GS Renovation installs steel beams and RSJs across Deptford, from the Georgian and Regency townhouses off the high street to the SE8 warehouse conversions near the creek. With more than 30 years of structural experience, we remove load-bearing walls safely, working within the constraints of period and often listed buildings in Lewisham's conservation areas.
Removing load-bearing walls in Deptford
Many Deptford homes are solid-brick Georgian and Regency properties where the internal dividing walls carry real load. Before any wall comes out, our structural engineer calculates the beam size and specifies the padstones the RSJ will bear onto. We set up temporary propping, then carry out a staged, controlled demolition so the structure is never left unsupported. This measured approach matters in older SE8 houses where the masonry has settled over two centuries.
Because so many of these townhouses are listed or sit within a Lewisham conservation area, we treat original features with care, saving cornicing, joinery and fireplaces where the works allow. Every beam installation is notified to building control and signed off on completion, giving you the certificate you will need when you sell. Where the wall is shared with a neighbour, we also handle the Party Wall Act notices before work begins.
Party wall steel beams in SE8
In Deptford's tightly packed terraces and townhouses, the wall you want to open is frequently a party wall shared with the house next door. Under the Party Wall Act you must serve formal notice on the adjoining owner before cutting a bearing into that wall or inserting a beam. You serve those notices, allow the statutory notice period, and coordinate with any surveyor the neighbour appoints so the project keeps moving.
The steelwork itself is only as good as its bearings. We form solid padstones at each end, usually in concrete or engineering brick, so the RSJ transfers its load cleanly into the existing masonry. On larger openings across a double reception or a kitchen knock-through, the engineer may specify a heavier universal beam or twin sections bolted together. We prop, install and case in the steel to the engineer's sizing, then leave it ready for plastering.
Where the beam sits and what it costs you
In a conversion or a lower-ground room, head height is the scarce commodity, and where the beam sits decides how much of it you keep. A downstand beam under the existing joists is the simplest and cheapest to build, but it drops the opening by the depth of the section plus its fire protection. In a room already tight under a Georgian first floor, that can be the difference between a comfortable space and a low one.
The alternatives are a shallower, heavier section, which keeps the drop down but costs more in steel, or setting the beam up between the joists with hangers so the ceiling runs through unbroken. The engineer will tell you which of those the structure allows. We measure the existing height, mark the proposed soffit on the wall in tape so you can see it, and agree the option before the steel is ordered, since a change afterwards means a new beam.
- Steel delivered cut, drilled and primed to the engineer's schedule
- Building control applications and inspection sign-off
- Lintel and catnic support to smaller openings
- Structural openings for open-plan living
- Ceiling and floor levels resolved where the beam sits below joists
Why Deptford Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Deptford homeowners choose GS Renovation because we understand the quirks of solid-wall Georgian and listed properties, and we manage the whole process from engineer's calculations to building control sign-off. One team handles the propping, the steel, the padstones and any working cleanly in an occupied home and backed by more than three decades across Lewisham.
- Levels and deflection checked before the props come out
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- Building control inspected at the propping and beam stages
- Steel sized to the engineer's design, never guessed on site
- Materials priced at options, so you choose the finish
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day