Can you remove a load-bearing wall?

Yes, with the right steel and the right paperwork. We arrange structural engineer calculations, install padstones and RSJs, needle and prop safely, and book building control inspections so the work is signed off and shows on your property records.

Do I need a structural engineer before you start?

For any load-bearing alteration, yes. We work with engineers we trust and can arrange the calculations as part of the job, so you don't have to co-ordinate separate trades and consultants yourself.

How disruptive is a knock-through?

Steel installation itself is usually one to three days. We sheet up, isolate dust, prop safely and keep the rest of the house usable. Most clients stay living at home throughout.

Will you make good afterwards?

Always. Beam casing, fire protection, plastering and decorating prep are included so you're left with a finished opening, not a bare steel.

Do I need building regulations approval to remove a wall?

Removing or altering a load-bearing wall is building work that needs building regulations approval. We arrange the structural engineer's calculations and the building control notice, and building control inspect the steel before it is covered.

Engineered Solutions

Structural Alterations

Structural alterations require careful planning and strict compliance with engineering specifications. All our structural works are carried out alongside qualified structural engineers to ensure safety, compliance, and accuracy.

Structural Alterations in Devizes & across Wiltshire

Structural alterations require precision, experience, and careful planning. C.E. Bricklaying & Construction specialises in steel beam installation, load-bearing wall removal, and creating new structural openings for homeowners across Devizes, Marlborough, Chippenham, Calne, Trowbridge, and the wider Wiltshire and Bath areas.

Whether you're opening up a kitchen-diner in a Devizes townhouse, creating a through-lounge in a Marlborough cottage, or adding new doorways and window openings in a Chippenham property, our team manages the full process, from temporary propping and support through steel installation to final making good. We've completed structural alterations on properties ranging from Victorian terraces to modern detached homes across Wiltshire.

We work alongside a dedicated structural engineer who calculates every beam size, bearing point, and padstone detail. This collaboration ensures every alteration is properly specified, safely executed, and fully compliant with building regulations. The result is a seamless transformation that feels like it was always part of the original design, backed by proper engineering and over 12 years of hands-on construction experience.

Get a free structural alterations quote Call 07807 430199

“Job began exactly on the day planned months in advance. Better still, the job was complete two days early!”

Dom C.

Knock-through with RSJ

What happens on a knock-through

It starts with the engineer. Our structural engineer works out the beam size, the bearing points and the padstones, and we send the details to building control before any wall comes out. Nothing is guessed and nothing is left to luck.

On the day, we protect the house first: floors covered, doorways sheeted and dust controlled. The structure above is temporarily supported with props and needles, the opening is formed, padstones go in at each end and the steel is lifted, packed and dry-packed tight to the masonry above. Building control inspects before anything is covered up.

Then we make good. Steels are cased and fire-protected as required, the opening is plastered and the room is left ready to decorate. One of our clients had a structural wall removed and an RSJ installed to create an open-plan kitchen and living room, and the job was completed two days early.

Structural Alterations

Planning a bigger layout change

Opening up a kitchen-diner, widening an opening for bi-fold doors or reworking an internal layout usually involves more than one trade. Because we cover structural work, bricklaying, carpentry and plastering in-house, the whole change is managed by one team and one programme.

Where an alteration affects a wall shared with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may require notice to be served before work starts. We flag this early so it does not hold up the programme, and our architect can help where the layout itself needs designing.

Our process

How we open up a wall

Following the engineer's calculations
Every opening is designed by a structural engineer. We work to their beam sizes, bearings and padstones exactly.
Propping the ceilings
Before anything comes out, we prop the floors and ceilings above with adjustable props and needles so the load is safely supported.
Taking the wall out
We carefully remove the wall, keeping dust down and protecting the rest of your home.
Padstones
Concrete pads are set at each end to spread the weight of the new beam into the walls below.
Installing the steel
The steel beam is lifted into place, levelled and packed tight to carry the load, then the props come out.
Building control sign-off
A building control inspector checks the steelwork before it is covered up, so you have the paperwork when you come to sell.
Fire board
We box the steel in with fire-rated plasterboard to give it the fire protection the regulations require.
Skim
The boxing and surrounding walls and ceiling are skimmed so the beam blends neatly into the room.