transforms daily use of the house for families.

New build properties across Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Bury and the outer boroughs typically have open plan kitchen-living areas already. The refurbishment challenge here is making the most of a fixed layout that was designed for cost efficiency rather than cooking functionality. Better storage solutions, a well-specified extraction system and upgrading appliances from builder-grade to quality brands makes a substantial practical difference even when the layout itself does not change.

Can You Knock Through the Wall Between Kitchen and Dining Room?

Yes, and it is one of the most frequently requested works we carry out across Greater Manchester. Creating an open plan kitchen-diner by removing the wall between kitchen and dining room is the single most impactful change you can make to the ground floor of a typical terraced or semi-detached house in the region.

The process requires identifying whether the wall is load-bearing before any work begins. In Victorian and Edwardian terraces the wall between the rear kitchen and the front dining room is almost always structural, running parallel to the party walls and carrying the load of the first floor above. Removing it without adequate temporary support and a properly engineered steel beam is dangerous. We engage a structural engineer at this stage, who calculates the beam size required, specifies the bearings and issues calculations for Building Regulations. Building Control inspects the structural work before any decoration covers it.

In 1930s semis the equivalent wall between kitchen and dining room is more commonly a non-structural timber stud partition, though this is not universal and must always be verified by opening the wall to check before removing it. We carry out a proper structural assessment as the first step and advise clearly before any work proceeds. For properties requiring structural openings, see also our house extensions service where we routinely form structural openings as part of larger rear extension projects.

What a Kitchen Refurbishment Includes

Kitchen Units and Storage

• Base units and wall units in the full range of standard UK sizes to maximise your available space
• Tall units including larder cupboards, integrated fridge and freezer housings, and full height storage up to ceiling level
• Corner solutions including carousel units, magic corners and L-shaped drawers that make awkward corners usable
• Soft-close drawer systems with pan drawers, internal organisers and cutlery inserts
• Door styles including shaker, slab, handleless, raised panel and high gloss in painted, vinyl wrapped or real wood finishes

Worktop Options

• Laminate — cost-effective, wide range of colours and patterns including realistic stone and wood effects, durable and easy to maintain
• Solid wood — oak, walnut or beech block. Warm and natural but requires regular oiling, particularly in kitchens that see heavy use
• Quartz — engineered stone combining durability with consistent colour. Popular brands including Silestone and Caesarstone. No sealing required
• Granite — natural stone, each piece unique, heat resistant and extremely hard wearing. Requires sealing once or twice a year
• Dekton and porcelain — ultra-thin, extremely durable, heat and scratch resistant, no maintenance required

Appliances, Sinks and Taps

• Ovens — single or double, built-in or built-under, conventional, fan, steam or combination
• Hobs — gas, ceramic, induction or domino configurations. Gas hobs require Gas Safe registered installation
• Extraction — chimney, canopy, downdraft or integrated hoods, ducted to outside or recirculating where ducting is not possible
• Integrated refrigeration, dishwashers and washing machines
• Boiling water taps including Quooker, Grohe Red and Franke
• Undermount, inset and Belfast butler sinks in stainless steel, composite and ceramic

All Building Works Included

• Structural wall removal to create open plan kitchen-diners with engineer design and Building Regulations where required
• Layout changes including moving sinks, relocating cookers and repositioning doors
• Plastering to create smooth surfaces for tiling and painting
• Flooring including LVT, ceramic and porcelain tiles, engineered wood or laminate
• Splashback tiling, full wall tiling or feature areas
• Full decoration of walls and ceilings to complete the project

Kitchen Layouts That Work for Greater Manchester Homes

Gas Safe and Electrical Compliance in Kitchen Refurbishments

Kitchen refurbishments involve both gas and electrical work that must comply with specific regulatory requirements. These are not optional extras — they are legal requirements and are needed to obtain the certificates required when the property is sold or let.

All gas work including hob installation, cooker connections, gas pipe alterations and boiler moves must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. We provide a Gas Safe certificate on completion of any gas work. If you are switching from a gas hob to induction, the gas supply to the hob position must be capped off and a new high-amperage electrical circuit installed. Induction hobs typically require a 32A dedicated circuit. This is work we plan during the design stage so no surprises arise during installation.

All electrical work in kitchens must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. New circuits for ovens, hobs, dishwashers and other appliances must be installed by a registered electrician and certified. Older properties across Greater Manchester frequently have consumer units that cannot accommodate additional circuits without upgrade. We assess the electrical installation during our design visit and advise clearly on whether a consumer unit upgrade is needed as part of the kitchen project.

The Kitchen Refurbishment Process

Areas We Cover for Kitchen Refurbishments

We refurbish kitchens across all of Greater Manchester. Victorian terraces in Chorlton, Didsbury, Levenshulme, Withington, Eccles and Patricroft typically have galley kitchens that benefit most from either a well-designed refurbishment within the existing footprint or a combined kitchen and rear extension project. 1930s semis in Trafford, Sale, Altrincham, Stockport and Cheadle typically have separate kitchens and dining rooms where combining the two spaces transforms daily life. New build properties across the outer boroughs benefit from upgrading from builder-grade kitchens to properly specified units and appliances.