Kitchen extensions in Nottingham
A kitchen extension gives you the room to rethink the kitchen properly: where the sink, hob and fridge go, where you eat, and where the washing machine lives. This page covers choosing the right route to a bigger kitchen, planning the layout, moving the services a kitchen needs and getting through the build while your kitchen is out of action.
We design and build kitchen extensions across Nottingham and nearby towns, and we can fit the kitchen as part of the same job.
- Rear, side-return and wrap-around routes
- Plumbing, gas, electrics and extraction planned in
- Kitchen fitting as part of the build
- Prefer to talk? Call 0115 990 2782
Which kind of kitchen extension suits your house?
The right route depends on where the kitchen sits now, the shape of the house and how much garden you want to keep. Each has its own guide.
Kitchen rear extension
Extend the kitchen straight out into the back garden. The usual choice where the kitchen is already at the back of the house.
Side return extension
Fill the narrow passage beside the back addition of a terraced or semi-detached house. Often the answer to a long, thin galley kitchen.
Wrap-around extension
Combine a rear extension and a side return in an L-shape for the largest kitchen-diner, where the plot allows.
Open-plan knock-through
Take out internal walls so the kitchen joins the dining or living room, with or without new floor space.
Planning the kitchen layout
Start with how you cook and eat, not with the size of the extension. Common layouts include an island facing the garden with tall units against the old wall, an L-shaped run with the dining table by the doors, or a galley run with a separate utility behind it.
The shape of the extension and the position of the steel beam limit where tall units and an island can go, so we look at the kitchen plan alongside the structural drawings rather than after them. Garden doors take up wall space you might otherwise use for cupboards, and a roof lantern needs to line up with the island or table below it.
It’s worth thinking about a utility room at the same time. Moving the washing machine and dryer into their own room keeps noise and clutter out of an open kitchen.
Layout questions to answer early
- Island or peninsula?
- Hob on the island or against a wall?
- Sink facing the garden or the room?
- Where do the fridge-freezer and tall units go?
- Separate utility or a utility cupboard?
- How many people need to sit and eat?
Moving plumbing, gas, electrics and extraction
A kitchen needs more services than any other room. Moving them is straightforward if it’s planned before the floor goes down, and expensive if it isn’t.
Plumbing and waste
Sinks, dishwashers and washing machines need waste pipes with enough fall to reach the drain. An island sink means running waste under the floor, which is easiest before the slab is poured. Soil stacks and gullies on the old back wall may need moving.
Gas
A gas hob may need its supply extended or rerouted, and any gas work must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Some people switch to induction at this point, which removes the gas pipework but needs a suitably rated electrical circuit.
Electrics
A new kitchen usually needs new circuits for the oven, hob and sockets, plus new lighting. New circuits must meet Part P of the Building Regulations and be certified. Socket positions on an island and under wall units are best fixed at design stage.
Extraction and ventilation
Building regulations require extract ventilation in a kitchen. A wall-mounted hood can vent straight outside. An island hob needs a ceiling or downdraft extractor, and its duct route has to be designed into the roof or floor.
Heating
Radiators often lose their wall space to units and glazing. Underfloor heating or a plinth heater can solve that, but the decision needs making before the floor screed goes down.
Where the kitchen fit-out fits into the build
Survey and kitchen brief
We measure up, note where the services run now and talk through how you want the kitchen to work.
Design, quote and approvals
The kitchen layout is fixed alongside the extension drawings, followed by a written, itemised quotation and the building regulations application.
Groundworks and services
Foundations and drainage, including any waste runs for an island sink and ducts set into the floor.
Shell and first fix
Walls, roof and glazing, then pipework, cabling and extractor ducting before the walls are plastered.
Plaster, floor and units
Plastering, floor finishes and the kitchen units go in once the room is dry.
Worktops and second fix
Stone and quartz worktops are templated once the base units are in, then made to measure. Sockets, taps and appliances are connected after that.
Sign-off
Final building control inspection, electrical and gas certificates, and a walk-through with you.
