Steel BeamInstallers
Grey steel goalpost frame installed where a rear wall has been removed

Steel goalpost frames · Nottingham

Steel goalpost frames in Nottingham

Steel goalpost frames for homes in NG1, NG3, NG5, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Survey, design and installation in one
  • Covering NG1, NG3, NG5
  • Inspected before it is covered

Free survey in Nottingham

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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 steel goalpost frames service in Nottingham

Planning steel goalpost frames in Nottingham? Our team covers NG1, NG3, NG5, NG7 and NG8 and the streets around them. We also cover the surrounding towns and villages in Nottinghamshire. You get one written quote for the calculations, approvals, propping, steel and making good.

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

  • 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.
  • In older homes with suspended timber ground floors, the column has to pass through the void to reach the pad. Air bricks, joists and the damp-proof course around each column are considered so ventilation and damp protection are not compromised.
  • 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.
  • Keep the engineer's calculations, the frame drawings and the building control completion certificate together. They show a future buyer's surveyor how the opening is supported and save questions about the columns when the house is sold.

What happens, step by step

  1. Survey in Nottingham

    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 Nottingham City Council, 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 steel goalpost frames in Nottingham

As a guide, budget £1,950–£5,900 including VAT for steel goalpost frame in Nottingham, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the East Midlands (-2%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Steel goalpost frame£1,950–£5,900Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting
RSJ supply and fit (single beam)£780–£2,450 per beamBeam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately)
Structural calculations for a beam£240–£740Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control
Rear wall opening for bi-fold or sliding doors£2,450–£6,850External wall opened up to about 5 m with steel, propping, cavity tray and making good (doors supplied separately)

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the East Midlands (-2%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Building control and neighbours in Nottingham

For Nottingham, building control is provided by Nottingham City 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.

Building rules in England

Steel goalpost frames near Nottingham

Questions about steel goalpost frames in Nottingham

Do you cover Nottingham for steel goalpost frames?

Yes. We carry out steel goalpost frames in Nottingham and the NG1, NG3, NG5, NG7 and NG8 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 I stay at home while the work is done in Nottingham?

Usually, yes. The work area is screened and floors are protected. The rooms either side of the opening are out of action for a few days, and there is some noise and dust while the masonry comes out.

What is the difference between a goalpost and a portal frame?

A domestic goalpost is a simple version of a portal frame. Both use columns and a beam joined together, but a full portal frame has rigid joints designed to resist sideways loads on its own, as used in steel-framed industrial buildings. In a house, the engineer decides how rigid the goalpost joints need to be for that opening.

Is a goalpost frame more expensive than a beam?

Generally yes, because there is more steel, more fabrication and new foundations to dig and pour. Against that, a goalpost can avoid rebuilding weak piers or strengthening walls so they can take a beam. Our itemised written quote shows the frame, pads, propping and making good separately so you can see where the cost sits.

Do I need building regulations approval for a goalpost frame?

Yes. Installing a goalpost frame is structural building work. In England it needs building regulations approval through a full plans application or building notice, in Wales an application under the Welsh regulations, in Scotland a building warrant must be granted first, and in Northern Ireland the council's building control is applied to before work begins. We arrange the application and inspections.

How soon can steel goalpost frames start in Nottingham?

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.