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

RSJ installation · Godalming

RSJ installation in Godalming

RSJ installation for homes in GU7, GU8, designed by a structural engineer.

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

Free survey in Godalming

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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

What RSJ installation involves in Godalming

If you live in Godalming, RSJ installation can usually be planned and priced after a single survey visit. Godalming is around 9.5 miles from Woking, and we cover both. We cover GU7 and GU8, and we fix the price in writing once the layout and scope are agreed.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 control can see what has been fitted.

What happens, step by step

  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 Godalming

As a guide, budget £900–£2,800 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Godalming, 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)
Steel goalpost frame£2,250–£6,700Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting
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 Godalming

For Godalming, 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 Godalming

Local questions answered

How much does RSJ installation cost in Godalming?

As a guide, budget £900–£2,800 per beam including VAT for rSJ supply and fit (single beam) in Godalming, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South East (+12%). The exact figure depends on the span, what the wall carries, access and the finish, and is fixed in writing once the scope is agreed.

Do you cover Godalming for RSJ installation?

Yes. We carry out RSJ installation in Godalming and the GU7 and GU8 postcode districts. Book a free survey visit and we will check the wall, arrange the engineer's calculations and send an itemised written quote.

How is an RSJ installed?

The structure above is propped, the wall or opening is prepared, and padstones are bedded at each end. The beam is lifted onto them, bolted where needed and packed with shims and dry-pack. Props come out once it is carrying, building control inspects it, and the steel is then fire protected and finished.

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.

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.

How soon can RSJ installation start in Godalming?

Start dates depend on the engineer's calculations, the building control approval and, where needed, party wall notice periods. We give you a realistic timetable after the survey and keep you updated as each approval comes through.

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.