GS Renovation removes load-bearing walls across Merton, from the bay-fronted Victorian terraces near Wimbledon Common to the Edwardian streets around Morden and Mitcham. With over 30 years of structural work in SW19, SW20, CR4 and SM4, we take out the wall between kitchen and dining room, install an engineer-sized steel beam and open the ground floor up properly.
Opening up Merton's terraced ground floors
The bay-fronted terraces across Wimbledon, Mitcham and Morden nearly all share the same layout: a front reception, a middle room and a narrow kitchen tucked into the rear closet wing. The wall dividing those two front rooms usually carries the joists above, so it cannot simply be knocked out. We start with a structural engineer who calculates the load and specifies the right steel beam for the span.
Once the beam is sized, we set concrete padstones at each bearing so the load spreads safely into the brickwork, prop the ceiling securely and take the wall down in careful stages. The steel goes in level, the props come out and the opening is finished flush. In these SW19 and SW20 homes we routinely span the full width so the front-to-back sightline is completely clear.
Party wall and building control in Merton
Because Merton's terraces are built in continuous rows, the beam supporting your new opening often bears into the party wall shared with next door. Cutting a bearing pocket or loading that wall is notifiable under the Party Wall Act, so we serve notice on the adjoining owner before any steel is lifted into place. We prepare and issue those notices as part of the job.
Removing a load-bearing wall is structural work, so it falls under the Building Regulations rather than planning permission, and Merton Council's building control inspects and signs it off. We coordinate the inspections, hand over the engineer's calculations and provide the completion certificate. Unless you are in a conservation area and altering the exterior, no planning application is needed for this internal work.
- Assessment of whether a wall is load-bearing
- Structural engineer calculations and beam sizing
- RSJ and steel beam installation
- Temporary propping and safe demolition
- Padstones and correct bearing at each end
Why Merton Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Merton homeowners choose GS Renovation because one accountable team handles the whole job: the engineer's beam design, the party wall notices to your neighbour, safe propping and staged demolition, and building control sign-off. We work tidily in your occupied home, protect floors and keep dust down, and back it all with 30+ years across SW19, SW20, CR4 and SM4.
- 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