GS Renovation installs steel beams and RSJs across Fulham, from the bay-fronted terraces near Bishops Park to the Edwardian streets around Fulham Broadway. With over 30 years of structural work in SW6, we open up load-bearing walls in these period homes safely, with engineered steelwork and building control sign-off from start to finish.
Load-bearing wall removal across Fulham SW6
The typical Fulham job removes the wall between the front and rear reception rooms of a bay-fronted Victorian or Edwardian terrace, or the kitchen wall into the rear closet wing. These are almost always load-bearing, carrying floor joists and the weight above, so a structural engineer calculates the beam and we install an RSJ bearing onto concrete padstones at each end.
Before any masonry comes down we set up temporary propping to hold the structure, then work through a safe, staged demolition rather than pulling the wall out in one go. The steel is levelled, seated on its padstones and packed tight so the load transfers cleanly. Building control inspects the padstone bearings and the finished beam before we close everything up.
Party wall notices for Fulham terraces
Fulham terraces sit in tight rows, and the dividing wall between you and next door, along with the chimney stacks, usually sits in a shared party wall. When your steel bears into that wall, the Party Wall Act applies, so you serve the correct notices on your neighbours in good time and coordinate with any surveyor appointed under the process.
Getting the party wall matters right protects both you and your neighbour, and it keeps the project moving without disputes halfway through. We plan the notice timing around the build programme so steelwork is not held up. Throughout the job we keep the shared wall stable with propping and careful sequencing, and we clean up thoroughly given how close SW6 neighbours live to the works.
RSJ, universal beam or flitch beam
People say RSJ for any steel, but the engineer chooses from a range and each behaves differently. A universal beam is the usual answer for a wide opening, deep in proportion to its width and efficient at carrying floor load across a span. A universal column section is squatter and gets used where head height is tight or where a post is needed. The old rolled steel joist with its tapered flanges is now rare in new work.
A flitch beam, a steel plate bolted between two timbers, suits a modest load where the beam has to be carried in by hand, which happens often in Fulham terraces with no rear access. Over a small opening a concrete or steel lintel may be all that is required. The size and the type come from the calculation rather than the shape of the hole, and we build to whatever the engineer issues.
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices and awards handled
- Lintel and catnic support to smaller openings
- Concrete and high-density padstones at every bearing
- Building control applications and inspection sign-off
- Load-bearing wall removal and knock-throughs
Why Choose GS Renovation in Fulham
Fulham homeowners choose GS Renovation because we treat steelwork as engineering, not guesswork. Every beam is sized by a structural engineer, propped safely, seated on proper padstones and signed off by Hammersmith and Fulham building control. With 30+ years in SW6 terraces, we coordinate the work around the party wall award, the demolition and the making good as one accountable team.
- Temporary propping in place before anything is cut
- Beams boxed and fire protected to the approved detail
- High-density concrete padstones bedded at every bearing
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople