GS Renovation installs RSJs and steel beams across Lewisham, from the bay-fronted Victorian terraces of Forest Hill in SE23 to the Edwardian family homes near Blackheath in SE13. With 30+ years of structural experience, we remove load-bearing walls safely, opening up the tight, cellular layouts typical of these period terraces while keeping the house sound.
Removing load-bearing walls in Lewisham terraces
The classic Lewisham job takes out the wall between the front and rear reception rooms, or the wall into the rear closet wing, to make a single open living space. Because these Victorian and Edwardian terraces carry floor and roof loads through those internal walls, a structural engineer sizes the steel beam first. We then set the RSJ onto concrete padstones at each end so the load spreads safely into the remaining brickwork.
Safe sequencing matters on an occupied street in SE4 or SE6. We install temporary props, Acrows and strongboys, to hold the structure above, then carry out staged demolition rather than pulling the wall down in one go. Once the beam is in and bearing correctly, we remove the props, fireproof and box in the steel, and make good. Lewisham Council building control inspects the work and signs it off, giving you the completion certificate you need.
Party wall notices for Lewisham terraces
Terraces in Deptford, New Cross and Catford share a party wall with the house next door, and the chimney breasts and stacks are often built into that shared wall. When your steel beam bears near or into it, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 usually applies. That means serving formal notice on your neighbour before work starts, typically two months ahead, so the process is agreed and everyone is protected.
We are used to coordinating this across Lewisham's tightly packed streets. Where a chimney breast is removed on a lower floor, the stack above must be properly supported with a gallows bracket or beam, again to the engineer's design. We can recommend a party wall surveyor, prepare the technical drawings your neighbour's side will want to see, and time the notice period so it does not hold up the rest of your build.
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices and awards handled
- Bearing checks into party walls and shared masonry
- Beam boxing, fire protection and plasterboard encasement
- Making good, plastering and finishing around the new steel
- Flitch beams where a slimmer steel and timber solution suits
Why Lewisham Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Lewisham homeowners choose GS Renovation because we handle the whole structural job under one roof, from the engineer's calculations to the propping, the beam and building control sign-off. With 30+ years opening up SE13, SE23 and SE26 terraces, we work cleanly in occupied homes and stand behind every beam we install.
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- Our own trades on site rather than a chain of subcontractors
- Party Wall Act notices served where a beam bears into a shared wall
- Levels and deflection checked before the props come out
- Photographs kept at each stage for your records