What we calculate
- Steel beams — sizing and connections for opened walls, new openings and floors carried over removed structure.
- Lintels — for new openings in masonry walls, including the bearing length at each end.
- Timber — floor joists, roof structure and the new floor of a loft conversion.
- Masonry — load-bearing walls, piers and the effect of removing or reducing them.
- Concrete — slabs, footings and retaining elements where the project needs them.
- Foundation design — new foundations for extensions and the junction with existing footings.
Projects that typically need calculations
- Loft conversions — the new floor, the beams carrying it and the roof alterations.
- Extensions — the opened rear wall, the new roof structure and the foundations.
- Knock-throughs — removing a wall between two rooms and carrying the load above.
- Garage conversions — the new floor build-up, the opening formed and any pier left in place.
- Basement or retaining work — where lateral loads need a designed solution.
Not sure what your property needs?
Send us the address and what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you what is likely to be possible, what approvals it involves, and what the design work would cost.
What you receive
A calculation package and the drawings that go with it, in a form building control will accept and a builder can work from. That means the assumed loads, the member sizes, the connections and the bearings are all stated, not left to be inferred on site.
Coordinated with the architectural design
The most common delay on a small project is an engineer sizing a beam for one layout while the architect has drawn another. Because both disciplines sit in the same team here, the structure and the drawings are issued together and revised together.
Where we work
We provide structural calculations across London and the surrounding areas, including Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Islington, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Camden, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Ealing, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Richmond, Kingston, Merton, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Bromley, Bexley, Havering, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need structural calculations to remove a wall?
Yes, in almost every case. Removing a load-bearing wall means the load it carried has to go somewhere, and building control will normally require calculations showing the beam or frame that replaces it, together with its bearings and any padstones.
Will building control accept your calculations?
Our calculations are prepared for submission to local authority building control or an approved inspector, showing the loads, member sizes and connections. If the inspector asks for clarification or an amendment, we deal with that as part of the project.
Can you calculate a beam for a builder who is already on site?
Yes. Where a builder has found something unexpected after opening up, we can assess the actual condition and issue a revised design. Please do not let work continue past an unresolved structural question while waiting for one.
Are structural calculations needed for a loft conversion?
Yes. A loft conversion adds a floor and alters the roof, both of which change how loads travel through the house. The calculations cover the new floor structure, the beams supporting it and the roof alterations, and building control will normally ask for them.
Planning and building regulations guidance on this page is general and applies to England. The position depends on your property, its history and your council's policies, so it is not a substitute for advice on your address. We check the specifics before any work begins.