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

RSJ installation · Peckham

RSJ installation in Peckham

RSJ installation for homes in SE4, SE5, SE14, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Free survey visit in Peckham
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled for you

Free survey in Peckham

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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 Peckham

Our RSJ installation service in Peckham covers everything from the first visit to the completion paperwork. Our coverage runs across London, so nearby villages are included too. Postcode districts we cover here include SE4, SE5, SE14, SE15 and SE16.

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.

Things to plan for

  • 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.
  • Padstones spread the concentrated load from each beam end into the masonry below. They may be concrete, engineering brick or a steel plate, depending on the engineer's design and the strength of the wall beneath.
  • Delivery can make or break an RSJ job. A long beam has to turn through a front door, along a hallway and past the stairs, so routes are measured at the survey and alternatives such as a window opening are planned early.
  • Heavy steels are raised with suitable lifting equipment rather than by hand alone. Manual handling is planned so nobody carries more than is safe, and the lift is coordinated so the beam goes up level onto both bearings together.
  • 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.

Four stages, one team

  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.

What does RSJ installation cost in Peckham?

As a guide, budget £1,000–£3,200 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Peckham, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for London prices (+28%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
RSJ supply and fit (single beam)£1,000–£3,200 per beamBeam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately)
Steel goalpost frame£2,550–£7,700Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting
Temporary works and propping£190–£640Props, spreaders, needles and sole plates for a typical opening, installed and struck
Fire protection to a steel beam£190–£770 per beamFire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for London prices (+28%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Building rules for Peckham

For Peckham, building control is provided by the local council's building control team, or by a registered building control approver if preferred. We send them the engineer's calculations with a building notice or full plans application and book the inspections. Work done without approval can cause problems at sale and is far dearer to put right later.

Terraced and semi-detached homes often need party wall notices, because cutting into a shared wall to take a beam end is notifiable under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Allow at least two months for the notice period unless your neighbour agrees sooner.

Building rules in England

RSJ installation near Peckham

RSJ installation in Peckham: your questions

Do you also work near Peckham?

Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Brixton, Greenwich, Catford and Pimlico.

Do you cover Peckham for RSJ installation?

Yes. We carry out RSJ installation in Peckham and the SE4, SE5, SE14, SE15 and SE16 postcode districts. Book a free survey visit and we will check the wall, arrange the engineer's calculations and send an itemised written quote.

Can you fit an RSJ to my own engineer's calculations?

Yes. We install to calculations and drawings from your engineer or architect, as long as they cover the beam, bearings and any columns or connections. If site conditions differ from what the design assumed, we check with the engineer before carrying on.

Do I need building regulations approval to fit an RSJ?

Yes, when the RSJ carries structural load such as a wall, floor or roof. In England and Wales building control is notified or approved beforehand, Northern Ireland needs a council application before work starts, and Scotland requires a building warrant first. A completion certificate confirms sign-off at the end.

Is an RSJ the same as a steel beam?

In everyday use, yes. Builders and homeowners call most steel beams RSJs, whether they are universal beams, channels or columns. Technically an RSJ is one particular older section shape, but the engineer's drawing names the exact section type, so there is no confusion on site.

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.