Load-Bearing Wall Removal & Structural Work

Knowing whether a wall is load-bearing

The short answer is that you cannot tell by tapping it. Plenty of walls that sound hollow are carrying a floor above, and plenty of solid-feeling walls are doing nothing at all. In a typical Greater Manchester terrace or 1930s semi, the wall between the two reception rooms is almost always load-bearing, and the wall between the rear reception and the kitchen very often is.

What actually settles it is opening up and looking at how the joists run, what sits directly above the wall, and whether the wall lines up with anything on the floor above. We do that survey before we quote, not after. It costs you nothing and it stops the job changing price halfway through.

How we do it properly

Every structural opening we build is designed by a chartered structural engineer. The engineer calculates the load, sizes the beam, and specifies the padstones or bearings at each end. That calculation goes to Building Control before any work starts.

On site, we install temporary propping and needles to take the load, cut the opening, lift the steel into position, bed it on the specified padstones, and pack and grout the bearing. The steel is then fire-protected — normally two layers of plasterboard — because a bare steel beam is not compliant regardless of how strong it is.

• Structural survey and engineer's calculations
• Building Control full plans or building notice submission
• Temporary propping and needling
• Steel beam supply, fabrication and delivery
• Padstone installation and bearing preparation
• Fire protection encasement to the steel
• Making good: plastering, flooring and skirtings
• Building Control final inspection and completion certificate

Common structural jobs we take on

Beyond straightforward wall removals, we regularly install steels for wide kitchen openings, form new door and window openings in solid walls, underpin where a wall has been altered badly in the past, install new lintels over failed openings, and correct previous DIY structural work that was never signed off.

That last one comes up more than you would expect on rental properties bought at auction. If a previous owner removed a wall without paperwork, we can get a structural engineer to inspect, specify remedial work if needed, and obtain a regularisation certificate from Building Control.

What it costs

A single-opening internal load-bearing wall removal with a standard steel beam typically runs between £2,800 and £5,500 including engineer's fees, Building Control, the steel itself, and making good. A wider opening, a two-storey removal, or a job requiring a heavier section will sit above that.

Anyone quoting a wall removal over the phone without seeing the property is guessing. We survey, we get the calculation, and then we give you a fixed price.