How a steel beam job works

1. Enquiry

   Tell us what you want to open up, where, and roughly how wide. A few photos of the wall, the ceiling either side and the room above help us prepare.

2. Survey visit

   We check whether the wall is load-bearing, what it carries, the floor and foundations either side, services in the wall, and how steel can be delivered and lifted in. There is no charge for the visit.

3. Calculations

   A qualified structural engineer designs the beam, padstones and any posts or foundations, and sets out the temporary support. You can use your own engineer if you prefer.

4. Fixed written quote

   You receive an itemised quote covering calculations, approval fees, temporary works, steel, labour, fire protection and making good. The price is fixed in writing once the layout, specification and scope are agreed.

5. Approvals and notices

   We submit the building notice or full plans application (England), the building control application under the Welsh regulations (Wales), the building warrant (Scotland) or the council application (Northern Ireland), and arrange party wall notices through a surveyor where needed in England and Wales.

6. Installation

   Props and needles go in, the opening is formed in stages, padstones are bedded, and the steel is lifted in and packed tight before the props are removed.

7. Inspection

   Building control inspects the steel and bearings before anything is covered. Any comments are dealt with straight away.

8. Making good and sign-off

   We fire protect and box the steel, plaster, infill the floor and leave the room ready to decorate. The completion certificate follows the final inspection.

What we need from you

• Access to the rooms either side of the wall and the room above
• Rooms cleared of furniture where possible
• Any consents only you can give or obtain, such as freeholder or landlord consent for flats, or listed building consent
• A decision on the finish: beam boxed below the ceiling, set flush, or left exposed

Who is responsible for what

For domestic work, your client duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and the building regulations dutyholder rules pass to us as the contractor, or to the principal contractor if there is more than one. In Wales, from 1 July 2026, a domestic client can choose to take on some of those duties by signed statement; most leave them with the contractor.