Structural Alterations
Structural Alterations in Felling
Felling is not one type of housing, which is exactly why structural alterations here is not one method. You will find Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth in one part of town and post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook in another. Felling is a riverside part of Gateshead with a deep mining history, remembered for the 1812 Felling pit disaster.
Call 07854 366464Get a Free QuoteStructural Alterations done properly in Felling
More than 25 years of building work across the borough means we know which questions to ask on a Felling property before quoting, and the quote itself always arrives in writing.
Structural Alterations
Our structural alterations in Felling cover
- Load bearing wall removal: temporary support, beam installation and permanent works to the engineer specification
- Temporary works: propping designed and installed properly, not improvised on the day
- Support steelwork: goalpost frames and columns where a wall cannot simply be beamed over
- RSJ and steel beam installation: padstones, bearings and fire protection detailed as the calculations require
- Doorway and opening widening: new lintels and made good openings in load bearing and non load bearing walls
- Building control coordination: stage inspections booked and attended through to sign off
Local Knowledge
Local considerations for structural alterations in Felling
Felling falls under Gateshead Council for both planning and building control, which is the practical starting point for structural alterations here. In a Tyneside flat the ownership split above and below makes the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 a normal early step, and Gateshead Council will also want to see how any new structure ties into the shared building. None of that is a reason not to do the work. It is a reason to establish the constraint before a design is finalised rather than after it has been drawn twice.
Ground conditions are the second thing we look at. The coal legacy here is documented in detail and much of Felling sits inside the high risk mapping, so mining risk is checked as standard before any new foundation is designed. On a structural alteration the ground matters where the load path ends, because a new beam concentrates load onto padstones and the wall and foundation beneath them.
Property types vary across Felling more than the name of the town suggests. Around Felling Square, Heworth, Leam Lane you will typically find Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth, while further out there is post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook. For structural alterations, older houses usually mean solid internal walls and a proper beam, and newer ones sometimes turn out to be a partition you can simply take out. Terraced streets with back lanes are the pattern, and the lane is usually the practical route for materials. None of this changes how we price, since every Felling job is quoted in writing after a visit, but it does change what goes on the van and how the week is planned.
Recent work
Our Approach
How we work in Felling
Site visit first
The first step is a site visit. Nothing gets priced in Felling until we have seen what we are actually being asked to build.
A written quote
You get a written, no obligation quote that states the scope. If something is excluded, it says so rather than leaving it to be argued about later.
Regulations handled
This is the one category where there is no grey area. Removing or altering a load bearing element is notifiable building work every time, needs structural calculations from an engineer, and needs building control sign off. Anyone offering to do it without either is a problem, not a bargain.
Kept informed
Expect to know what is happening each week. Clear communication is what most of our work in Felling comes from, because people pass it on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Structural Alterations in Felling: your questions
Which council handles structural alterations applications in Felling?
Felling comes under Gateshead Council for both planning and building control. That is where a building regulations application is made and where the inspector who signs the work off comes from. Structural calculations from an engineer and building control sign off, without exception is what they will be looking for.
Is the structural work guaranteed?
Yes. Workmanship is guaranteed for an agreed period, and the building control completion certificate is the formal record that the work met the approved design.
Do I need building regulations approval to remove a wall?
If the wall is load bearing, yes, without exception. The work needs structural calculations from an engineer and a building control application, and the completion certificate is what a future buyer solicitor will ask to see.
How much mess does this create?
A meaningful amount, which is why we sheet up, isolate the working area and remove waste as we go. There is no way to make a structural opening dust free, but there is a difference between contained and uncontrolled.
Are there any planning restrictions I should know about in Felling?
Possibly, depending on exactly where the property sits. In a Tyneside flat the ownership split above and below makes the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 a normal early step, and Gateshead Council will also want to see how any new structure ties into the shared building. If your property is affected, the design is shaped around that from the start rather than revised afterwards.
Do ground conditions in Felling affect structural alterations?
They can. The coal legacy here is documented in detail and much of Felling sits inside the high risk mapping, so mining risk is checked as standard before any new foundation is designed. We raise it at the quote stage rather than after the digger arrives, so you know whether an investigation or an assessment is likely to be needed.
Will you make good the ceilings and walls afterwards?
Yes. Making good is part of the quote rather than a separate job you are left to arrange.
What sort of properties do you carry out structural alterations on in Felling?
All of them. Around Felling Square and Heworth the stock is mostly Tyneside flats and terraces through Felling and Heworth, and further out Felling has post war housing toward Leam Lane and Windy Nook. The right approach depends far more on the age and construction of the individual property than on the town.
Do you arrange the structural engineer?
We work alongside engineers regularly and can put you in touch. The calculations are theirs, and we build to exactly what they specify rather than substituting a different beam.
Do you cover the areas around Felling as well, such as Gateshead and Jarrow and Hebburn?
Yes. Alongside Felling we regularly carry out structural alterations in Gateshead, Jarrow, Hebburn and across the wider North East, working from our base in Blaydon-on-Tyne.
Also covering near Felling
We carry out structural alterations across the surrounding area as well as in Felling itself.
Other building services in Felling
Whatever else the project needs, it is the same team and the same standard.
Planning structural alterations in Felling?
Tell us what you are planning and we will arrange a look at the property. You get a written, no obligation quote for structural alterations in Felling, and an honest answer about what the regulations will actually require.
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