Why you need a structural engineer when removing a load bearing wall
When you are planning to remove a load-bearing wall, you can’t just get a sledgehammer and smash it down. Unless, of course, you want to invite a host of structural problems for your property. The reason why these walls are called ‘load bearing’ is because they sustain the weight of the building. Without them your property could collapse.
Many people, however, are unsure whether the wall that they want to remove is load bearing or not. Either way, you may want to hire the expertise of a structural engineer, to confirm whether or not that is the case. If it is, then they will need to evaluate how the modifications you want to make will affect the property in its entirety.
A professional structural engineer will evaluate the situation before any decision is made. If they are happy that the wall can be removed, they will create drawings and calculations for support columns and steel beams, that will support your property securely once the wall has been removed.
Although most people are reluctant to engage an expert, usually because of the additional associated costs, it is essential to safeguard the building’s structural integrity and avoid future problems. If you were to proceed without hiring an expert and your building suffered structural damage, at that point you would still need to hire a structural engineer. The consequence of leaving it, however, could result in far more serious consequences and incur additional costs. Save yourself the worry, by starting off on the right foot.
Removing internal or external walls
Open plan living has increased in popularity over the years and a way to achieve usually involves knocking down internal walls and reconfiguring the space. Other load-bearing walls include the external walls of a property. When undergoing an extension, the external wall is partially knocked through to link the existing property with the new space. In the same way that a structural engineer would assess the load bearing properties when removing an internal wall, they would also carry out the same process when considering the removal of an external wall.
Why choose Neasden Structural Engineers?
The team at Neasden Structural Engineers have many years’ experience and undertaking surveys, drawings and calculations for the removal of load bearing walls is something that we do week in, week out. Rest assured that if your property is located near any of these areas in north London, we are the structural engineering experts you can rely on:
Simply contact us with your specific project needs. Get in touch with our friendly team of structural engineers today on 020 8088 2243.
