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  • Vertical Cracks in Internal Corners: What Can Cause Them and When to Worry

    You have noticed a crack running straight down an internal corner of a room. It is easy to jump straight to “subsidence”. Often the explanation is simpler, and sometimes it is not. This post explains the usual causes, which differ between older stone houses and newer cavity-walled ones, the signs that change the picture, and what a sensible next step looks like.

    Key Takeaways

    • A clean vertical crack in an internal corner, with nothing matching outside, often comes from the walls drying out or moving with temperature rather than from the ground. It takes a look on site, and sometimes monitoring, to tell which applies to your house.
    • In houses with cavity walls and a concrete block inner leaf, the blocks shrink as they dry and move with temperature. Where the walls have no movement joints, that movement tends to show where the wall changes, such as at a corner.
    • In older solid stone houses, a corner crack can mean a wall is moving away from the walls or floors that hold it in place. That is a different matter, and it needs looking at.
    • Whether a crack is cosmetic depends on its cause, and the cause is something to confirm on site, not to assume from a photograph.
    • The repair depends on the cause. Filling the crack without knowing what it is doing can bring it back. Underpinning does nothing for movement in the walls themselves.

    Where These Cracks Come From

    This post is written from general engineering principles, not from a single case. The patterns below are well known. Which one applies to your house is the part that needs someone to look.

    Movement in a block inner leaf. Many newer houses have cavity walls: a brick or block outer leaf, a cavity, and an inner leaf of concrete blocks, often lightweight aircrete blocks. Concrete blocks shrink as they dry out after building, and they expand and contract a little with temperature and moisture through their life. Design guidance for blockwork recommends movement joints at intervals along the wall, so that this movement has somewhere to go. Where they were left out, the movement tends to show where the wall changes: at a corner, a junction, or an opening.

    A junction between two walls. A crack in a corner is sometimes the line where an internal wall meets an external wall. If the two were built separately, or tied rather than bonded together, they can move slightly apart as the materials dry and shrink, leaving a neat vertical line.

    Plaster and plasterboard. In dry-lined houses, and in timber-framed ones, a vertical crack in a corner can be no more than a taped joint in the plasterboard opening up as the building dries out, especially in the first few years or when the heating first goes on. Once that is confirmed, it is a decorating matter. A crack in the lining can also reflect movement in the wall behind it, so it is worth checking which one you have.

    Older solid stone walls. Much of the older housing around Huddersfield has thick stone walls, and the internal walls and floors help hold the outside walls in place. If a front or gable wall is moving outwards, it can pull away from an internal wall and leave a vertical crack in the corner, often worse upstairs and wider towards the ceiling. Where a roof is pushing its walls outwards, the crack may show at the top of the upstairs rooms. None of these is shrinkage, and none of them should be filled and forgotten.

    Movement in the ground. Foundation movement can crack internal corners too, but it usually shows in other places as well: outside, around windows and doors, and as cracks that run diagonally or step through the joints. In this area, the ground-related causes include leaking drains, made or filled ground, sloping sites, and old shallow coal workings, as well as clay soils. Where an extension joins the original house, the two parts sit on foundations of different ages and depths, and can move differently.

    Signs It Needs Looking at Properly

    Any of the signs below means the crack needs looking at properly, and sooner. Where none of them is present, the simpler causes above become more likely, but that is a reason to have it checked calmly, not proof that it is harmless.

    • Cracking in the outside walls at or near the same corner.
    • Diagonal or stepped cracks, especially from the corners of windows and doors.
    • A crack that is getting wider over weeks or months.
    • Doors or windows that have got steadily harder to open or close.
    • Floors that have gone out of level, or gaps opening between floors and skirtings.
    • A crack where an extension, bay, or porch meets the main house.
    • In a stone house, an outside wall that looks out of line or bulging, or gaps opening where floors or ceilings meet an outside wall.

    Some signs should not wait. If a crack is opening quickly, brickwork, stonework, blockwork, or plaster is loose, or has started to bulge, or a door or window has jammed at the same time as new or widening cracks appear around it, get advice straight away. If you think part of the building could fall, keep people clear of it and get a structural engineer out urgently. If it could fall onto a road, a path, or a neighbour’s property, also tell your council’s building control team, which deals with dangerous structures.

    Whether a crack is wider at the top or the bottom tells an engineer something, but it does not settle the cause on its own. Several different causes, including some that are not cosmetic, produce a crack wider at the top. It has to be read with everything else.

    Is It Structural?

    Where the cause really is shrinkage or temperature movement in the walls, the cracking is usually a matter of appearance rather than safety. The difficulty is knowing that is the cause. That cannot be settled from a description or a photograph. It needs someone to look at the cracks, the walls outside, the openings, the floors, and how the cracking has behaved over time.

    That is also why a single visit sometimes cannot settle it, and a period of monitoring with dated measurements is the right next step.

    What the Repair Involves

    Where the cause is movement in the walls themselves, underpinning is not the answer. It deals with foundations, not with the walls above them.

    The repair depends on what the crack is doing. Where the crack has stopped growing, which dated measurements can show, it can often be repaired and redecorated with a finish that allows a little movement. In a newer house, where the movement is still going on, a crack at a junction is sometimes best turned into a neat, flexible joint rather than fought. Where the wall itself needs tying back together, stainless steel bars or ties can be set into the masonry across the crack, but tying a wall that is still moving can simply push the crack somewhere else. Cutting a new movement joint into a wall that carries the floors or roof is a bigger job than it sounds.

    In older stone houses where a wall is moving outwards, the repair is about holding the wall back in place, not about the crack.

    None of this should be done from a description. The right repair, and whether and where anything can safely be cut or fixed into a wall that carries load, should be decided by an engineer for your house. Do not cut a joint into a wall without that. The work itself is then for a competent builder.

    What to Do Now

    • If any of the signs that should not wait are present, do not wait to record it. Get advice straight away, and if you think part of the building could fall, keep people clear of it.
    • Record it. Photograph the crack with a ruler held against it, note the date, and mark the ends lightly in pencil and write the date beside each mark, so you can see whether it grows.
    • Look outside. Check the outside of the same corner, and the walls around nearby windows and doors, for cracks.
    • Do not fill it yet if you want to know what it is doing. Filling removes the evidence.
    • Get it looked at if any of the signs above are present, or if you want to know the cause before you repair and redecorate.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I am a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Defect investigation — I attend your property, inspect the cracking or movement, and give you a written opinion on the likely cause, or, where one visit cannot settle it, what monitoring or further investigation is needed. The site visit is included in the price. Monitoring, if it is needed, is priced separately. I take on a limited number of these, and I will confirm whether I can take yours once you have answered a few scoping questions. The report is for your own decisions. I do not take on reports that a lender, valuer, or buyer will rely on. At present I also do not take on reports that an insurer will rely on, or that are to be put to another party, such as a builder or neighbour, to establish what caused the damage. See the fee bands →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. A brief verbal summary on site, then site visit notes within 2 working days: photographs, annotated sketches, and anything still needed for the design. The notes are a record of the visit, not a report. If you want to know what is causing a crack, Defect Investigation is the right service. See site visit fees →
    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. Desk-based, from the information you provide. See all services and current fees →

    Current fees for every service are listed on the services page.

