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

RSJ installation · Hawick

RSJ installation in Hawick

RSJ installation for homes in TD9, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Free survey visit in Hawick
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building warrant handled for you

Free survey in Hawick

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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

Planning RSJ installation in Hawick

RSJ installation in Hawick is planned around the house, not a standard kit. Our coverage runs across the Scottish Borders, so nearby villages are included too. We visit, measure and check what the wall carries, then arrange calculations and building warrant before any steel is ordered.

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.

What to expect

  • 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.
  • Structural steel comes in recognised grades, and the engineer's drawing states which grade the calculations assume. The steel supplied matches that specification, and the delivery paperwork is kept so building standards can see what has been fitted.
  • 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.
  • Packing is what makes the beam work. Steel shims and dry-pack mortar fill the gap between the top flange and the structure above, so the load transfers onto the steel without the floor or wall settling down onto it.
  • RSJ originally meant a rolled steel joist with tapered flanges. Most beams supplied for homes today are universal beams with parallel flanges, but the term RSJ has stuck, and builders, engineers and building standards all understand what it means.

From survey to sign-off in Hawick

  1. Survey in Hawick

    We visit, look at the wall and what sits above it, measure the opening and note services, access and how the steel can be brought in.

  2. Engineer's design

    A structural engineer sizes the beam, padstones and any posts, and sets out the temporary support needed while the wall is out.

  3. Building warrant

    A building warrant is applied for from Scottish Borders Council, and work starts only once the warrant has been granted.

  4. Install and sign-off

    Props go in, the opening is formed, the steel is set and packed, building standards inspects it, and we make good.

What does RSJ installation cost in Hawick?

As a guide, budget £730–£2,280 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Hawick, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in Scotland (-9%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
RSJ supply and fit (single beam)£730–£2,280 per beamBeam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately)
Load-bearing wall removal with steel beam£1,800–£4,550Typical internal wall up to about 4 m: calculations, building standards, propping, steel, padstones, fitting, fire protection and making good
Fire protection to a steel beam£140–£550 per beamFire-rated board boxing or an intumescent coating system as specified
Steel beam replacement£1,800–£5,000Propping, removing the failed beam, new steel on proper bearings, approval and making good

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in Scotland (-9%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Approvals in Hawick

Scottish rules are stricter on timing than in England: the building warrant must be in place before the wall is touched. We prepare the application with the engineer's calculations and submit it to Scottish Borders Council. The finished work is then certified and a completion certificate submitted for acceptance.

Scotland has no Party Wall Act. Work affecting a shared wall is governed by your title deeds and the general law, and in flats by the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004, so it is sensible to agree the work with neighbours in writing before starting.

Building rules in Scotland

RSJ installation near Hawick

RSJ installation in Hawick: your questions

What happens at the survey visit in Hawick?

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.

Do you cover Hawick for RSJ installation?

Yes. We carry out RSJ installation in Hawick and the TD9 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 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.

What is included in an RSJ supply and fit price?

Our itemised written quote sets out the calculations, building standards, steel and fabrication, delivery, lifting, padstones, propping, labour, fire protection and making good as separate lines. Once the specification and scope are agreed, the price is fixed in writing, so you know the full cost before work starts.

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.

Do you also work near Hawick?

Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Selkirk, Galashiels, Kelso and Peebles.

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.