Removing a load bearing wall means proving what the wall carries before any of it comes out. Welwyn Garden City was built in phases over a long period, and the phase your house belongs to changes what the survey has to establish. We appoint a structural engineer, prop and build to the calculations issued, and coordinate the building control inspections.
The earliest houses may have no cavity at all
On the town's oldest streets the wall can be solid brick with no cavity. Welwyn Rural District Council was building its second scheme, of 93 houses in Guessens Road, during 1923. The conservation area appraisal records that these were swiftly erected without cavity walls, and that these appear to survive at the southern end of the road. The same appraisal records that Nos 102 and 104 Handside Lane are built in 2 inch bricks. Brick size and wall build up change the assumptions an engineer can make, so opening up a small area to confirm construction is part of the process.
Post-war streets are a different build again
Later houses in the town were put up to different standards. Houses along The Reddings are brick built and date from the 1950s through the 1970s. The conservation area appraisal records Sherrards Park Road as typically detached two storey red brick housing dating from the 1950s onwards. A detached plan gives an engineer more freedom over where load can be taken down than a linked or terraced plan does, so the survey starts with the plan form and then moves to the wall.
Terraces, passages and the inspection that follows
Terraced plans need the load path traced all the way to the ground, and a passage running through the building changes where a beam can land. Brockett Close consists of two storey red brick terrace housing with passage ways running through the depth of the buildings. Once the design is settled, the work is inspected. Hertfordshire Building Control states that its inspections cover foundations, damp proofing and structural issues, among other aspects of construction.
- Dust screens and floor protection through occupied rooms
- Downstand and flush beam options priced at quotation stage
- Rubble bagged and cleared as the work progresses
- Final level checks before the temporary props come out
- Building control notification and inspection sign-off
Trusted Load-Bearing Wall Removal in Welwyn Garden City
The sequence matters more than the steel. We survey what the wall carries, appoint the structural engineer, install temporary support, then cut and place the beam to the calculations issued. Nothing comes out before the propping is in. We do not produce the calculations ourselves, we build to them. Our founder has over 30 years of hands-on experience, and the company is fully insured and registered in England, company number 14611254.
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople
- Staged demolition rather than taking a wall through in one go
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- Pipework, cables and radiators diverted before demolition
- Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day