  • Do I Need Planning Permission to Move an Internal Wall? A Guide for Homeowners in England

    You want to open up a room, knock through a doorway, or move a partition, and you are wondering whether you need planning permission first. For most houses the answer on planning is simple. The questions that matter more are whether the wall is holding anything up, whether Building Control needs to be involved, and whether anyone else has a say.

    This is general guidance for homes in England. The rules in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are different. It is not advice on your home: I have not seen your property, and every house is different.

    Key Takeaways

    • Work that only affects the inside of a house is not usually “development” in planning terms, so it does not usually need planning permission. The big exception is a listed building, which can need listed building consent for internal works. Splitting a house into flats is also different: that is a change of use.
    • Building Regulations are a separate question. Removing or altering a load-bearing wall is building work that needs Building Control. So can a non-load-bearing wall, where it affects fire safety, such as the walls around a staircase in a house with a second floor or attic room.
    • Do not assume a wall is non-load-bearing. In older stone houses around Huddersfield, internal walls often carry floors, and they can also help hold the outside walls in place.
    • If the work affects the wall you share with a neighbour, for example a new beam resting on it or a chimney breast coming out of it, or needs new foundations close to their property, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
    • If you live in a flat, your lease may need the landlord’s consent before any wall is touched.

    Planning Permission and Building Regulations Are Different Things

    The two get confused all the time, and it is easy to see why. Both are forms of approval, and both can hold a project up if they are missed. But they answer different questions.

    Planning is about development: how buildings look from outside, how they are used, and how they affect the area around them. Works that affect only the inside of a building, or that do not materially change how it looks from outside, are generally not treated as development at all. That is why moving an internal wall does not usually need planning permission. It is not that the work is “permitted development”; in most cases it is not development in the first place.

    The exception is a change of use. Using new or moved walls to split a house into flats, or to create a separate home within it, can need planning permission even though nothing changes outside.

    The Building Regulations are about how building work is done: structure, fire safety, and the other technical standards. They are checked by Building Control, either at the council or through a registered building control approver. This is where wall work most often needs approval.

    So if someone tells you that moving a wall needs planning permission, they have usually mixed the two up. What you need to think about is the Building Regulations, and the structure.

    When Wall Work Needs Building Control

    • Load-bearing walls. Removing or altering a wall that carries load is building work under the Building Regulations. Building Control will normally ask for structural calculations for the beam or other support that replaces it. They will usually also want the new beam protected against fire, for example boxed in with suitable plasterboard.
    • Fire safety. In a house with a second floor or an attic room, as some older terraces around Huddersfield have, the walls and doors around the staircase often form a protected escape route. Taking one out or opening it up can affect how people get out in a fire, and needs Building Control even if the wall carries no load. The same applies to the wall between a house and an integral garage, and to walls that separate one home from another.
    • Electrics and gas. All electrical work has to be done safely to the Building Regulations. Some of it, such as a new circuit, also has to be notified, which a registered electrician can usually do for you without a separate Building Control application. Moving a socket in a wall you are taking down is a question for your electrician. Any gas pipe in the wall should be moved by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
    • Heat and energy. Rarely relevant for an internal wall, but it can be where the wall separates a heated room from an unheated space such as a garage. If you are taking a garage into the house, that is a bigger change with requirements of its own.

    A simple non-load-bearing stud partition, with none of these involved, may not need Building Control at all. If you are unsure whether your work does, ask your council’s Building Control team before you start. It is far easier to ask first than to put things right afterwards.

    Is the Wall Load-Bearing?

    Do not assume. Removing a wall that turned out to be carrying load can cause anything from cracked ceilings to a partial collapse.

    Some signs suggest a wall may not be load-bearing: a thin stud wall, a wall running the same way as the floor joists above, or a wall added in a later alteration. None of them settles it. A wall running the same way as the joists can still carry a point load from above, and a stud wall can be carrying more than it was built for.

    Signs that a wall may be carrying load include another wall directly above it, a wall that carries on down into the cellar below, a chimney breast directly above it, and loft struts or a water tank resting on it. In more modern houses, a ground-floor blockwork wall often carries the upstairs floor, even where the roof is carried by the outside walls. Not every block wall does, so treat this as a reason to check, not an answer.

    In older stone houses, which make up much of the housing around Huddersfield, internal walls often carry the floors and sometimes the roof. They can also help hold the outside walls in place, so taking one out can affect the stability of a wall that is not being touched. That is one reason stone houses need particular care.

    Working out whether a wall is load-bearing means looking at what sits on it and around it: the direction of the floor and roof timbers, what is above it on each floor, and how the load gets down to the ground, which in a house with a cellar means following it down into the cellar. A photograph of the wall on its own is not enough.

    Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas

    If your house is listed, the rules are different. Listed building consent is needed for works that would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, and that can include internal walls, even non-structural ones. Listing normally covers the whole building, inside and out, whatever its grade, not only the features described in the list entry. Some quite ordinary-looking stone cottages and terraces around Huddersfield are listed, so check rather than assume: you can search the National Heritage List for England online, or ask the council.

    Doing such work without consent is a criminal offence, and the council can require the work to be reversed. If your house is listed, speak to the council’s conservation officer before any internal work, however small.

    Being in a conservation area mainly affects outside changes. Moving an internal wall does not usually need permission just because the house is in a conservation area. If the work changes anything outside, such as a new window or door, the conservation area rules may apply.

    Party Walls and Neighbours

    Moving a wall inside your own house does not usually involve your neighbour. It can when the end of a new beam has to rest on, or be cut into, the wall you share with them, when a chimney breast is removed from that wall, or when new foundations have to be dug close to their property. In flats, it can also apply to the walls and floors between flats. In those cases the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply. It sets out when the adjoining owners must be given notice and how any disagreement is settled. It is separate from both planning and Building Regulations. If there is any chance it applies, get advice from a party wall surveyor before work starts.

    Flats

    If you own a flat, the walls may not be entirely yours to alter. Many leases need the landlord’s consent before structural or other alterations, some forbid structural alterations altogether, and some walls may belong to the building rather than to your flat. In a flat, the walls around the entrance hall often protect your way out in a fire, and opening them up can need Building Control approval and a different fire safety approach. Check your lease and ask the landlord or managing agent first.