Living without a kitchen
Your existing kitchen can usually stay in use while the extension shell goes up, because the old back wall stays in place until the new structure is weathertight. The kitchen goes out of action when that wall is opened up and the old units come out.
How long you’re without it depends mostly on the kitchen itself. Units that are ready to install and worktops that can be templated quickly keep the gap short. Stone and quartz worktops add the most waiting time because they’re made to measure after the base units are fitted.
Ask us at quotation stage roughly when the kitchen will be out of use, so you can plan around school holidays, work and family visits.
Temporary kitchen checklist
- Fridge moved to another room
- Microwave or combination oven
- Kettle, toaster and a slow cooker or air fryer
- A washing-up bowl near a tap, or disposable plates
- A table or worktop to prepare food on
Kitchen extension costs
| Project type | Approx. size | Indicative guide range |
|---|---|---|
| Small rear kitchen extension | Up to 15 m² | £32,000 – £45,000 |
| Medium kitchen-diner | 15 – 25 m² | £45,000 – £65,000 |
| Large open-plan kitchen | 25 – 35 m² | £65,000 – £90,000 |
| Premium finish with island and bi-folds | 30 m²+ | £90,000+ |
These are indicative guide ranges, not quotes. They depend on the kitchen units, worktops and appliances you choose, how far services have to move, and the glazing and finishes. When you compare quotes, check whether each one includes the kitchen itself or only the build and fitting. You receive a written, itemised quotation after a free site survey.
Planning and how long it takes
The planning rules depend on the route. A kitchen extended to the rear follows the rear extension rules. A side return follows the side extension rules, which under permitted development allow a single storey up to 4m high and no wider than half the width of the original house, and don’t apply in conservation areas or on other Article 2(3) land. A wrap-around has to satisfy both. Any of these may fall under permitted development, depending on the property and any restrictions, and building regulations approval is needed either way. Our rear extensions guide sets out the rear extension limits.
A typical kitchen extension takes around 10 to 14 weeks on site, depending on size, groundworks and the kitchen fit-out. That’s indicative rather than guaranteed, and design and approvals come first.
Good to know
Kitchen and worktop lead times can be longer than the build stages around them. Ordering once the layout is fixed helps avoid a gap at the end.
Kitchen extensions across the area
Not sure if we cover your street? Get in touch and we will let you know.
See the work before you decide
Photos of our extension work are in the project gallery, and customer feedback is on our reviews page, where reviews are published once they’ve been matched to a real job. At your survey, ask us for a past customer you can speak to about a similar kitchen extension.
Kitchen extension questions
As an indicative guide, most kitchen extensions fall between £32,000 and £90,000, and premium schemes with an island and bi-fold doors can go beyond that. The kitchen units, worktops and appliances make a big difference, so check whether a quote includes them. You receive a written, itemised quotation after a free site survey.
Yes. We can manage the full job, including plumbing, electrics, flooring and fitting your kitchen units, so you deal with one team. If you’re buying the kitchen separately, tell us at the survey so the quotation shows clearly what’s included.
Usually only for part of the build. The old kitchen can normally stay in use while the new shell goes up, and goes out of action when the back wall is opened and the new kitchen is fitted. Made-to-measure worktops are the most common cause of a longer gap.
Yes, but it needs planning early. An island sink needs a waste pipe run under the floor before the slab is poured, and an island hob needs a ceiling or downdraft extractor with a duct route designed into the roof or floor.
It depends on the route and the property. Rear and side-return kitchen extensions may fall under permitted development if they stay within the limits and your house still has its permitted development rights. Others need prior approval or a planning application. Building regulations approval is needed either way.
A typical kitchen extension takes around 10 to 14 weeks on site, depending on size, groundworks and the kitchen fit-out. Design and approvals come first, and kitchen and worktop lead times can affect the finish date. Treat it as an estimate rather than a guarantee.
Plan your kitchen extension with a free survey
We’ll look at where your services run now, talk through layout options and follow up with a written, itemised quotation.