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

RSJ installation · Ewell

RSJ installation in Ewell

Steelwork, approvals and making good for RSJ installation in Ewell and nearby.

  • Price fixed in writing once scope is agreed
  • Building control arranged
  • Temporary works and making good included

Free survey in Ewell

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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 Ewell

Ewell has a mix of housing, and RSJ installation needs a slightly different approach in each. We also work in nearby Woking, roughly 13.5 miles away. Whatever the age of the property, the steel goes in on proper bearings with temporary support in place throughout.

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Four stages, one team

  1. Survey in Ewell

    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 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. Install and sign-off

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

Guide prices for RSJ installation in Ewell

As a guide, budget £900–£2,800 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Ewell, 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)
Structural calculations for a beam£280–£840Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control
Steel beam replacement£2,250–£6,150Propping, removing the failed beam, new steel on proper bearings, approval and making good
Steel goalpost frame£2,250–£6,700Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting

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 Ewell

For Ewell, 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.

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 Ewell

RSJ installation in Ewell: your questions

Do you cover Ewell for RSJ installation?

Yes. We carry out RSJ installation in Ewell and the KT17, KT18, KT19 and SM7 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 work on older or listed homes in Ewell?

Yes. Older homes often have lime mortar, timber lintels or shallow footings, which the engineer allows for. Listed buildings need listed building consent for internal structural changes as well as building regulations approval, and that must be in place first.

Who decides what size RSJ I need?

A structural engineer. The size depends on the span, the loads from floors, walls and roof above, how stiff the beam needs to be and how its ends are supported. We arrange calculations from a qualified engineer, or fit to calculations you already have, rather than guessing a size.

What does RSJ stand for?

RSJ stands for rolled steel joist. It was the name for a hot-rolled I-shaped steel section with tapered flanges, and it is still used loosely for any steel beam in a house. Most steels fitted in homes today are universal beams, which do the same job with parallel flanges.

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.

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.