    A Sensible Order to Do Things

    • Check whether the house is listed, and if it is, speak to the council before anything else. If you live in a flat, check your lease.
    • Find out what the wall does. Have it looked at by a structural engineer, especially if there is any doubt about whether it is load-bearing, or if it is in an older stone house. Find out, too, what runs through it: water or gas pipes, cables, or an old flue.
    • If it is load-bearing, get calculations and drawings for the beam, what it rests on, and how the load reaches the ground.
    • In a home built or refurbished before 2000, have any materials that might contain asbestos checked before the wall is disturbed.
    • Check whether the work affects a neighbour, for example a beam resting on the shared wall, and take party wall advice if so.
    • Involve Building Control where the work needs it, before work starts.
    • Agree the scope with your builder, including temporary propping if the wall is load-bearing, and make sure nothing changes on site without your engineer being asked.
    • Let Building Control see the work before the beam and its ends are covered up.

    Where the work does need Building Control, keep the completion certificate, or the final certificate if you used a registered building control approver. It is the record that Building Control signed the work off, and you are likely to be asked for it if you sell.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I am a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. Desk-based, from the information you provide. If it is not yet clear what the wall carries, that needs a site visit first, which is charged separately. Not included: the builder’s temporary propping, Building Control fees, and party wall notices, surveying, and awards. See all services and current fees →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. A brief verbal summary on site, then site visit notes within 2 working days: photographs, annotated sketches, and anything still needed for the design. The notes are a record of the visit, not a report. See site visit fees →

    Current fees for every service are listed on the services page.

  • Understanding Vertical Cracks in 1970s Homes: Expert Advice

    Understanding Vertical Cracks in 1970s Homes: Expert Advice

    You’ve viewed a 1970s house and spotted vertical cracks in the walls — and now you’re not sure whether to walk away or carry on with the purchase. I see this situation regularly, and the good news is that vertical cracks in older homes are often far less serious than they look.

    Key Takeaways

    • Vertical cracks in 1970s homes are common and frequently caused by normal thermal movement or shrinkage rather than structural failure.
    • The location, width, pattern, and whether a crack is live or dormant all matter more than the crack’s appearance alone.
    • 1970s construction methods and materials have specific characteristics that make certain crack types more likely.
    • Building Control and a structural engineer are your two key sources of professional guidance when cracks raise genuine concern.
    • Most vertical cracks can be monitored, repaired, or managed — they rarely mean a house is unsafe to buy.

    Why 1970s Homes Crack in the First Place

    Houses built in the 1970s are now over 50 years old. That’s half a century of seasonal temperature swings, ground movement, and gradual material deterioration. It’s entirely normal for a building of that age to show some cracking — the question is always what type of cracking, and what’s causing it.

    1970s UK housing was built predominantly with cavity wall construction using clay brickwork or concrete block inner leaves. Concrete blocks in particular are prone to shrinkage cracking as they cure and dry out over decades. This process can produce fine vertical cracks that look alarming but are structurally inconsequential.

    Many homes from this era also used lightweight aerated concrete blocks (sometimes called aircrete or Thermalite) for the inner leaf. These blocks have a higher moisture movement than dense concrete, meaning they expand and contract more noticeably with changes in humidity. Over 50 years, that repeated movement can open up fine vertical cracks at mortar joints or through block faces.

    Additionally, 1970s homes were often built on relatively shallow strip foundations. In areas with clay-rich soils — common across much of Yorkshire — seasonal ground movement (heave and shrinkage) can cause the structure above to move slightly. This movement often manifests as vertical or near-vertical cracking, particularly at corners and around window and door openings.

    Reading the Crack: What to Look For

    Not all vertical cracks are equal. When I assess a crack, I’m looking at several factors simultaneously before drawing any conclusions.

    Width and depth

    A hairline crack (under 0.1 mm) is almost always cosmetic. A crack between 0.1 mm and 1 mm is minor and usually requires only cosmetic repair. Once you’re looking at cracks wider than 5 mm, that warrants closer attention — though even then, width alone doesn’t tell the whole story.

    Pattern and location

    Vertical cracks that run straight up through mortar joints are often a sign of differential settlement or thermal movement. Cracks that step diagonally through mortar joints in a staircase pattern are more typical of differential settlement. True vertical cracks that cut straight through bricks (rather than following the mortar) suggest a more significant force was at work.

    Pay particular attention to cracks near the corners of buildings, around window and door frames, and at the junction between an extension and the original structure. These are classic stress concentration points.

    Live versus dormant

    A dormant crack has stabilised and isn’t moving. A live crack is still opening or closing. You can’t tell this from a single viewing — which is one reason I always recommend monitoring before panicking. A simple tell-tale gauge or even a pencil mark across the crack with a date will show you whether it’s moving over weeks or months.

    Common Causes of Vertical Cracks in 1970s Houses

    Thermal and moisture movement

    This is the most common cause I encounter. Brick and block expand in summer heat and contract in winter cold. Over 50 years, this repeated cycle can open up fine vertical cracks — particularly at movement joints (or where movement joints should have been but weren’t installed). 1970s building practice wasn’t always consistent about incorporating movement joints in long runs of brickwork, so cracks sometimes appear where a joint was omitted.

    Shrinkage of concrete blocks

    As I mentioned above, concrete blocks shrink as they dry out. In a 1970s home, this process should be largely complete by now — which actually means shrinkage cracks you see today are likely dormant. That’s reassuring. If you see fine vertical cracks in a regular pattern on internal walls, shrinkage is the most probable explanation.

    Lintel deflection

    1970s homes used steel lintels over door and window openings. Over time, some of these lintels have corroded, particularly where cavity trays weren’t properly installed to keep water out. A corroding lintel expands as the rust forms, which can push the masonry apart and create vertical cracks at the sides of openings. If you see cracks running vertically from the corners of window or door frames, lintel condition is worth investigating.

    Subsidence and settlement

    True subsidence — where the ground beneath the foundations is actively moving — is less common than people fear, but it does occur. In Yorkshire, shrinkable clay soils are the main culprit, particularly after prolonged dry summers. Subsidence cracks tend to be wider at the top than the bottom, and they’re often accompanied by sticking doors and windows. Vertical cracks from subsidence are usually more irregular in shape than those from thermal movement.

    Poor construction or historic repairs

    Some 1970s homes were built quickly, and quality control wasn’t always what it should have been. Weak mortar mixes, inadequate foundations, or poorly tied extensions can all produce cracking that becomes apparent decades later. If the house has had extensions or alterations, the junction between old and new work is a particularly vulnerable spot.

    How to Assess the Risk Before You Buy

    If you’re viewing a house and you spot vertical cracks, here’s a practical approach I’d suggest before deciding how worried to be.

    First, photograph everything. Get close-up shots with a coin or ruler for scale, and wider shots showing the crack in context. Note which wall it’s on (internal or external, load-bearing or partition), which direction the crack runs, and whether it’s been previously filled and reopened.

