GS Renovation installs steel beams across Paddington's Georgian and Regency townhouses, from the stucco terraces near Hyde Park to the listed homes throughout W2. With over 30 years of structural work in Westminster, we remove load-bearing walls, size and fit RSJs onto proper padstones, and keep every stage signed off by building control.
Removing load-bearing walls in Paddington
Paddington's period townhouses were built with solid masonry, and internal walls frequently carry floor and roof loads, so opening up a ground floor is rarely a simple demolition. A structural engineer sizes the steel beam or RSJ for the span, and we cast concrete or engineered padstones to spread the bearing into the solid walls. Temporary propping holds the structure while we take the old wall down in safe, controlled stages.
Because many W2 houses share a party wall with the neighbouring townhouse, and dividing walls and chimney stacks often sit within it, the Party Wall Act frequently applies. you serve the correct notices on adjoining owners in good time. Building control inspects the beam, its bearings and the propping before sign-off, and where the house is listed or in a Westminster conservation area we confirm what internal work needs consent.
Steel beams for Paddington's period homes
The tall ceilings and generous reception rooms typical of Paddington's Regency and Victorian stock give room for deep beams, but the age of the fabric means every bearing point must be checked. We expose the wall head and confirm what sits above, whether that is a chimney breast, a masonry upper wall or timber joists, then match the padstone and beam to the real load path rather than an assumption.
On a knock-through between the front and rear receptions, or when forming an opening to a rear return, we manage the whole sequence, from propping and steelwork to making good the plaster, cornicing and flooring so the finished room reads as original. Fire protection to the steel, correct bearing lengths and a clean structural opening all form part of the building control sign-off we arrange on your behalf.
- Building control applications and inspection sign-off
- Ceiling and floor levels resolved where the beam sits below joists
- Access and lifting plans for restricted London sites
- Temporary propping and staged, controlled demolition
- Making good, plastering and finishing around the new steel
The GS Renovation Difference in Paddington
Paddington homeowners choose GS Renovation because structural work in listed and period W2 houses demands care, not shortcuts. One team handles the engineer's calculations, the propping and the building control sign-off, then makes good the period detail. With over 30 years in Westminster, we protect both the fabric of your home and your relationship with the neighbours.
- Steel sized to the engineer's design, never guessed on site
- Materials priced at options, so you choose the finish
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- Making good and plastering priced in, not treated as an extra
- Temporary propping in place before anything is cut
- A dedicated project manager from first survey to handover