GS Renovation installs RSJs and steel beams across Ealing, from the bay-fronted Victorian terraces of Hanwell to the Edwardian villas near Walpole Park. With over 30 years of structural experience across W5, W7, W13, UB1 and UB6, we remove load-bearing walls safely and open up these period homes for modern family living.
Removing load-bearing walls in Ealing terraces
The typical Ealing project takes a bay-fronted Victorian or Edwardian terrace and removes the wall between the front and middle receptions, or the wall into the rear closet wing. Because these solid-brick dividing walls carry the floors and often a chimney stack above, a structural engineer sizes the beam first. We then set out temporary propping, take the wall down in safe staged sections and lift the steel into position.
Every RSJ bears onto padstones spread across sound brickwork so the load transfers cleanly into the walls below. In older Ealing houses we frequently find that the wall being altered also supports a chimney breast, so the engineer calculates for that extra weight. Once the beam is seated and packed, we case it, make good and leave a clean opening ready for plastering.
building control in Ealing
In Ealing's terraced streets the dividing wall between you and your neighbour is usually a shared party wall, and chimney stacks often straddle that boundary. Where our steelwork cuts into or bears onto a party wall, the Party Wall Act applies, so notice must be served on the adjoining owner before work starts. We flag this early and coordinate with your surveyor so the schedule stays on track.
Removing a load-bearing wall is controlled under building regulations rather than planning permission, so it needs building control sign-off, arranged through Ealing Council or an approved inspector. We supply the engineer's calculations, carry out the propping and installation to those drawings, and arrange the inspections. You receive the completion certificate that proves the structural work was done correctly, which matters when you come to sell in W7 or UB1.
Choosing the right steel for the opening
Not every opening wants the same section. A straightforward run between two supporting walls is usually a universal beam, deep and efficient, which is why a downstand appears under the ceiling. Where headroom is tight, a wider and shallower section, or a pair of channels bolted back to back, can carry the same load in less depth. Where the wall also supports the rear external wall, the answer is often a goalpost frame with posts and base plates.
The engineer makes that call, not us, but the brief they work to comes from you. Whether you want to keep full ceiling height, whether the beam can be seen, how wide the opening needs to be and what sits above it all feed into the design. It is worth spending time on that conversation, because comparing options on paper costs far less than changing the steel once it has been fabricated and delivered.
- Access and lifting plans for restricted London sites
- Temporary propping and staged, controlled demolition
- Existing pipework and cabling diverted around the new opening
- Structural engineer's calculations arranged and followed
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices and awards handled
Trusted RSJ and Steel Beam Installation in Ealing
Ealing homeowners choose GS Renovation because one experienced team handles the engineer's design, the propping, the steel and the making good, with 30+ years working on the borough's Victorian and Edwardian terraces. We manage arrange building control and keep an occupied home clean and safe throughout, giving you a certified opening built to last.
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
- Making good and plastering priced in, not treated as an extra
- Restricted London access planned before the steel arrives
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- Party Wall Act notices served where a beam bears into a shared wall
- Photographs kept at each stage for your records