    Second, check the crack width. You can buy a crack width gauge for a few pounds online, or use a credit card (0.76 mm thick) as a rough reference. If a crack is narrower than a credit card, it’s in the minor category.

    Third, look for associated symptoms. Are doors or windows sticking? Are there corresponding cracks on the opposite side of the wall? Is there any sign of damp at the crack? These associated symptoms shift the picture from minor to potentially significant.

    Fourth, ask the vendor. Their answers on the property information form must be accurate. Ask whether any structural work has been done, whether there are any existing structural reports, and whether the property has ever been the subject of an insurance claim for subsidence or movement.

    Finally, if you are buying a house with visible cracking, raise it with your surveyor before you commit; they may recommend a structural engineer.

    Repair Options and What They Cost

    I’m not going to give you specific costs here because they vary significantly by location, contractor, and the extent of work needed. What I can tell you is that most vertical cracks in 1970s homes fall into one of three repair categories.

    Cosmetic repairs — raking out and repointing, or filling and redecorating — are appropriate for dormant, minor cracks. These are straightforward jobs for a competent builder or even a confident DIYer.

    Structural repairs may be needed where a lintel has corroded, where a section of masonry has become unstable, or where differential movement has opened a significant crack. These require a structural engineer’s specification before any contractor starts work.

    Underpinning is the most significant intervention, needed when foundations are genuinely inadequate or where subsidence is ongoing. This is relatively rare and is usually only considered after thorough investigation has confirmed it’s necessary. Building Control involvement is required for underpinning work under Building Regulations Part A.

    When to Call a Structural Engineer

    You should get a structural engineer involved if cracks are wider than 5 mm, if they’re clearly live and growing, if they’re accompanied by sticking doors or windows, if they appear at the junction of an extension, if a lintel looks corroded or deflected, or if you are simply unsure what you are looking at. A structural engineer can tell you not just what the crack looks like, but what caused it, whether it’s likely to progress, and what — if anything — needs to be done about it. That’s the level of analysis that protects your investment.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I’m Paul Kangunga, a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. See all services and current fees →
    • Defect investigation — I attend your property, inspect the cracking or movement, and give you a written opinion on the likely cause, or, where one visit cannot settle it, what monitoring or further investigation is needed. The site visit is included in the price. Monitoring, if it is needed, is priced separately. I take on a limited number of these, and I will confirm whether I can take yours once you have answered a few scoping questions. The report is for your own decisions. I do not take on reports that a lender, valuer, or buyer will rely on. At present I also do not take on reports that an insurer will rely on, or that are to be put to another party, such as a builder or neighbour, to establish what caused the damage. See the fee bands →
    • Structural Engineer’s Report — a signed desk-based opinion on a single structural concern, for your own decisions about the building. Not for a lender, valuer, buyer, or insurer to rely on. If the question is what is causing cracking or movement, Defect Investigation is the right service. Request a report →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. See site visit fees →

  • Building Work Without Building Control Approval: What Homeowners in England Can Do

    You have found out that building work on your home, perhaps a wall taken out, an extension, or a loft conversion, was never signed off by Building Control. It is an unsettling position, but it is common, and there are clear steps you can take. This post explains what Building Control is, what can happen when approval is missing, and how the work can be checked and put right.

    This is general guidance for homes in England. It is not advice on your home or your legal position: I have not seen your property, and a solicitor is the right person to advise on a sale or a legal question.

    Key Takeaways

    • In England, most structural work, extensions, and loft or garage conversions need Building Control approval under the Building Regulations. Planning permission is a separate system.
    • Missing approval often comes to light when you sell, and it can delay or complicate a sale.
    • Indemnity insurance covers some financial risks of the council taking action. It says nothing about whether the work is safe, and it can be invalidated if the council is told about the work. Speak to your solicitor before you contact the council, unless you think the work may be unsafe.
    • For work done on or after 11 November 1985, you can apply to the council for a regularisation certificate. The council may ask for parts of the work to be opened up, and for anything that falls short to be put right.
    • A structural engineer can inspect the existing work, check it by calculation, and design any repairs, which helps with a regularisation application.
    • If the work shows signs of distress, such as sagging or cracking around an opening, deal with the safety first and the paperwork second.

    What Building Control is

    The Building Regulations set minimum standards for building work in England, covering structure, fire safety, drainage, insulation, ventilation, and more. Part A covers structure, which is the part that matters most when walls are taken out or new openings are made.

    Building Control checks that work meets those standards. It is carried out either by your council’s Building Control team or by a registered building control approver. They usually inspect at key stages, for example before a new beam is covered up, and issue a completion certificate (or a final certificate from a private approver) when they are satisfied.

    Without that sign-off, nobody independent has confirmed that the work was done properly. A beam might be too small, a padstone might be missing, or a wall might have been taken out without enough support. Sometimes the work is fine. Sometimes it is not, and the only way to know is to look.

    What usually needs approval

    Not every job needs Building Control. Like-for-like repairs, decorating, and fitting a new kitchen without changing structure or drainage usually do not. These usually do:

    • Removing or altering a load-bearing wall, including putting in a steel beam or a new structural opening.
    • Removing a chimney breast.
    • Building an extension.
    • Converting a loft or garage into living space.
    • Underpinning foundations.
    • Some electrical work, such as a new circuit or a new consumer unit (a registered electrician can usually self-certify this instead), and changes to drainage.

    Planning permission and permitted development rights are a separate system. Work can be permitted development and still need Building Control approval.

    When approval is missing

    When you sell

    When you sell, you will be asked about building work done at the property, and the buyer’s solicitor will usually ask for the completion certificate. If there is not one, they may ask you to regularise the work, to reduce the price, or to provide indemnity insurance. It can slow a sale down, and some buyers walk away.

    Indemnity insurance: know what it does and does not do

    Indemnity insurance is often offered as a quick fix. It covers some of the financial consequences if the council takes enforcement action over the missing approval. It does not confirm that the work is safe or that it meets the Building Regulations.

    There is an important catch. Many of these policies stop covering you if the council is told about the work, for example by someone contacting Building Control about it. If a sale is under way, or indemnity insurance might be used, speak to your solicitor before anyone approaches the council. That is about timing, not keeping quiet: answer your buyer’s questions accurately, and if you think the work may be unsafe, deal with that first (see When it cannot wait, below), whatever it means for a policy.

    The Building Safety Act 2022 extended the time a council in England has to require work that breaches the Building Regulations to be altered or removed, from twelve months to ten years after the work was finished. Which limit applies can depend on when your work was done, and councils have other powers that are not limited in this way, so your solicitor can tell you where your case stands.

    If something goes wrong

    If unapproved structural work fails, for example a beam sags or the wall above it cracks, it can complicate an insurance claim. More importantly, people can be hurt. A structure that is not coping does not always give much warning.

