Removing a load bearing wall means transferring what it carries onto a beam and down to the ground. The survey, the temporary support, the beam, the bearings and the making good are ours. The calculations are the structural engineer's, and we appoint one and build to what they issue. This page covers what that means for the different kinds of house in Beaconsfield, and how the work gets checked.
At Hampden Hill the roof load is carried on internal walls
So the wall you want out may be the one holding the roof up. The Hampden Hill Conservation Area appraisal states that the roof load in these houses is borne by internal brick spine walls, which relieves the external walls and allowed them to be replaced by extensive glazing. That is the reverse of the arrangement in a standard brick house.
The appraisal also records that the houses are built against the hillside with spreading, split level plans, and that the seven Type A houses sit on five levels including the garage level. A beam on one level can land on structure that is itself carrying at a different level. The engineer needs the whole load path drawn, not one opening in isolation, and we open up to give them that.
The terraces near the Old Town are solid brick, party wall to party wall
That changes both the propping and the party wall position. The council's appraisal records that the four terraces on the west side of Lakes Lane were built around the end of the 19th century as solid brick workers' housing. It also notes they stayed in common ownership of the Hall Barn estate.
At Malthouse Square, five terraces of four houses, numbers 9 to 12, 13 to 16, 23 to 26, 27 to 30 and 45 to 48, each carry a central arch forming a ginnel through to the rear. An arch is already a structural opening, and a new opening near one changes what the existing arch is doing. We survey for that before design, not after.
A listed building needs consent before a wall is touched
Listed building consent is separate from building regulations and from planning permission, and it reaches inside the house. The council's appraisal records 129 listings for the Beaconsfield Old Town Conservation Area, many of which cover more than one building. Whether your address sits inside one of those listings is a question to settle at the start.
The appraisal also records sagging brickwork over the door and a tie rod at number 40 Aylesbury End, a Grade II listed pair of early 19th century red brick houses. Where a building already carries a repair like that, existing movement forms part of the brief for the engineer. We take nothing out before the consent position and the survey are both in writing.
The council counts the job as started at 15% of the work
For work other than a new build, Buckinghamshire Council treats work as having commenced once 15% of the planned work has been completed. That is not the day the skip arrives, and it sets the clock for the notice you owe.
The council requires notice at least 2 working days before you intend to start work, and a further notice in writing within 5 working days of the works commencing. We handle both, and we sequence the strip out so the notices and the first inspection fall where they should.
- Rubble bagged and cleared as the work progresses
- Downstand and flush beam options priced at quotation stage
- RSJ and steel beam installation to the approved design
- Final level checks before the temporary props come out
- Knock-throughs between front and rear reception rooms
Why Beaconsfield Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
A wall removal is a sequence, and the order is what keeps the house standing. We survey, appoint the structural engineer, install the temporary support, form the opening, set the beam on its bearings, and only then take the props out. The building control notices and the inspection dates are ours to make. The making good, the plastering and the floor levels sit inside the same price rather than becoming a separate trade you chase. We are a contractor and we never produce the structural calculations ourselves. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured and registered in England, company number 14611254.
- We establish what the wall actually carries before we quote
- Pipework, cables and radiators diverted before demolition
- Materials priced at options, so you choose the finish
- Props and strongboys set out to a temporary works plan
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day