How it works
- We visit. An engineer inspects the walls you want to remove and confirms whether they are load-bearing, and what they carry.
- You get a price. After the visit you receive a quote for the engineering, before any demolition starts.
- We design the support. Lintels, box frames or steel beams (RSJs), with the posts, padstones and foundations they need.
- Your package is issued. Calculations and drawings ready for Building Control, your architect and your builder.
- We stay involved. We answer your builder's questions, deal with anything unexpected found on site, and carry out final inspections. When the work meets our standards, we issue a completion certificate.
What we design
- Load-bearing wall removal, including knock-throughs between reception rooms and into kitchens.
- Chimney breast removal, with support for any chimney left above.
- Staircase alterations and new openings in floors.
- Floor joists, including checks on load-bearing capacity for new uses or heavy items.
- Ceiling and roof openings for skylights and roof lights.
- Foundations for new posts or walls carrying point loads.
- Retrospective reports for alterations already carried out, for example when you are selling a house where a wall came out years ago.
What you receive
- Stamped structural calculations showing how the new beams, posts, padstones and connections carry the loads safely down to the foundations.
- General arrangement and section drawings showing your builder what to install and where.
- Connection notes for the steelwork.
We size the steelwork for your actual house rather than using a rule of thumb, which avoids beams that are too small or needlessly heavy. Your Building Control body, whether the council or a private approver, will review the calculations, and we answer their questions as part of the service.
How the price works
- Prices assume traditional construction: load-bearing masonry walls and timber floor joists. Concrete or other forms of construction are charged at £180* per hour.
- Your builder needs to open up the ceiling or wall where we ask, before the visit. If we have to come back, or wait more than 45 minutes on site, a £180* site visit fee applies.
- A written report is not normally included. If you need one, it is £180*.
- Inspections are visual. Any further opening up or invasive investigation is £180* per hour, and only if agreed.
- Anything outside the original scope is quoted separately and needs your approval first.
Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are your responsibility, and must be in place before the wall comes out.
What we need from you
- Photos of the wall or chimney breast, and of the rooms above and below.
- Any floor plans you have, even rough ones.
- Whether the property is a house or a flat, and whether it is leasehold or freehold.
If you are a leaseholder, your freeholder will usually need to approve the work too. We can prepare a freeholder consent report alongside the calculations.
A beam that bears into a wall shared with your neighbour will usually need a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Your party wall surveyor will want to see our calculations, so it helps to have them early.
What is not included
Unless your quote says otherwise, our design work does not include:
- Drainage design, above or below ground, and drainage pumps
- Temporary works and propping design
- Demolition method statements and risk assessments
- Steel-to-steel connections and steel fabrication drawings
- Steel coating details and proprietary products
- Staircases and balustrades
- Pile design, geotechnical design and site investigation
- Basement impact assessments and tanking specifications
- Construction traffic management plans
- Contamination and land remediation
Some of these, such as bespoke glazing, temporary works and steel connections, are normally designed by your contractor or a specialist. Party wall matters, and design after the Building Regulations package has been issued, are charged by the hour. The full terms are in our conditions of engagement.
Common questions
My builder says the wall isn't load-bearing. Do I still need an engineer?
Yes. Whether a wall is load-bearing often cannot be told by looking or knocking: joists, walls and chimneys above all affect it. A wrong assumption can lead to cracking, sagging floors or worse. An engineer confirms it, and Building Control will want the calculations if it is.
Do I need Building Control approval to remove a load-bearing wall?
Yes. Removing a load-bearing wall or chimney breast is structural work under the Building Regulations, so it needs approval and the work will be inspected. Our calculations are what Building Control will ask for.
What are the risks of removing a wall without approval?
Enforcement notices, costly remedial work, difficulty getting buildings insurance and problems when you sell. Buyers' solicitors look for the approvals, and missing paperwork can mean a last-minute price cut or an indemnity policy.
Will a missing engineer's certificate affect selling or remortgaging?
It can. Surveyors and lenders want written evidence that structural changes were designed and inspected properly, and some buyers withdraw or ask for a large discount without it. Our stamped calculations and completion certificate provide that evidence.
What if Building Control asks for changes?
Revisions Building Control asks for within 50 days of us issuing the calculations are free. After that, and for changes you make to the design once calculations have started, time is charged by the hour, and we will tell you before any extra cost is incurred. Changes you ask for after the visit but before we start the calculations are free.
Send the calculations to your Building Control body as soon as you receive them, so any questions are picked up early.
Can you help if the wall has already been removed?
Yes. A retrospective report assesses what was installed and whether it is adequate. Buyers' surveyors and lenders often ask for one when a wall or chimney breast has gone without paperwork.