    Regularisation: getting approval after the event

    If the work was done on or after 11 November 1985 and needed approval but never got it, you can apply to your council (in Huddersfield, Kirklees Council) for a regularisation certificate. Only the council can do this; a private approver cannot.

    Broadly, the process is:

    • Apply to the council with details of the work, and pay the fee the council sets.
    • The council inspects. It may ask for parts of the work to be opened up, for example plaster removed so a beam and its bearings can be seen.
    • Anything that falls short is put right. If the work does not meet the standard, you will need to carry out the repairs the council asks for.
    • A regularisation certificate is issued once the council is satisfied. It is a formal record that the work has been checked.

    Only open up where the engineer or the council asks, have a builder do it, and never remove any of the structure. In homes built or refurbished before 2000, textured ceilings, wall panels, and some boards can contain asbestos, so have them tested by a qualified asbestos surveyor before they are disturbed.

    Opening up and inspection can feel intrusive, but regularisation is the most thorough way to resolve missing approval, because the work is actually checked.

    For work done before 11 November 1985, regularisation is not available. The structure can still be checked, and put right if needed.

    How a structural engineer helps

    Where the work was structural, such as a wall taken out or a beam put in, the council will usually want evidence that it is adequate. That is where a structural engineer comes in.

    The engineer visits, looks at what was actually built, and checks it by calculation: whether the beam is big enough for the span and the load, whether it has proper bearings and padstones, and whether the walls below can carry the load from each end of the beam down to the ground. Usually some opening up is needed to see the beam, its size, and what it sits on; this cannot be done from photographs, and the opening up should be done by a builder.

    In older stone houses the walls are often two faces of stone with rubble between them, so what the end of a beam actually rests on matters, and it can only be seen by opening up. Some things may stay uncertain even then, such as the grade of the steel or what is hidden below the floor. Where that happens, the engineer works on cautious assumptions and says so in writing, or recommends further investigation.

    If the check shows that what can be seen is adequate, the written note says so, along with anything that could not be seen and what was assumed. That can support your regularisation application, but the decision is the council’s. Work that has stood for years without cracking is encouraging, but it does not prove the beam or its bearings are adequate: old masonry can hold itself up for a long time before it moves. If the work is not adequate, the engineer designs what is needed to put it right.

    Building Control will usually also want to know that a steel beam is protected from fire, for example boxed in with suitable plasterboard or given a fire-protective coating. That comes under Part B (fire safety), not the structural calculation, and a beam left exposed as a feature may need protecting.

    If you are buying

    If you are buying a house where structural work has no approval, raise it with your solicitor and your surveyor before you commit. They will advise on the options, including asking the seller to regularise the work.

    When it cannot wait

    Signs of distress in unapproved work include a beam, ceiling, or floor above sagging; cracks opening above an opening; stone or brick cracking or crumbling where a beam end sits; doors that have suddenly started to stick; and, where a chimney breast was removed, cracking in the breast upstairs or a stack above the roof that leans. If you see any of these, keep people away from the area and do not try to prop or repair it yourself. If collapse looks imminent or anyone is hurt, call 999. If anything could fall onto a road or path, contact your council’s Building Control dangerous structures service. Then get a structural engineer to look as soon as you can.

    When to call a structural engineer

    Speak to a structural engineer once you know that structural work at your property has no Building Control approval, particularly if a wall was taken out, a beam or lintel put in, a chimney breast removed, or foundations altered. It is worth doing before you apply for regularisation, so you know what the council is likely to find, and straight away if the work shows any signs of distress.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I am a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — for new work or a replacement beam: Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. Desk-based, from the information you provide. Where the existing structure needs looking at first, that needs a site visit, which is charged separately. See all services and current fees →

    Current fees for every service are listed on the services page.

  • What to Do If You Find a Crack After Moving In

    What to Do If You Find a Crack After Moving In

    You’ve just moved into your new home, boxes still unpacked, and then you spot it — a crack running across the wall or ceiling that you’re almost certain wasn’t there when you viewed the property. It’s unsettling, and you’re right to take it seriously, but the good news is that not every crack signals a structural emergency.

    Key Takeaways

    • Most cracks in newly occupied homes are caused by minor settlement or thermal movement, not structural failure.
    • The size, shape, location, and pattern of a crack are the key factors in assessing its severity.
    • Cracks wider than 5 mm, or those appearing near structural openings, warrant professional investigation.
    • A structural survey carried out before purchase may have missed active movement — discovering a crack after moving in doesn’t necessarily mean the surveyor was negligent.
    • Building Regulations Part A governs structural stability in England and Wales; any remedial work affecting structure must comply.

    Why Cracks Appear After You Move In

    Moving into a property changes it in ways that are easy to underestimate. Central heating that was previously left on a low setting gets cranked up. Rooms that were empty are now full of furniture, books, and people. A house that sat quietly vacant for months suddenly has a completely different thermal and loading profile. All of this causes materials to expand, contract, and shift slightly — and cracks are often the visible result.

    The most common culprits are entirely benign. Plaster shrinks as it dries out after a period of high humidity. Timber joists and studwork lose moisture when heating is increased, causing hairline cracks at junctions between different materials. New plasterboard partitions frequently crack at the taped joints during their first heating season. These are cosmetic issues, not structural ones, and a decorator with a tube of flexible filler can sort them out.

    That said, some cracks do indicate something more serious. Subsidence, foundation movement, overloaded lintels, and failed structural elements can all produce cracking that demands proper investigation. The difficulty for a homeowner is knowing which category a particular crack falls into — and that’s exactly what this article is here to help you understand.

    How to Read a Crack: Size, Shape, and Location

    Before you panic or dismiss a crack entirely, take a few minutes to examine it carefully. These three characteristics tell you most of what you need to know at first glance.

    Width

    The Building Research Establishment’s classification system — widely used by structural engineers in the UK — categorises cracks from Category 0 (hairline, less than 0.1 mm) through to Category 5 (very severe, over 25 mm). As a rough guide, if you can’t fit a 10p coin into the crack, it’s unlikely to be immediately dangerous. Cracks wider than 5 mm should always be investigated by a professional.

    Shape and Direction

    Diagonal cracks running at roughly 45 degrees from the corners of window and door openings are a classic sign of differential settlement — where one part of the foundation has moved relative to another. Horizontal cracks in brick or blockwork can indicate lateral pressure on a wall, which is a more serious concern. Vertical cracks running straight up through mortar joints are often caused by thermal expansion and are generally less worrying, particularly if they appear at regular intervals.

    Location

    Cracks near structural openings — above doors, windows, or where a wall has been removed and an RSJ or lintel installed — deserve extra attention. These areas carry concentrated loads, and a failing lintel or inadequately sized beam will often announce itself through cracking in the surrounding masonry or plasterwork. Similarly, cracks that run from floor to ceiling in a straight line can suggest movement in a structural wall.

    Cracks That Need Immediate Attention

    Some crack patterns are urgent. If you notice any of the following, stop reading and call a structural engineer today rather than waiting to see how things develop.

