Steel goalpost frames · Clevedon
Steel goalpost frames in Clevedon
Steel goalpost frames for homes in BS21, designed by a structural engineer.
- Survey, design and installation in one
- Covering BS21
- Inspected before it is covered
- 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 Clevedon
Steel goalpost frames in Clevedon are planned around the house, not a standard kit. We also cover the surrounding towns and villages in Somerset. We visit, measure and check what the wall carries, then arrange calculations and building control approval before any steel is ordered.
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.
What to expect
- While the old wall or piers come out, the floor, walls and roof above are held on props and needles. These stay in until the frame is fully bolted, levelled and packed, so the structure is never left without support.
- Each column usually needs its own concrete pad foundation, because a column delivers a heavy point load that an ordinary floor slab or old strip footing may not take. The engineer sets the pad size and depth from the load and the ground conditions found.
- 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.
- 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.
From survey to sign-off in Clevedon
Free visit
A short visit to Clevedon 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 North Somerset 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.
Guide prices for steel goalpost frames in Clevedon
As a guide, budget £2,050–£6,200 including VAT for steel goalpost frame in Clevedon, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South West (+3%).
| Job | Typical guide range | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Steel goalpost frame | £2,050–£6,200 | Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting |
| Steel column or post | £520–£1,540 per column | Column supplied and fitted with base and cap plates on a pad foundation |
| Structural calculations for a beam | £260–£770 | Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control |
| Rear wall opening for bi-fold or sliding doors | £2,600–£7,200 | External 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 South West (+3%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.
Building control and neighbours in Clevedon
Structural openings in English homes need building regulations approval before work starts. North Somerset Council can deal with it, or you can use a registered building control approver. Either way the steel is inspected before it is covered, and a completion certificate is issued at the end. Keep it safe for when you sell.
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.
Steel goalpost frames near Clevedon
- Nailsea 4.3 mi
- Portishead 4.7 mi
- Weston-super-Mare 8.4 mi
- Kingswood 15.1 mi
- Burnham-on-Sea 15.3 mi
- Mangotsfield 15.6 mi
Steel goalpost frames in Clevedon: your questions
Can I stay at home while the work is done in Clevedon?
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.
Can you work on older or listed homes in Clevedon?
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.
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.
Are goalpost frames welded or bolted?
Most domestic goalposts are bolted, with plates welded to the beam and columns in the fabrication shop and bolted together on site. That lets each piece be carried into the house separately. The engineer specifies the connection details, including whether the joints need to resist sway, and the fabricator makes the frame to suit.
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.
Who approves steel goalpost frames in Clevedon?
Structural work in Clevedon needs a building notice or full plans application to North Somerset Council or a registered building control approver. We prepare and submit it with the structural engineer's calculations and arrange the inspections, so the completion paperwork follows the job.