GS Renovation removes load-bearing walls across Kennington, working in the Georgian and Regency townhouses that line SE11. With more than 30 years of structural experience in Lambeth, we open up these tall, narrow period homes without compromising the masonry above, delivering a properly engineered result rather than a risky shortcut.
Reading load paths in Kennington townhouses
Kennington's Georgian and Regency houses were built with solid brick spine walls that carry floor joists and, in many cases, the weight of three or four storeys above. In SE11 you rarely find a purely decorative internal wall on the ground floor, so we never assume a wall can simply come down. Every job starts with a structural engineer inspecting the wall, tracing the load path and calculating the steel needed to replace it.
Once the beam is specified, we install padstones to spread the load into the remaining brickwork, prop the structure temporarily and take the wall out in careful staged sections. The RSJ is lifted into place, bolted and packed tight, then the propping comes away only when the beam is fully bearing. In tall Kennington townhouses this staged discipline matters, because there is a great deal of masonry sitting above each opening.
Party wall and building control in SE11
Because Kennington's terraces sit shoulder to shoulder, the flank walls of your house are usually shared party walls with the neighbour. Where a new beam bears into that shared wall, the work becomes notifiable under the Party Wall Act, and notice must be served before we start. We prepare and serve those notices so relations with your neighbour stay straightforward and the job is not held up by a dispute later on.
Removing a load-bearing wall is a Building Regulations matter, not a planning one, so Lambeth Council's building control inspects and signs off the steelwork against the engineer's calculations. Only the exterior counts for planning here, and given how many SE11 homes are listed or in conservation areas, we keep all structural work internal and certified. We hand you the completion paperwork you will need when you come to sell.
- Temporary propping and safe demolition
- Padstones and correct bearing at each end
- Knock-throughs between reception rooms
- Making good, plastering and finishing
- Building control sign-off and party wall notices
The GS Renovation Difference in Kennington
Kennington homeowners choose GS Renovation because one accountable team handles the whole job: engineer's calculations, party wall notices, Lambeth building control sign-off, safe propping and steel installation. We work cleanly in occupied period homes, protect original features, and back every SE11 project with more than 30 years of South London structural experience.
- 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