    • Cracks wider than 5 mm that have appeared suddenly, or that you can see are actively widening.
    • Cracks accompanied by doors or windows that have jammed, stuck, or started binding in their frames — this suggests the opening is being distorted by movement.
    • Diagonal cracking at 45 degrees from multiple window and door corners simultaneously, particularly if it’s progressing upwards through the structure.
    • Any crack accompanied by a visible lean or bulge in an external wall.
    • Cracks in the ceiling directly below a bathroom, which could indicate a failed joist or water damage to structural timbers.
    • Horizontal cracking in a retaining wall or basement wall, which can signal dangerous lateral earth pressure.

    These scenarios can escalate quickly. Under Approved Document A of the Building Regulations, structural elements must be capable of safely carrying the loads imposed on them — if there’s any doubt about whether that condition is being met, professional assessment is not optional, it’s essential.

    What Your Pre-Purchase Survey May Have Missed

    One of the most frustrating situations I encounter is a homeowner who paid for a survey before purchase and is now wondering why the surveyor didn’t flag the crack they’ve just found. There are a few important points to understand here.

    A standard RICS HomeBuyer Report is a visual inspection carried out at a single point in time. The surveyor can only report on what is visible and accessible on the day they visit. If a crack was hidden behind furniture, covered by freshly applied filler and paint, or simply hadn’t appeared yet, it won’t be in the report. This isn’t necessarily negligence — it’s a limitation of the service.

    A full RICS Building Survey (Level 3) goes further and is more appropriate for older properties, those with visible defects, or homes that have been significantly altered. If you bought a Victorian terrace with a recently knocked-through ground floor and only commissioned a Level 2 report, the scope of that survey may not have been adequate for the property’s condition.

    If you genuinely believe the surveyor missed something that was clearly visible and should have been reported, you can raise a complaint through the RICS. But in many cases, the crack that appears after moving in is new movement triggered by the change in occupancy — not something that existed before completion.

    Monitoring Cracks Yourself Before Calling Anyone

    If a crack doesn’t fall into the urgent category above, a period of monitoring is a perfectly reasonable first step. This gives you useful evidence to share with a structural engineer and helps distinguish between active movement and an old, stable crack.

    The simplest method is to mark the ends of the crack with a pencil and note the date. Check it weekly for a month. If the crack extends beyond your pencil marks, it’s active. If it stays within them, it’s likely historic and stable.

    A more precise approach is to use a tell-tale — a small plastic gauge that bridges the crack and allows you to measure any change in width or displacement. These cost a few pounds from a builders’ merchant and are worth using if you want a clear record to show a professional.

    Photograph the crack in good light, ideally with a ruler or coin in frame for scale. Note whether it changes appearance after heavy rain, during cold weather, or after the heating has been running for several hours. These patterns can help a structural engineer identify the underlying cause much more quickly.

    What a Structural Engineer Will Do

    When I carry out a structural inspection for a homeowner who’s found a crack after moving in, my process is methodical. I look at the full context of the building — its age, construction type, any alterations that have been made, and the ground conditions where possible. I examine the crack itself, but I also look at the wider pattern of any cracking throughout the property, because individual cracks rarely tell the whole story.

    I’ll check whether any walls have been removed and whether the beam or lintel above the opening is appropriate for the load it’s carrying. I’ll look at padstones — the bearing plates that transfer load from a beam into the wall below — to check they’re correctly sized and positioned. I’ll examine the condition of any visible structural timbers, and I’ll look at the external walls for signs of bowing, leaning, or stepped cracking in the mortar joints.

    After the inspection, I produce a written report that clearly states what I’ve found, what I believe the cause to be, and what action — if any — I recommend. That might be “monitor and review in six months,” or it might be “commission a drainage survey immediately and prop this wall while we investigate.” The report gives you something concrete to act on, and something to show your insurer or solicitor if needed.

    When to Call a Structural Engineer

    If a crack is wider than 5 mm, is actively growing, is accompanied by sticking doors or windows, or sits near a structural opening such as a removed wall or chimney breast, you should call a structural engineer rather than a builder or general surveyor. The same applies if you’re planning any remedial work that involves the structure — under Building Regulations Part A, structural alterations require proper design and, in most cases, Building Control sign-off. A chartered structural engineer can assess the risk, specify the correct repair, and give you the professional assurance that the work has been done correctly.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I’m Paul Kangunga, a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. See all services and current fees →
    • Defect investigation — I attend your property, inspect the cracking or movement, and give you a written opinion on the likely cause, or, where one visit cannot settle it, what monitoring or further investigation is needed. The site visit is included in the price. Monitoring, if it is needed, is priced separately. I take on a limited number of these, and I will confirm whether I can take yours once you have answered a few scoping questions. The report is for your own decisions. I do not take on reports that a lender, valuer, or buyer will rely on. At present I also do not take on reports that an insurer will rely on, or that are to be put to another party, such as a builder or neighbour, to establish what caused the damage. See the fee bands →
    • Structural Engineer’s Report — a signed desk-based opinion on a single structural concern, for your own decisions about the building. Not for a lender, valuer, buyer, or insurer to rely on. If the question is what is causing cracking or movement, Defect Investigation is the right service. Request a report →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. See site visit fees →
  • Is BSR Approval Needed for Removing Non-Load Bearing Walls?

    Is BSR Approval Needed for Removing Non-Load Bearing Walls?

    You’re planning to remove a non-load bearing wall in your flat, and someone has mentioned the Building Safety Regulator — now you’re not sure whether you need formal approval before you pick up a sledgehammer. If your building is over seven storeys tall, the answer is almost certainly yes, and this article explains exactly why.

    Key Takeaways

    • The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) introduced a new higher-risk building regime under the Building Safety Act 2022, which applies to residential buildings over 18 metres or seven storeys tall.
    • Even removing a non-load bearing wall in a higher-risk building can trigger a mandatory approval process before work starts.
    • You’ll need to submit a Building Control application through the BSR — not your local authority — for any qualifying works in these buildings.
    • Confirming a wall is truly non-load bearing requires a structural engineer’s assessment, not a visual guess.
    • Proceeding without the correct approvals in a higher-risk building carries serious legal and financial consequences.

    What the Building Safety Act 2022 Changed

    Before 2022, Building Regulations approval for internal alterations in flats followed a relatively straightforward path. You’d notify your local Building Control body, they’d inspect the work, and you’d receive a completion certificate. For genuinely minor works — like removing a non-structural partition wall in a standard house — many homeowners didn’t even need to notify anyone at all.

    The Building Safety Act 2022 changed that picture significantly for people living in taller residential buildings. The Act created a new category called Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs), and it established the Building Safety Regulator — a body sitting within the Health and Safety Executive — as the sole Building Control authority for those buildings. This wasn’t a tweak to the existing system. It was a wholesale replacement of how Building Control works for buildings that meet the height threshold.

