Structural Alterations Woolwich

GS Renovation carries out structural alterations throughout Woolwich, working on the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces with their rear closet wings and side returns, as well as the new riverside apartments in SE18. Over 30 years in the Royal Borough of Greenwich means we handle new openings, replacement joists, underpinning and supported openings correctly.

Structural alterations for Woolwich period homes

The Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Woolwich were rarely built for the way people live now, so structural alterations range from forming a wide opening into the rear closet wing to replacing tired or overspanned floor joists and creating supported openings between rooms. Each of these changes the loads in the building, so a structural engineer designs the work before anyone lifts a tool.

New openings in solid masonry are formed with a steel beam or lintel bearing onto padstones, propped temporarily and built in stages. Where old joists have sagged or been notched, we specify correctly sized replacements at the right centres. Where foundations are shallow, as they often are in older SE18 stock, underpinning may be designed to deepen and strengthen them safely.

Engineered and signed off across SE18

Every structural alteration in Woolwich is notifiable under the Building Regulations, so the Royal Borough of Greenwich building control department inspects the work and issues the completion certificate you will need when you sell. Planning permission is a separate matter that only bites on exterior changes in a conservation area or to a listed building, not on internal beams, joists or underpinning.

Because the flank and dividing walls of a Woolwich terrace are usually shared, forming openings, taking bearings or underpinning close to that boundary is notifiable under the Party Wall Act, and you serve the required notices on the neighbour. We coordinate the engineer, the party wall paperwork and the inspections so the alteration is properly designed, built and certified.

• Temporary works, propping and needling
• New door and window openings in solid masonry
• Party Wall Act 1996 notices, awards and schedules of condition
• Crack repair, helical bar stitching and masonry restraint
• Load-bearing wall removal and new structural openings

If this is your first project in Woolwich, these are worth a look: Open-plan conversion in Woolwich, Structural alterations across Greenwich, main contractor projects and rsj & load-bearing walls.

Why Choose GS Renovation in Woolwich

Homeowners across SE18 choose GS Renovation for structural alterations because we bring the whole chain together: an engineer designs the openings, joists or underpinning, we coordinate around the party wall award with neighbouring terraces, and Greenwich building control certifies the result. Add careful staged propping, tidy working and more than 30 years of local experience, and you have one accountable team.

• We build to the party wall award the surveyors agree, to the letter
• Building control inspected at foundation, steel and completion
• Photographs kept at each stage for your records
• One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
• The engineer's calculations obtained and worked to on site
• Fully insured, with cover in place on every site

Written and reviewed by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder of GS Renovation Ltd, who has spent more than 30 years on the tools and on site in London homes. Structural design is specified by the consulting engineer appointed to your project.