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

Steel goalpost frames · Penarth

Steel goalpost frames in Penarth

Steel goalpost frames for homes in CF64, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Survey, design and installation in one
  • Covering CF64
  • Inspected before it is covered

Free survey in Penarth

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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

Steel goalpost frames in Penarth: how it works

For homes in Penarth and the CF64 district, we handle steel goalpost frames from survey to sign-off. The wider the Vale of Glamorgan area is covered as well. The beam is sized by a structural engineer and inspected before it is boxed in.

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.
  • 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 are commonly universal columns or square hollow sections, welded to steel base plates at the foot and cap plates at the head. Holding-down bolts fix the base plates to the pad, and grout fills the gap beneath once the frame is level.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Four stages, one team

  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 the application or notice to Vale of Glamorgan Council under the Building Regulations as they apply in Wales, before work starts.

  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.

What do steel goalpost frames cost in Penarth?

As a guide, budget £1,800–£5,450 including VAT for steel goalpost frame in Penarth, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in Wales (-9%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Steel goalpost frame£1,800–£5,450Two posts and a beam bolted as a frame, pad foundations, base plates and fitting
Steel column or post£460–£1,360 per columnColumn supplied and fitted with base and cap plates on a pad foundation
RSJ supply and fit (single beam)£730–£2,280 per beamBeam supplied, delivered, lifted and packed on padstones, with propping (calculations and approval priced separately)
Structural calculations for a beam£230–£680Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in Wales (-9%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Building control and neighbours in Penarth

Removing a load-bearing wall in Wales needs approval under the Welsh building regulations before work starts. For Penarth the application goes to Vale of Glamorgan Council or a registered building control approver, with the engineer's calculations, and a completion certificate follows the final inspection.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in Wales as well as England, so a beam bearing into a shared wall needs a party structure notice at least two months before work starts. We arrange notices through a party wall surveyor.

Building rules in Wales

Steel goalpost frames near Penarth

Local questions answered

Do you cover Penarth for steel goalpost frames?

Yes. We carry out steel goalpost frames in Penarth and the CF64 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 Penarth?

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.

How long does it take to install a steel goalpost?

Allow around one to two weeks on site for a typical job. Breaking out and digging the pads, the foundation inspection, pouring concrete and letting it gain strength take up much of that time. Erecting and bolting the frame itself is often done in a day, followed by inspection and boxing in.

How much do steel goalpost frames cost in Penarth?

As a guide, budget £1,800–£5,450 including VAT for steel goalpost frame in Penarth, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in Wales (-9%). 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.

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.