    The legislation was a direct response to the Grenfell Tower disaster and the subsequent Hackitt Review, which found that the existing regulatory framework was inadequate for complex, multi-occupied residential buildings. The core principle is that residents in tall buildings deserve a higher level of scrutiny over any work that could affect the structure, fire safety, or overall safety case of their building.

    If your building is over 18 metres in height or has more than seven storeys, it almost certainly falls within this regime. That threshold applies to the building as a whole — not just the floor you live on.

    Does Removing a Non-Load Bearing Wall Count as Notifiable Work?

    This is the question most homeowners ask first, and the honest answer is: it depends on the building, the wall, and how the work is classified under the Building Regulations.

    Under the standard Building Regulations framework, removing a non-load bearing internal partition in a dwelling is often classed as exempt from Building Regulations notification. That exemption exists because, in theory, a non-structural wall doesn’t affect the structural integrity of the building. In a standard two-storey house, that logic is broadly sound.

    In a higher-risk building, the situation is more complex. The BSR regime requires the Principal Accountable Person (PAP) — usually the building owner or management company — to maintain a safety case for the entire building. Any work that could affect that safety case, including changes that touch fire compartmentation, structural elements, or building services, must go through the BSR’s Building Control process.

    Here’s the critical point: many internal walls in flats are not just partition walls. They may form part of the fire compartmentation strategy — the system of fire-resistant barriers that contains a fire within one flat and prevents it spreading to the rest of the building. A wall can be entirely non-load bearing from a structural standpoint and still be a fire compartment wall. Removing or altering it without approval could compromise the building’s fire strategy, which is a serious safety issue and a notifiable change under the HRB regime.

    So even if your engineer confirms the wall carries no structural load, you cannot assume the work is automatically exempt in a higher-risk building.

    How the BSR Approval Process Works

    For higher-risk buildings, Building Control applications do not go to your local council. They go directly to the Building Safety Regulator. The BSR has its own team of registered Building Inspectors, and the process follows a gateway model that’s more detailed than traditional Building Control.

    For works to an existing higher-risk building — which is what we’re talking about here — you’ll generally be working within what the BSR calls the occupation phase regime. The building’s Principal Accountable Person has ongoing duties to manage and update the safety case, and any changes to the building must be assessed against that safety case before they’re made.

    In practical terms, this means:

    • You’ll need to notify the PAP (your building owner or management company) before starting any work.
    • The PAP must assess whether the proposed change affects the building’s safety case.
    • If a Building Regulations application is required, it must be submitted to the BSR — not the local authority.
    • The BSR must approve the application before work begins. This is a key difference from some traditional Building Control routes, where you could start work and notify simultaneously.

    The timeframes involved are longer than standard Building Control. You should build significant lead time into your project programme if you’re in a higher-risk building.

    How to Confirm Whether Your Wall Is Load Bearing

    Before you can even begin the BSR process, you need to establish what type of wall you’re dealing with. This matters for two reasons: it affects what approvals you need, and it affects how the work is specified and carried out.

    A common misconception is that you can tell whether a wall is load bearing by looking at it. You can’t — not reliably. The direction of floor joists, the position of the wall relative to the structure above, and the building’s original construction method all influence whether a wall is structural. In a high-rise flat, the construction is often reinforced concrete frame, which means the walls between flats and rooms may be entirely non-structural infill panels — but you need an engineer to confirm that, not a guess based on wall thickness.

    A structural engineer will review the building’s structural drawings (if available), inspect the wall and the construction around it, and give you a written opinion on whether the wall is load bearing. That written opinion is something you’ll want to have on record when you approach your building management company and, if necessary, the BSR.

    It’s also worth noting that in a concrete frame building, what looks like a simple partition removal may involve cutting through screed, relocating services, or working near structural columns and beams. None of that is straightforward, and all of it needs proper assessment.

    Your Lease and the Building Management Company

    Even if you’ve confirmed the wall is non-load bearing and you’ve worked out what Building Regulations approvals are needed, there’s another layer to consider: your lease.

    Most residential leases in purpose-built flats contain clauses that restrict alterations to the property. Removing an internal wall — even a non-structural one — almost always requires written consent from your freeholder or management company before work starts. This is a separate requirement from Building Regulations and from the BSR. Failing to get it can put you in breach of your lease, which creates problems when you come to sell.

    In a higher-risk building, the management company is likely to be the Principal Accountable Person, so they’ll be involved in the process regardless. But approach them early, provide them with your structural engineer’s assessment, and get their consent in writing before any work begins.

    If your building has a residents’ management company or a managing agent, they should have a clear process for handling alteration requests. Ask for it in writing and keep records of everything.

    When to Call a Structural Engineer

    If your flat is in a building over seven storeys tall and you’re considering any internal alterations — even something that appears minor, like removing a partition wall — you should get a structural engineer involved before you do anything else. I’d say this even before you approach your management company, because having a professional assessment in hand makes every subsequent conversation more straightforward. An engineer can confirm whether the wall is structural, identify any fire compartmentation implications, advise on what approvals are likely to be needed, and produce the documentation that Building Control and your freeholder will expect to see. Trying to shortcut this process in a higher-risk building isn’t just risky — under the Building Safety Act 2022, it can carry real legal consequences for you as the leaseholder.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I’m Paul Kangunga, a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. See all services and current fees →
    • Defect investigation — I attend your property, inspect the cracking or movement, and give you a written opinion on the likely cause, or, where one visit cannot settle it, what monitoring or further investigation is needed. The site visit is included in the price. Monitoring, if it is needed, is priced separately. I take on a limited number of these, and I will confirm whether I can take yours once you have answered a few scoping questions. The report is for your own decisions. I do not take on reports that a lender, valuer, or buyer will rely on. At present I also do not take on reports that an insurer will rely on, or that are to be put to another party, such as a builder or neighbour, to establish what caused the damage. See the fee bands →
    • Structural Engineer’s Report — a signed desk-based opinion on a single structural concern, for your own decisions about the building. Not for a lender, valuer, buyer, or insurer to rely on. If the question is what is causing cracking or movement, Defect Investigation is the right service. Request a report →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. See site visit fees →
  • 10 Questions To Ask Your Builder Before They Touch A Load-bearing Wall

    10 Questions To Ask Your Builder Before They Touch A Load-bearing Wall

    Taking out a load-bearing wall is one of the most common jobs I see, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Most builders do it properly. The questions below help you tell, before any work starts, whether the job has been planned the way it should be. Ask them, and ask for the answers in writing.

    This is general guidance for homes in England. It is not advice on your home: I have not seen your property, and every house is different.

