GS Renovation installs steel beams and RSJs across Catford, where SE6 is dominated by bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces with rear closet wings and side returns. With over 30 years of structural experience in South East London, we remove load-bearing walls safely and get the work signed off by Lewisham building control.
Removing load-bearing walls in Catford terraces
The wall between the two ground-floor reception rooms in a Catford terrace is nearly always load-bearing, carrying the floor above and often the chimney stack. Before anything is touched, a structural engineer sizes the beam for the actual span and load, and we work out the bearing points at each end. We then set out padstones, usually mass concrete or a proprietary bearing block, so the steel transfers weight cleanly into the solid brickwork.
On site we prop the structure with adjustable steel props and strongboys, take the wall down in careful stages, and lift the beam into position before removing the temporary support. In these SE6 terraces the masonry is soft lime-mortared brick, so we work methodically to avoid disturbing the floors above and keep the rest of the house stable throughout.
building control in Catford
In a terraced street the dividing walls and chimney breasts often sit within a shared party wall, so cutting a beam pocket into next door's structure brings the Party Wall Act into play. We flag this early, help you serve the correct notice on adjoining owners, and coordinate the timing so the works stay lawful and neighbourly. This matters on the tight-knit terraces running between Catford and Forest Hill.
Every beam we install is notified to Lewisham Council building control, who inspect the padstone bearings, the beam itself and the fire protection before sign-off. We handle the inspection bookings, the engineer's calculations and the completion certificate, so you finish with the paperwork a future buyer or surveyor will want to see. Nothing is boxed in until building control is satisfied.
- Load-bearing wall removal and knock-throughs
- Steel columns, base plates and bolted connections
- Making good, plastering and finishing around the new steel
- Beam boxing, fire protection and plasterboard encasement
- Temporary propping and staged, controlled demolition
Trusted RSJ and Steel Beam Installation in Catford
Catford homeowners choose GS Renovation because we treat steelwork as a structural job first, not a quick knock-through. We work to the engineer's calculations, prop safely, respect the shared party walls common in SE6 terraces, and see the job through Lewisham building control to certificate. Over 30 years in South East London means we have opened up hundreds of period homes like yours.
- Registered in England, Companies House no. 14611254
- Straight advice on what is and is not worth spending money on
- Building control inspected at the propping and beam stages
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- Temporary propping in place before anything is cut
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts