GS Renovation installs RSJs and steel beams across Borough and the wider SE1 postcode, working daily with the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces that shape this part of Southwark. With over 30 years of structural experience, we remove load-bearing walls safely, from streets near Borough Market to the homes running south towards Camberwell.
Removing load-bearing walls in Borough terraces
The typical Borough terrace has solid brick dividing walls carrying the floors and roof above, so opening up the ground floor is never a simple knock-through. We start with a structural engineer, who sizes the RSJ for the exact span and load, then specify padstones to spread the bearing into the solid masonry. Every beam we fit here is calculated for the real conditions of these Victorian and Edwardian houses, not guessed at.
On site we install temporary propping first, hold the structure while the wall comes down in staged sections, and only then lift the steel into position onto its padstones. This careful sequence protects the floors above and the neighbours either side. Because SE1 terraces are tightly packed, we plan access, dust protection and waste removal so the works stay contained within your home throughout.
Party walls and building control in SE1
In Borough, the wall dividing you from next door and the chimney stack are almost always a shared party wall, so the Party Wall Act applies when a beam bears into it. you serve the correct notices on adjoining owners in good time, which keeps the project legal and avoids disputes with neighbours in these closely built terraces. Getting this right early prevents costly delays once the propping is up.
Steel beam work is governed by building regulations rather than planning permission, so we arrange building control inspection and sign-off for every installation. The inspector checks the beam size, the bearings, the padstones and the connections against the engineer's design. You receive the completion certificate that proves the structural work was done properly, which matters when you come to sell a home anywhere in Southwark.
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices and awards handled
- Ceiling and floor levels resolved where the beam sits below joists
- Making good, plastering and finishing around the new steel
- Existing pipework and cabling diverted around the new opening
- Temporary propping and staged, controlled demolition
Why Borough Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Borough homeowners choose GS Renovation because we handle the whole beam job as one accountable team, from engineer's calculations to propping, safe demolition and building control sign-off. Three decades working on SE1 terraces means we understand solid-wall bearings and tight sites, and we leave you with certified, honest structural work you can trust.
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages
- Temporary propping in place before anything is cut
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day
- Steel sized to the engineer's design, never guessed on site
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- High-density concrete padstones bedded at every bearing