Short answer: most load bearing walls can be removed, as long as the load they carry is picked up by a correctly designed steel beam. You need a structural engineer’s calculations and building regulations approval before the wall comes out, temporary supports while the steel goes in, and building control sign off when the work is complete.
Is the wall load bearing?
A wall is load bearing if it supports floors, walls or roof above it. Clues include floor joists running across the top of the wall and walls stacked directly above it on the next floor, but you cannot tell for certain by looking or tapping. A structural engineer should always confirm.
Structural calculations
The engineer works out the loads coming down onto the wall, then designs a steel beam to carry them, the padstones it sits on and, where needed, new posts and foundations. These calculations go to building control for approval before work starts.
How the steel goes in
- Temporary props and needles are installed to hold up the structure above.
- The wall is carefully taken down and padstones are built in at each end.
- The steel beam is lifted into place, packed tight to the structure above and checked.
- Once the beam is carrying the load, the temporary supports are removed.
- The steel is given fire protection, usually plasterboard or an intumescent coating, then plastered.
Party walls and chimney breasts
If a beam bears into a party wall, or you are removing a chimney breast on a shared wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is likely to apply. Removing a chimney breast also means the stack above must be properly supported, which the engineer designs.
How we handle it
Our in house structural engineer designs every beam, and our team installs it with building control involved from the start. Because our engineers and builders work together, unexpected findings behind the plaster are resolved quickly and safely. See our structural alterations in Surrey.
