GS Renovation installs RSJs and steel beams across Newham, from the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Forest Gate to the newer apartments near the Royal Docks. With more than 30 years of structural experience in E6, E7, E12, E13, E15 and E16, we open up load-bearing walls safely and sign the work off with building control.
Removing load-bearing walls in Newham terraces
Most Newham homes are terraced houses with a solid load-bearing wall between the front and rear reception rooms, and another dividing the kitchen from the closet wing at the back. Taking either wall out to create one open space needs a steel beam, not guesswork. We start with a structural engineer who calculates the load and specifies the correct RSJ size, along with the padstones the beam will bear onto.
On site we install temporary props to carry the floors and roof above, then work through a careful staged demolition so nothing is disturbed before the steel is in. The beam is lifted into place, bedded onto its padstones and levelled, and only then do we strike the props. Every job in E7 or E12 is inspected and signed off by building control before we plaster and finish.
Party wall steelwork in Newham's shared terraces
Newham's Victorian and Edwardian terraces were built in continuous rows, so the wall between you and next door is almost always a shared party wall, and chimney breasts often sit within it. When a new beam bears into that party wall, the Party Wall Act applies and your neighbour must be served with the correct notice. We help you understand the process and give your engineer's drawings and method statement to support the notice.
This matters most where people want to remove a chimney breast or widen an opening that reaches into the boundary wall. The engineer sizes the beam to pick up the load left behind, gallows brackets or a fresh RSJ as the engineer directs, and coordinate the timing so relations with neighbours in E6 or E13 stay easy. Getting the party wall paperwork right first avoids disputes and stop notices later.
Opening the wall onto the hallway
Taking out the wall between the front reception and the hall is a popular move in Newham terraces, and it needs more thought than the wall between two reception rooms. The hall wall often carries the stair, and the trimmer joists around the stairwell may bear straight into it. The newel post at the bottom is frequently part of the structure holding the flight up, not simply a fixing for the handrail.
The engineer looks at how the stair is supported before anything is designed, and the beam is usually arranged so the flight can be picked up on it or on a new post. There is the escape route question too, since a stair opening directly into a living space changes what building control expects. It is entirely doable and we do it regularly across E12 and E15, but it is not a job to begin by knocking a hole to see what happens.
- RSJ and structural steel beam installation
- Temporary propping and staged, controlled demolition
- Lintel and catnic support to smaller openings
- Existing pipework and cabling diverted around the new opening
- Structural engineer's calculations arranged and followed
The GS Renovation Difference in Newham
Newham homeowners choose GS Renovation because we manage the whole steel beam job under one roof, from the engineer's calculations and padstones to propping, demolition and building control sign-off. Our 30+ years across the borough's terraces means we know how these walls carry load, where party wall notices apply, and how to work cleanly in an occupied E-postcode home.
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- Restricted London access planned before the steel arrives
- Building control inspected at the propping and beam stages
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Materials priced at options, so you choose the finish