GS Renovation installs RSJs and structural steel across Kingston upon Thames, from the bay-fronted Victorian terraces of Surbiton to the substantial period houses near Richmond Park. With over 30 years of experience across KT1, KT2, KT3, KT5 and KT6, we remove load-bearing walls safely, sizing every beam to an engineer's specification.
Removing load-bearing walls in Kingston terraces
The dividing wall between the two front rooms of a Kingston terrace is usually load-bearing, carrying the floor and often a chimney breast above. To open it up we install a steel beam, sized by a structural engineer to the span and load, bearing onto concrete padstones at each end. We prop the structure temporarily, take the wall down in careful stages, then seat the RSJ and make good before the props come out.
Many terraces in KT5 and KT6 share their side walls and chimney stacks with the neighbouring property, so the work falls under the Party Wall Act. Where a beam bears into a shared wall, you serve the correct notice on the adjoining owner before any cutting begins. Every installation is inspected and signed off by building control under Kingston Council, giving you certified structural work and a clear record for any future sale.
Steel beams for Kingston period homes
Larger projects in KT2 and KT3, such as spanning a full-width rear opening or supporting a loft conversion, often call for heavier steel or paired beams bolted together. The substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses around Surbiton and New Malden carry real weight in their solid brick walls, so we work only to a structural engineer's calculations rather than guesswork. Correct beam depth, padstone size and bearing length all matter for a wall that will stand for decades.
Because we manage the whole sequence, there is no gap between the engineer, the steel supplier and the trades on site. We coordinate temporary support, protect floors and finishes in an occupied home, and fireproof the exposed steel where the regulations require it. Once the RSJ is in and inspected, our team plasters, levels and reinstates so the finished room shows no sign of the beam, only the open, connected space you wanted.
Checking the wall before design
Before an engineer can size a beam they need to know what the wall is doing, and that comes from opening up rather than from measuring. In a Kingston terrace we take plaster off in two or three small areas to establish the thickness, whether it is solid brick or later blockwork infill, and which way the floor joists above are running. Joists bearing into the wall confirm that it is carrying load. None of that takes long, and it is far cheaper than discovering a surprise once the props are already loaded.
We look above and below as well. Above, whether a chimney breast or a first floor wall lands on it, since that changes the load dramatically. Below, whether there is a cellar or a solid ground floor, because the bearings have to be supported all the way down to something sound. On the older riverside houses we check footing depth too, as these are frequently shallow and were never intended to take point loads.
- Steel delivered cut, drilled and primed to the engineer's schedule
- Flitch beams where a slimmer steel and timber solution suits
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices and awards handled
- Lintel and catnic support to smaller openings
- Access and lifting plans for restricted London sites
Why Kingston upon Thames Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Kingston homeowners choose GS Renovation because steel work is our flagship trade, backed by 30+ years across KT1 to KT6. We handle the engineer's design, the padstones, the propping and the building control sign-off as one accountable job, working cleanly in occupied period homes and leaving certified, properly finished structure behind.
- Party Wall Act notices served where a beam bears into a shared wall
- Building control applications and inspections coordinated for you
- Aftercare and snagging support once the job is finished
- Restricted London access planned before the steel arrives
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts