Structure
Removing a wall: steels and structural openings
How to tell whether a wall is load-bearing, what an engineer's calculation is for, and why padstones matter more than the beam.
Is it load-bearing?
In most London terraced and semi-detached houses the spine wall — the one running front to back through the middle of the house — is load-bearing, along with the party walls. Walls running parallel to the floor joists are more often non-structural, but that is an indication, not a rule.
The reliable test is to look at what sits above: joists bearing onto it, a wall directly over it on the floor above, or a section of roof structure landing on it. Where there is any doubt, a structural engineer decides — not the builder, and definitely not the internet.
What the engineer's calculation covers
The engineer calculates the loads coming onto the opening, sizes the beam to carry them within acceptable deflection, and specifies the bearing at each end: how long it must be, and what it must bear onto.
That bearing detail is where most of the risk sits. A correctly sized beam on inadequate bearings concentrates a large load onto masonry that was never designed to take it, which is why padstones — solid concrete or engineering brick spreading the load into the wall — are specified and why building control inspects them before anything is cased in.
Temporary support
Before the wall comes out, the load above has to be carried on temporary propping — needles through the wall onto acrow props, or strongboys, sized and positioned for the actual load rather than by habit.
This is the stage where things go badly wrong on jobs run by people who do it occasionally. It is also the stage nobody photographs for the brochure.
Fire protection and finishing
Exposed steel loses strength rapidly in a fire, so beams are normally encased — typically in two layers of fire-rated plasterboard — to achieve the required period of resistance.
Once encased, the beam is invisible, which is the point. What you should be able to see afterwards is a flat ceiling line and no cracking at the junctions, which comes down to how well the bearings and the propping were done.
This guide describes national rules for England and was written to be accurate at the time of publication. Local designations can restrict them further, and legislation changes. Always confirm the position for your own address with your local planning authority, or ask us to do it in writing.
Related service: Framework in London
Answers
Questions we get asked alongside this
Do I need planning permission for framework in London?
It depends on the property type and what is proposed. Many single-storey rear extensions and loft conversions fall under permitted development, but those rights do not apply to flats and are restricted in conservation areas or where an Article 4 direction applies. We check the planning position for your specific address before quoting, and tell you in writing which route applies.
How do you price the work?
From a site survey, written up as a fixed and itemised scope before any deposit is discussed. If something genuinely unforeseen appears once work is opened up, it is priced and agreed in writing before we continue — never added to the final invoice after the fact.
When do I pay?
In arrears of work completed. You pay for work that has been done and inspected, not for work that has been promised. This has been how the company operates since 2008.
Do you handle Party Wall notices?
Yes, where the work requires them. Under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, notifiable work on a shared wall needs 2 months written notice to the adjoining owner, while excavation near a neighbouring structure and building at the line of junction need 1 month. We serve the notices and manage the award process as part of the job.
Will I get certificates at the end?
Yes. Electrical work is tested and certificated under Part P, and building control issues a completion certificate where an application was required. You receive the handover pack — it is what a buyer's solicitor will ask for when you eventually sell.
How long will it take?
It depends entirely on scope, and we give a programme with the written quote rather than a guess on the phone. What we will not do is start a job we cannot resource, which is the usual reason a build stalls halfway through.
More guides
Related reading
Skip the forms
Want this checked for your address?
A picture and a postcode tells us more than any enquiry form. You will get a straight answer about cost and whether it needs planning permission.