GS Renovation carries out structural alterations throughout Hendon, working on the 1930s semi-detached and interwar suburban houses that define NW4 and the streets running towards Finchley and Golders Green. Across more than 30 years we have formed new openings, replaced tired joists, underpinned settling foundations and installed supported openings that keep these solid period homes sound.
Structural work on Hendon's suburban houses
The interwar houses on Hendon's generous plots lend themselves to widened openings between kitchen and dining room, new door openings into side-return extensions, and replacement joists where original timbers have sagged or been weakened over ninety years. Every alteration begins with a structural engineer's assessment, because the internal walls in these 1930s homes frequently carry real load rather than being simple partitions.
For a new opening we design and size a steel beam or lintel bearing onto padstones, prop the structure temporarily and cut through in safe stages so the load is never left unsupported. Where old floor joists have failed we splice or replace them to the correct span and grade. Underpinning follows the same discipline, excavating in short sequenced bays to strengthen foundations without undermining the wall above.
Regulations and party walls in NW4
Structural alterations inside a Hendon house are controlled under the Building Regulations rather than requiring planning permission, so Barnet Council's building control is the body that inspects and certifies the work. Planning consent only comes into play for exterior changes in a conservation area or on a listed building, which is a separate matter from the internal steelwork and beams we install day to day.
Many of these interwar semis share a party wall with the house next door, so forming an opening near that wall, underpinning alongside it or bearing a new beam into it makes the work notifiable under the Party Wall Act. We serve the correct notices on your neighbour, coordinate the engineer's drawings and calculations, and line up building control inspections so the alteration is signed off cleanly from start to finish.
- Temporary works, propping and needling
- Building control applications and certification
- Steel beam and RSJ installation
- Load-bearing wall removal and new openings
- Underpinning and foundation strengthening
Why Hendon Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Homeowners across Hendon trust GS Renovation for structural alterations because one team owns the entire job. We commission the engineer, serve any party wall notices on the adjoining semi, manage Barnet Council building control and carry out the propping, beams and underpinning ourselves, tidily and safely. More than 30 years of NW4 experience means the certified result is right first time.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Over 30 years of experience
- Dedicated project management
- Fully insured and guaranteed work
- Building control and planning support
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople