Steel BeamInstallers
Adjustable steel props and needles supporting a brick wall before an opening is formed

Temporary works & propping · Deal

Temporary works & propping in Deal

Temporary works & propping in Deal, from free survey to completion certificate.

  • Survey, design and installation in one
  • Covering CT14
  • Inspected before it is covered

Free survey in Deal

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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 temporary works & propping involve in Deal

We cover temporary works & propping in Deal (CT14) and the streets around it. Deal is around 9.9 miles from St Peters, and we cover both. Each job is designed by a structural engineer and approved through local building control before work begins.

The moment a load-bearing wall is cut, whatever it was holding needs another route to the ground. Temporary works provide that route. Done well, nothing above moves, ceilings stay intact and the floor below is not overloaded. Done badly, it is where structural work goes wrong.

Worth knowing before you start

  • The order of work matters. Props go in and are tightened before any masonry is cut, the opening is formed in stages, and the props stay until the permanent steel is packed tight and the bedding mortar has gained enough strength.
  • Propping normally goes in on the first morning and stays until the beam is carrying. For a typical opening that is a few days, and longer where padstone mortar needs time to cure before the load is transferred onto it.
  • When an external wall is propped, the opening is sheeted against rain and the house is kept secure overnight. Where props stand outside, ground conditions, drains and access paths are taken into account before they are set up.
  • Every prop delivers a concentrated load that has to go somewhere. Before any are set up, the floor beneath is checked, because a suspended timber floor or a thin slab may not take that load without extra support carried down to the ground.
  • On larger jobs, a temporary works register or permit records when the props were installed, inspected, loaded and removed. It creates a clear trail showing each stage was checked before the next one began.

From survey to sign-off in Deal

  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.

What do temporary works & propping cost in Deal?

As a guide, budget £170–£560 including VAT for temporary works and propping in Deal, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South East (+12%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Temporary works and propping£170–£560Props, spreaders, needles and sole plates for a typical opening, installed and struck
Chimney breast removal (ground floor)£1,700–£3,350Ground-floor breast removed, steel to support the breast above, building control and making good
Load-bearing wall removal with steel beam£2,250–£5,600Typical internal wall up to about 4 m: calculations, building control, propping, steel, padstones, fitting, fire protection and making good
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)

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the South East (+12%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Approvals in Deal

Structural openings in English homes need building regulations approval before work starts. The local council's building control team 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.

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

Temporary works & propping near Deal

Questions about temporary works & propping in Deal

Can you work on older or listed homes in Deal?

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.

Do I need a party wall agreement for temporary works & propping in Deal?

Yes, if the beam bears into a shared wall: the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange it through a party wall surveyor.

Can props damage my floor?

They can if they are set up carelessly. Each prop concentrates load on a small area, so sole plates or boards are used to spread it, and on suspended timber floors props may be carried through to the ground below. Floor coverings are protected with boards and sheeting before any prop goes in.

Why do you need props to remove a wall?

Because the wall is holding up weight that still has to be supported while it is gone. Props and needles carry the floors, walls or roof above down to the ground until the new steel beam is fitted, packed and taking the load. Without them, the structure above could drop, crack or, at worst, collapse.

Can I stay in my house while it is propped?

Usually, yes. The props take up space in the rooms either side of the work, so those rooms will be out of use, but the rest of the house can be lived in as normal. The props must never be moved, knocked or adjusted by anyone other than the installation team.

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.