GS Renovation installs steel beams and RSJs across Old Street and the wider EC1 postcode, where warehouse conversions and new-build apartments dominate the streets around Clerkenwell and the Angel. With over 30 years opening up load-bearing structures in North London, we size, prop and fit steelwork safely, coordinating the leasehold approvals these Islington buildings demand.
Steel beams in Old Street conversions
Removing a load-bearing wall in an Old Street warehouse conversion is rarely a simple knock-through. The exposed brick spine walls and cast-iron columns that give these EC1 spaces their character often carry real load, so every beam is sized by a structural engineer before a single brick moves. We prop the structure temporarily, demolish in safe stages, and lower the RSJ onto padstones that spread the weight into sound masonry.
Because most of these buildings are leasehold, the steelwork cannot begin until the freeholder's licence to alter is in place and the managing agent has approved the method. We prepare drawings and calculations for that application, book building control inspections, and time the noisiest cutting to suit block rules. The result is a clean opening signed off under building regulations, with minimal disruption to neighbouring flats.
Load-bearing walls in EC1 apartments
New-build apartments around Old Street and the Angel are usually framed in concrete or steel, so what looks like a structural wall may be a non-loadbearing partition, or the reverse. We never assume. Our engineer inspects the slab, checks the original build drawings where the managing agent can supply them, and confirms exactly what each wall carries before proposing a beam, a goalpost frame or a simple partition removal.
Party wall matters still arise where a conversion shares a structural wall with the flat next door. We serve the correct notices under the Party Wall Act, agree a schedule of condition, and keep records that protect you if a dispute ever surfaces. Throughout, we work to the sound insulation standards these Islington blocks expect, isolating the new steel so footfall and impact noise do not carry between homes.
- Load-bearing wall removal and knock-throughs
- Structural openings for open-plan living
- Structural engineer calculations and beam sizing
- Building control applications and sign-off
- Temporary propping and safe demolition
Why Old Street Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Old Street steelwork lives or dies on the paperwork as much as the propping. GS Renovation handles both: engineer's calculations, the freeholder's licence to alter, managing-agent sign-off and building control, all under one roof. Thirty years across EC1 and Islington means we know these conversions, prop them safely and leave you a certified opening, not a snagging list.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Over 30 years of hands-on experience
- Dedicated project management
- Fully insured and guaranteed work
- Building control and planning support
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople