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Beam design, padstones and propping guidance.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS UK
Structural engineers for projects across the UK.
Structural calculations, drawings, surveys and UK-wide site visits for homeowners, architects, developers and contractors. Clear scopes, practical engineering and Building Control-ready documentation.
Senior engineer review
Building Control-ready documentation
Transparent fixed-fee proposals
UK-wide project support
Start with your project
What are you planning?
Choose the closest match. We will show the usual deliverables, timescale and starting fee before you begin a quote.
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Foundations, openings, roof structure and coordinated details.
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Steelwork, joists, dormer openings and connection details.
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Targeted calculations for a clearly defined structural element.
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An engineer-led inspection with clear written advice.
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Practical structural input for openings, fit-outs and change of use.
NEW TO STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING?
You do not need to know which engineering service to ask for.
Start with the change you want to make or the problem you have noticed. We will translate that into the right inspection, calculation, drawing or survey scope, then explain why it is needed.
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I want to alter or extend my home.
Tell us the change you want to make, such as removing a wall, creating a larger opening, adding an extension or converting a loft. We will confirm which calculations, drawings and site information are normally needed.
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I have noticed cracking or movement.
Describe where it is, when you first noticed it and whether it appears to be changing. Photographs help with the first review, but an engineer will explain whether a site inspection is needed before any conclusion is reached.
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An approval team has asked for information.
Send us the request from your architect, contractor or Building Control team. You do not need to translate it. We will identify the engineering question and explain the deliverable required to answer it.
THREE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS
Planning permission, Building Regulations and structural engineering are different.
A project may need one, two or all three. The exact route depends on the work and where the property is in the UK.
PLANNING PERMISSION
Is the proposed development acceptable?
Planning usually considers matters such as size, appearance, use and the effect on neighbours. Planning approval does not confirm that the structure is safe or ready to build.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
Does the work meet the required standards?
Building Regulations cover areas including structure, fire safety, insulation and drainage. Building Control checks submitted information and may inspect the work, but it does not design the project for you.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
How will the load-bearing parts work safely?
A structural engineer designs or checks the relevant beams, bearings, foundations, connections and stability. The agreed calculations and drawings can then be reviewed by Building Control and used by the project team.
Still unsure? That is normal. Give us the address, a short description and any photographs or drawings you have. We will tell you what is missing before you commit.
Describe your project
WHO WE HELP
The right engineering journey for the way you work.
Homeowners need clarity and reassurance. Professional teams need responsive coordination and dependable information. Choose the path shaped around your project.
HOMEOWNERS
Confidence for your home project.
Plain-English scopes, fixed-fee proposals and practical support from early questions to Building Control.
Explore homeowner support
ARCHITECTS & DESIGNERS
Responsive structural coordination.
Early design input, coordinated information and dependable support for repeat projects.
Explore design-team support
CONTRACTORS & DEVELOPERS
Buildable information for live programmes.
Clear assumptions, practical details and defined support for technical queries during delivery.
Explore project-team support
Clearly scoped engineering
Engineering services, clearly scoped.
From a single steel beam to a complete structural package, every instruction begins with a defined scope and ends with practical documentation for your contractor and Building Control team.
Bespoke calculations for beams, columns, foundations and connections.
From £495 + VAT
3–7 working days
Beam design, padstone specification and temporary propping guidance.
From £595 + VAT
3–5 working days
Coordinated design for floor, dormer and roof alterations.
From £1,250 + VAT
5–10 working days
Foundations, openings and roof structure for single or double storey works.
From £1,250 + VAT
5–10 working days
Visual inspection and a clear report on cracking, movement or structural condition.
From £695 + VAT
Visit within 5 working days
Targeted member design with bearings, restraint and padstone requirements.
From £395 + VAT
2–5 working days
BEYOND THE STRUCTURE
One team for the decisions around the structure.
Planning, drainage and party wall matters can shape whether a project starts smoothly. Coordinating them early reduces handovers, unresolved assumptions and avoidable delay.
Three specialist routes, one clear next step
Planning and measured surveys
What it is: an accurate measured survey, planning drawings and coordinated submission information for alterations and extensions.
Why it matters: decisions made from incomplete existing information create redesign, delay and planning risk later.
Planning packages from £1,450 + VAT
Civil engineering
What it is: coordinated drainage, levels and external works design for homes and small developments.
Why it matters: buried drainage, falls and thresholds need resolving before construction, when change is still controlled and affordable.
From £1,250 + VAT
Party wall surveys and engineering
What it is: applicability review, Schedule of Condition, survey or award coordination, plus structural design where separately agreed.
Why it matters: early review protects the statutory process, the construction sequence and the relationship with neighbouring owners.
From £895 + VAT
YOUR ENGINEERING PACKAGE
Information people can review, approve and build from.
The exact output depends on the agreed scope. A typical package combines controlled calculations, coordinated drawings, recorded assumptions and issue support.
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Brief and assumption review
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Calculations and drawings
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Engineering review and issue control
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Building Control and issue support
A clearer route to approval
Four practical steps. No mystery.
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Tell us about the project
Complete the quote form with the postcode, proposed work, project stage and any drawings or photographs you already have.
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Receive a fee proposal
We review the scope, location, complexity and timing, then confirm deliverables and a clear fee proposal.
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Engineer review
An engineer checks the information, confirms deliverables and advises whether a site visit is needed.
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Design, issue and support
Receive the agreed calculations, drawings or report, with Building Control support where included.
UK-WIDE ENGINEERING SUPPORT
Structural engineering across all four UK nations.
Hey Structure supports projects throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design work can often progress from reliable drawings and photographs, with UK-wide site visits arranged where inspection adds value.
NATIONWIDE COVERAGE
England
Site visits and remote design
Scotland
Scheduled visits and design
Wales
Site visits and design
Northern Ireland
Site visits and design
Remote design
From reliable drawings and photos
UK-wide visits
Travel confirmed in the proposal
THE WORDS YOU WILL HEAR
Structural language, translated.
Engineers, builders and Building Control officers share a shorthand that rarely gets explained to the person paying for the work. These are the terms that come up most often, and what each one actually means for your project.
Steel beam (RSJ)
The member that carries the load across a new opening once a wall comes out. It is sized from everything bearing on it — floors, roof and masonry above — not from the width of the opening alone.
Padstone
A dense concrete or engineered block set under each end of a beam. It spreads the load into the wall below so the bearing does not crush the masonry over time.
Bearing
The length of beam that genuinely sits on its support. Too short a bearing concentrates load in one place, and it is among the most common reasons a detail is queried on site.
Lintel
A smaller member spanning a window or door. Lintels carry local load only; a beam replacing a length of load-bearing wall usually carries a great deal more.
Deflection
How far a beam bends under load. Limits are applied so that plaster, tiling and glazing above it do not crack, even where strength alone would already be satisfied.
Temporary propping
The support that holds the structure up while a wall is removed and the new beam is fitted. It belongs in the design, not left to be improvised on site.
Approved Document A
The guidance covering structural safety under the Building Regulations in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland set equivalent requirements through their own technical standards.
Party wall award
The legal agreement governing work that affects a shared wall. It is a separate statutory process from Building Regulations and usually runs alongside the structural design.
Schedule of condition
A dated photographic record of a neighbouring property taken before work starts. It protects both owners if damage is alleged once the build is under way.
Not sure which of these apply to your project? Describe the work in plain English and an engineer will tell you what is actually needed.
Request a fixed-fee proposal
Common questions
What clients usually ask before starting.
What information do I need for a quote?
A brief project description, the postcode and any drawings or photographs you already have are usually enough for us to assess the enquiry and advise the next step.
Will I need a site visit?
Not always. Many design instructions can progress from suitable drawings and photographs. An engineer will confirm whether an inspection is required.
Are your calculations suitable for Building Control?
Yes. Design packages are prepared for Building Control review, subject to the agreed scope and the project information provided.
How quickly can you deliver?
Typical design packages take 3 to 10 working days depending on scope and complexity. Inspection-based reports follow the confirmed visit date.
What happens after I submit my project details?
An engineer reviews the information, identifies any missing details and confirms the appropriate scope. We then issue a clear fixed-fee proposal before appointment.
How much does a structural engineer cost?
The figures shown on this page are starting fees for a defined scope: calculations from £495 + VAT, load-bearing wall removal from £595 + VAT, and full extension or loft packages from £1,250 + VAT. The confirmed fee depends on the number of structural elements involved, the complexity of the existing building and whether a site visit is required. It is agreed in writing before any work begins.
Do I need a structural engineer or an architect?
They answer different questions. An architect shapes the space, the layout and the appearance. A structural engineer confirms how the building stands up once that change is made, and produces the calculations and details that Building Control will review. Larger projects usually need both; on smaller alterations, such as removing a single wall, an engineer alone is often enough.
What happens if Building Control queries the design?
Queries are a normal part of the process rather than a sign that something has gone wrong. Responding to questions on a scheme we have designed is part of the agreed scope. Where a query arises from information that was not available at the time of issue — an unexpected foundation, a different floor construction — we will explain what has changed and what it means before any further work is carried out.
What if the building is not what the drawings assumed?
Older buildings rarely match the assumptions made from photographs alone, which is why every design records the assumptions it relies on. If something opened up on site differs from that record, it should be raised before work continues so the affected element can be reviewed. Building from superseded information is the most common reason we are asked to resolve problems after the event.
START WITH CLARITY
Ready for a clear scope and fixed-fee proposal?
Share your postcode, project stage and available information through the quote form for an engineer-reviewed next step.