Steel BeamInstallers
Two installers seen from behind lifting a steel beam onto a padstone

RSJ installation · Andover

RSJ installation in Andover

RSJ installation for homes in SP10, SP11, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Survey, design and installation in one
  • Covering SP10, SP11
  • Inspected before it is covered

Free survey in Andover

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  • Free survey visit
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled
  • Fixed written price once scope is agreed
  • England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI

About our RSJ installation service in Andover

We carry out RSJ installation in Andover, covering the SP10 and SP11 postcode districts. We also cover the surrounding towns and villages in Hampshire. The job starts with a free survey visit so the engineer's calculations are based on your actual walls, floors and loads.

People still call almost any steel beam in a house an RSJ, even though the sections fitted today are usually universal beams with parallel flanges. Whatever the name, the job is the same: a length of structural steel, made to an engineer's specification, carrying floors, walls or roof over a space where support used to be.

Key points for your project

  • Sometimes two beams are bolted side by side with spacers, either to carry a thick wall or to fit through a tight space. Bolt spacing and spacer type come from the engineer's design rather than being decided on site.
  • Where a long beam cannot be carried into a property in one piece, the engineer can design a bolted splice so it arrives in two or more lengths. The splice position and bolts are part of the calculations and must be installed exactly as drawn.
  • Floor joists can rest on the bottom flange, hang from timber packers bolted into the web, or be notched to sit over the steel. The engineer specifies the connection, and it affects how flush the finished ceiling can be.
  • If you already hold calculations from an architect or engineer, we install to those. Where something on site differs from the drawing, such as a weaker wall or a different joist direction, the engineer is asked to confirm before work carries on.
  • Steel for internal use is normally delivered with a primer coat to protect it during installation. Beams in damp positions, within external walls or exposed outside need a more robust coating or galvanising, as the engineer specifies.

How the job runs in Andover

  1. Look and measure

    We check the wall, the span you want and what the wall is carrying, and photograph anything the engineer needs to see.

  2. Design and price

    Calculations come back from the engineer and we confirm your fixed written price, line by line.

  3. Building control

    We submit a building notice or full plans application to the local council's building control team, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.

  4. Fit, inspect, finish

    The work is propped and the steel installed and packed tight. After inspection the opening is boxed, plastered and left clean.

Guide prices for RSJ installation in Andover

As a guide, budget £900–£2,800 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Andover, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South East (+12%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
RSJ supply and fit (single beam)£900–£2,800 per beamBeam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately)
Fire protection to a steel beam£170–£670 per beamFire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified
Temporary works and propping£170–£560Props, spreaders, needles and sole plates for a typical opening, installed and struck
Structural calculations for a beam£280–£840Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the South East (+12%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Building control and neighbours in Andover

Structural openings in English homes need building regulations approval before work starts. The local council's building control team can deal with it, or you can use a registered building control approver. Either way the steel is inspected before it is covered, and a completion certificate is issued at the end. Keep it safe for when you sell.

If the beam bears into a wall you share with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange this through a party wall surveyor.

Building rules in England

RSJ installation near Andover

RSJ installation in Andover: your questions

What happens at the survey visit in Andover?

We look at the wall, the floor and ceiling either side and what sits above, measure the opening you want, and note cables, pipes and access for the steel. It usually takes under an hour and there is no charge.

Can I stay at home while the work is done in Andover?

Usually, yes. The work area is screened and floors are protected. The rooms either side of the opening are out of action for a few days, and there is some noise and dust while the masonry comes out.

Can an RSJ be delivered in sections?

Yes, where access is tight. The engineer can design bolted splice joints so a long beam arrives in two or more pieces and is joined in place. The splice has to be part of the calculations from the start, because it changes how the beam carries load at that point.

How heavy is an RSJ and how is it lifted?

Weight varies widely with the section and length, from beams a small team can carry to steels needing mechanical lifting. The lift is planned at the survey, using enough people, trolleys and suitable lifting equipment so the beam goes up safely and level onto both bearings.

Does an RSJ need to be painted or boxed in?

Usually it needs fire protection, most often by boxing in with fire-rated plasterboard and skimming. If you want the steel on show, an intumescent paint system can be applied to the specified thickness and then top-coated in your chosen colour. The fabrication primer is not fire protection on its own.

Who approves RSJ installation in Andover?

Structural work in Andover needs a building notice or full plans application to the local council's building control team or a registered building control approver. We prepare and submit it with the structural engineer's calculations and arrange the inspections, so the completion paperwork follows the job.

Planning to take a wall out?

Book a free survey visit. You get an itemised written quote covering calculations, building control, steel and making good.