GS Renovation removes load-bearing walls across Bermondsey, from the converted riverside warehouses off Rotherhithe Street to the new-build apartment blocks throughout SE16. With over 30 years of structural experience in Southwark, we open up flats safely, size the steel to an engineer's design and leave a clean, certified finish.
Load-bearing walls in Bermondsey warehouse flats
In a Bermondsey warehouse conversion, many of the internal walls are lightweight stud partitions added when the building was carved into flats, so they carry nothing and come out easily. Others are original masonry or a structural core that supports the floors above. Because the two look identical once plastered, we start every SE16 job with a structural engineer establishing exactly what each wall is holding before anyone lifts a tool.
Where a wall is load-bearing, we replace it with a steel beam sized by the engineer, bearing onto padstones at each end. The opening is temporarily propped while the masonry above is taken down in safe, staged sections, then the beam is set and the load transferred. In these solid brick-and-concrete buildings the loads can be considerable, so nothing is improvised on site.
Freeholder consent and building control in SE16
Almost every apartment in Bermondsey is leasehold, so removing a structural wall needs the freeholder's formal licence to alter before work begins, and the managing agent usually wants the engineer's drawings, method statement and insurance on file first. We handle that correspondence for you and work within the building's rules on working hours and access, which matters in a busy block of riverside flats.
The structural work itself is controlled under the Building Regulations, not planning, since this is internal. Southwark Council's building control inspects the beam and its bearings and issues the completion certificate you will need when you come to sell. We also respect the sound insulation between flats, reinstating any acoustic separation the alteration disturbs so you stay compliant with your lease and your neighbours.
- Making good, plastering and finishing
- Building control sign-off and party wall notices
- Assessment of whether a wall is load-bearing
- Structural engineer calculations and beam sizing
- RSJ and steel beam installation
The GS Renovation Difference in Bermondsey
Bermondsey homeowners choose GS Renovation because one accountable team handles the whole structural job. We arrange the engineer's calculations, secure the freeholder's licence to alter, coordinate with your managing agent and see Southwark building control through to sign-off. You get correctly sized steel, tidy working in an occupied SE16 flat and a certified result, backed by 30+ years.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Over 30 years of experience
- Dedicated project management
- Fully insured and guaranteed work
- Building control and planning support
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople