Steel goalpost frames · Hereford
Steel goalpost frames in Hereford
Steelwork, approvals and making good for steel goalpost frames in Hereford and nearby.
- Price fixed in writing once scope is agreed
- Building control arranged
- Temporary works and making good included
- Free survey visit
- Engineer's calculations arranged
- Building control handled
- Fixed written price once scope is agreed
- England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI
About our steel goalpost frames service in Hereford
We cover steel goalpost frames in Hereford (HR1, HR4) and the streets around it. The wider Herefordshire area is covered as well. Each job is designed by a structural engineer and approved through Herefordshire Council before work begins.
When a rear wall is opened almost corner to corner, or the brickwork either side is too thin, cracked or broken up by openings to take a concentrated load, a beam on padstones is not enough. A goalpost frame brings its own supports: two columns carry the beam's ends straight down to new foundations, so the walls around the opening are not relied on.
Key points for your project
- Digging the column pads means breaking through the floor, which is noisier and messier than fitting a beam alone. Floor coverings near the column positions need lifting, and the spoil from the excavations is bagged and removed from site.
- Columns can be boxed in with fire-rated plasterboard to look like small piers, built into new stud walls, or left exposed and painted. Where an extension wall continues past the opening, a column can often sit within it out of sight.
- Column pads can clash with drains, gas pipes and underfloor heating runs below the floor. These are located before digging, and if a drain runs where a pad needs to go, the engineer may move the column or redesign the pad.
- A goalpost frame usually takes longer than a single beam because the pads need digging, inspecting, pouring and time to gain strength before the columns take load. The engineer sets when the frame can be loaded.
- A goalpost frame differs from a simple beam because the beam does not rely on the walls at its ends. The two columns and the beam are connected so the whole frame carries the load down into foundations of its own.
What happens, step by step
Free visit
A short visit to Hereford to see the job, agree what you want and check the bearings, floors and services that affect the design.
Calculations
The engineer's calculations and a simple drawing are prepared for your opening and shared with you before anything is ordered.
Building control
We submit a building notice or full plans application to Herefordshire Council, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.
Steel in, made good
On site we prop, open up, fit and pack the steel, then fire protect, box in and plaster once the inspection is done.
What do steel goalpost frames cost in Hereford?
As a guide, budget £2,000–£6,000 including VAT for steel goalpost frame in Hereford, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the West Midlands (no adjustment).
| Job | Typical guide range | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Steel goalpost frame | £2,000–£6,000 | Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting |
| Steel column or post | £500–£1,500 per column | Column supplied and fitted with base and cap plates on a pad foundation |
| Rear wall opening for bi-fold or sliding doors | £2,500–£7,000 | External wall opened up to about 5 m with steel, propping, cavity tray and making good (doors supplied separately) |
| RSJ supply and fit (single beam) | £800–£2,500 per beam | Beam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately) |
Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the West Midlands (no adjustment) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.
Approvals in Hereford
For Hereford, building control is provided by Herefordshire Council, 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.
Steel goalpost frames near Hereford
- Great Malvern 17.0 mi
- Worcester 22.9 mi
- Tewkesbury 24.0 mi
- Gloucester 24.0 mi
Steel goalpost frames in Hereford: your questions
Do you cover Hereford for steel goalpost frames?
Yes. We carry out steel goalpost frames in Hereford and the HR1 and HR4 postcode districts. Book a free survey visit and we will check the wall, arrange the engineer's calculations and send an itemised written quote.
Do you also work near Hereford?
Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Great Malvern, Worcester, Tewkesbury and Gloucester.
Can a goalpost column go next to my neighbour's wall?
It can, but in England and Wales it may bring in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Digging a pad near a neighbour's building to below the level of its foundations, or fixing into a shared wall, can be notifiable. We arrange notices through a party wall surveyor where needed. There is no equivalent Act in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Can a goalpost frame be hidden?
Usually, yes. The columns can be boxed in with fire-rated plasterboard so they read as small piers, set inside new walls, or hidden within the line of an extension's side walls. The beam is boxed like any other steel. Some owners prefer to leave the frame exposed and painted as a design feature.
What is a goalpost frame in an extension?
A goalpost frame is a steel beam sitting on two steel columns, bolted together so it stands as one unit. In an extension it is usually placed where the old rear wall was, holding up the house above while leaving a wide, clear opening. The columns rest on concrete pads, so the frame does not depend on the surrounding brickwork.
What happens at the survey visit in Hereford?
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.