GS Renovation carries out structural alterations throughout Kennington, from forming new openings to replacing tired joists and underpinning settled floors. Working in SE11's Georgian and Regency stock for over 30 years, we handle the interventions these older Lambeth homes often need, all engineer-designed and signed off by building control.
Common structural work in Kennington homes
Two centuries of use leave their mark on Kennington's period houses. We are regularly called to SE11 addresses to form supported openings between rooms, replace floor joists weakened by old notching or damp, insert steel to carry a widened doorway, or underpin foundations that have settled on London clay. Each intervention is different, so we begin with a structural engineer assessing what the existing structure is doing and what any change will demand of it.
Supported openings and replacement joists rely on correctly sized steel bearing onto padstones, temporary propping while the load is transferred, and staged demolition so nothing is left hanging. Underpinning proceeds in controlled bays so the house is never undermined all at once. In tall Georgian townhouses near the South Bank and Vauxhall, this measured approach keeps the fabric stable while we make the alteration you actually need.
Consents and clay-soil realities in SE11
Kennington sits on London clay, which shrinks and swells with the seasons and is a common cause of the cracking and movement we are asked to investigate. Underpinning and new foundations here are always designed by an engineer to suit the ground, and Lambeth Council's building control inspects the works as they go. Internal structural alterations need Building Regulations approval rather than planning permission, which keeps the process focused on safety and certification.
Where an alteration touches the shared party wall between your house and the neighbour's, the Party Wall Act applies and you serve notice before starting. Because so many SE11 homes are listed or fall within a conservation area, we keep alterations internal wherever possible; anything affecting the exterior would need separate consent, and we will tell you plainly when that line is reached rather than pressing ahead.
- Party Wall Act 1996 notices, awards and schedules of condition
- Building control applications and completion certification
- Steel beam and RSJ installation
- Load paths carried down to foundations on new piers and pads
- Reinstatement, plastering and finishing after structural works
Trusted Structural Alterations in Kennington
Kennington owners rely on GS Renovation because structural alterations in period homes reward experience. One team manages the engineer's design, Lambeth building control and the works themselves, from supported openings to underpinning on clay. We work tidily around your household and stand behind every SE11 job with 30+ years locally.
- Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
- Temporary works and needling planned before demolition starts
- We build to the party wall award the surveyors agree, to the letter
- Work sequenced around the surveyors' schedule of condition before excavation
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs