GS Renovation carries out structural alterations throughout Kensington, from Regency townhouses near the King's Road to listed properties within the borough's conservation areas. Over more than 30 years in W8 we have formed new openings, replaced tired joists, underpinned settled foundations and installed supported openings, all engineer-designed and signed off under the Building Regulations.
Structural alterations for Kensington's period homes
Kensington's Georgian and Regency housing was raised generations ago, so the alterations we are asked for reflect their age: new openings punched through solid brick cross walls, sagging or beetle-damaged joists replaced, and supported openings formed between reception rooms. Each begins with a structural engineer specifying the steel beam and padstones, because the masonry above needs a designed load path before any opening is cut into a wall that has stood for two centuries.
Older townhouses off Holland Park and near South Kensington sometimes show movement in their foundations, and underpinning is the answer where a wall has settled. We work in bays, excavating and pouring in a sequence the engineer sets so the structure is never undermined. Temporary propping supports the building throughout, and every beam is set on padstones sized to carry the load safely into sound brickwork below.
Consents and sign-off across the Royal Borough
New openings, replacement joists, underpinning and supported openings are all notifiable under the Building Regulations, so the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's building control inspects the work at key stages and certifies it on completion. This is separate from planning: unless you alter a listed exterior or a conservation-area frontage, internal structural alterations in W8 do not need planning permission, and we keep the two processes from being confused.
Where an alteration affects a wall shared with the neighbouring property, the Party Wall Act applies and we serve notice before starting. Many Kensington homes are also listed or sit within conservation areas, so we check that status early and, where interior fabric is protected, factor listed-building consent into the plan. We hold the engineer's calculations on site for the inspector at every visit.
- 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
Trusted Structural Alterations in Kensington
Kensington homeowners rely on GS Renovation because structural alterations in W8 need doing once and doing right. One team manages the engineer's design, party wall notices, any listed or conservation checks, and the Royal Borough's building control sign-off. We prop, work in sequence and keep occupied period homes clean throughout, all backed by more than 30 years across the borough.
- 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