    Key Takeaways

    • A load-bearing wall carries weight from above. Taking it out needs a beam designed for that weight, and temporary support while the work is done.
    • The beam, its bearings, and any padstones should come from a structural engineer’s calculations and drawings, not from guesswork on the day.
    • The work normally has to go through Building Control, which inspects it and signs it off at the end.
    • A good builder will be happy to answer these questions. Vague answers, or “we always do it this way”, are worth probing.
    • If anything on site does not match the drawings, work should stop until the engineer has been asked.

    The 10 questions

    1. Who designed the beam, and can I see the calculations and drawings?

    Ask to see the engineer’s calculations and drawings, and check that they carry your address and the engineer’s name. The beam, the padstones or other bearings it sits on, and the walls below should all be checked by calculation. An engineer registered with the Engineering Council, such as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) or an Incorporated Engineer (IEng), and a member of a professional institution such as the Institution of Structural Engineers or the Institution of Civil Engineers, is a good sign. A beam size chosen “from experience” or from a general table is not the same thing. Ask, too, what the calculations assume the wall is carrying, and whether anyone has checked that against what is actually above it: floor joists, another wall, a water tank, or roof timbers resting on it. A calculation is only as good as the information behind it. A wall can also be bracing an outside wall, and the engineer should have considered that too.

    2. Has Building Control been told, and who is arranging the inspections?

    Removing a load-bearing wall is building work under the Building Regulations, so it normally has to go through Building Control, either your council’s team or a registered building control approver. This has to happen before work starts. Ask whether an application or notice has gone in, who is arranging the inspections, and at what stages they will happen. Building Control usually wants to see the beam and its bearings before they are covered up. At the end, you should receive a completion certificate (or a final certificate from a private approver). Keep it: a buyer’s solicitor is likely to ask for it when you sell.

    3. How will you support the structure while the wall comes out?

    Before any of the wall is removed, the floor, wall, or roof above has to be held up by temporary supports. These are usually adjustable steel props, with steel needles through the masonry where there is a wall above the opening, or timber spreaders under the joists where there is not. Planning this is the builder’s responsibility. Beam calculations do not usually cover it unless an engineer has been asked to design it, so ask who has worked out how many props are needed, where they go, and what they will stand on. If the props stand on a timber floor, or above a cellar, the load has to be carried on down, with more props underneath, until it reaches solid ground. Ask in what order the work will be done, and when the props will come out: not until the new beam is in, the gap above it has been packed tight, and the packing has set (see question 6). A builder who plans to “knock it out and see” is a warning sign.

    4. Are there any pipes, cables, or flues in the wall, and who will deal with them?

    Walls often hide electrical cables, water pipes, gas pipes, or an old flue from a fire or boiler. They need to be found and dealt with before demolition. Gas pipework should be moved by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Electrical work has to meet Part P of the Building Regulations, and a registered electrician can certify it.

    5. Will the beam that arrives match the drawings?

    Ask what size and grade of steel the engineer has specified, and check that what is delivered matches. If the builder wants to use a different beam, for example because it is easier to get, that is a question for the engineer, not a decision for site.

    6. What will the ends of the beam sit on?

    The ends of the beam carry concentrated loads down into the walls. The engineer’s drawings should show how much bearing is needed at each end, and whether padstones are needed and what they are made of. Ask how the builder will make sure each end of the beam, or its padstone, sits on sound masonry, and what is under each end, all the way down: a doorway, a cellar opening, or an old flue below a bearing can change the design. In older stone houses the walls are often two faces of stone with rubble between them, so what the beam will actually rest on may only be seen once the wall is opened up. Finally, ask how the gap between the top of the beam and the wall above will be packed tight, usually with a stiff mortar rammed into the gap (called dry-packing), so that the wall above rests on the beam rather than dropping onto it when the props come out.

    7. How will the steel be protected from fire?

    A steel beam usually needs protecting from fire, for example boxed in with suitable fire-rated plasterboard or given a fire-protective coating. Ask what Building Control has asked for and how it will be done. A beam left exposed as a feature may still need protecting.

    8. Is any of the work on a party wall?

    If the beam will bear into a wall you share with a neighbour, or the work affects it in other ways, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 will usually mean you must serve notice on every owner of the house next door (which may include a landlord, not just whoever lives there) before the work starts. Serving notice is the homeowner’s responsibility, not the builder’s, though a good builder will flag it. A party wall surveyor can advise you on what is needed.

    9. What happens if you find something unexpected?

    Opening up a wall sometimes reveals things nobody could see beforehand: a hidden flue, a beam already in the wall, rotten timber, or masonry that is weaker than expected. Ask what the builder will do. The right answer is to make it safe, stop, and ask the engineer before carrying on, not to improvise. In homes built or refurbished before 2000, ask too how they will deal with any materials that might contain asbestos. If there is any doubt, a qualified asbestos surveyor should check it, and take samples if needed, before the wall is disturbed.

    10. What exactly is in your price?

    Ask for a written, itemised quote. Check whether it includes the temporary propping, the steel and padstones, making good the plaster and decoration, fire protection, skip hire, and Building Control and engineer’s fees, or whether some of these are separate. Ask whether the price includes VAT: some builders charge it and some are not VAT-registered. Ask to see the builder’s public liability insurance certificate, and check that it is in date.

    If the answers do not reassure you

    You do not have to be an expert to ask these questions. A builder who shows you calculations and drawings for your house, explains the propping, and knows when Building Control will visit is showing you a job that has been planned. That is encouraging, but it is not a guarantee of how the work will be done, which is one reason Building Control’s inspections matter. If the answers are vague, or you are told none of this is needed, ask a structural engineer before any work starts.

    When it cannot wait

    If, during or after the work, you see a beam or ceiling sagging, new cracks opening above the opening, or masonry crumbling where the beam sits, keep people away from the area, stop any work, and do not try to prop or repair it yourself. Do not take out any props that are already in place. If collapse looks imminent or anyone is hurt, call 999. If anything could fall onto a road or path, contact your council’s Building Control dangerous structures service. Then get a structural engineer to look as soon as you can, and if a builder is working on the house, ask them to put in temporary support through their engineer straight away. If you smell gas, leave the building and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.

    Need expert eyes on your project?

    I am a Chartered Structural Engineer (CEng, MIStructE) based in Huddersfield. The Beam Doctor offers homeowners and builders:

    • Steel beam (RSJ) calculations — Eurocode-compliant, Building Control-ready, 5 working days from acceptance and receipt of all the information needed. Desk-based, from the information you provide. If it is not yet clear what the wall carries, that needs a site visit first, which is charged separately. Not included: the builder’s temporary propping, Building Control fees, and party wall notices, surveying, and awards. See all services and current fees →
    • On-site attendance — a Chartered Engineer at your property, tiered by duration. A brief verbal summary on site, then site visit notes within 2 working days: photographs, annotated sketches, and anything still needed for the design. The notes are a record of the visit, not a report. See site visit fees →

    Current fees for every service are listed on the services page.