07542 569 403 office@akjohnbuilders.co.uk
A K John Building & Refurbishment

OUR SERVICES

Structural alterations in Oldham and Greater Manchester

Wall removals, new openings and steel installations for a more open home.

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Tell us what you want to do. No obligation either way.

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WHAT IT INVOLVES

What structural alteration involves

Wall removals, new openings and steel installations for a more open home.

What you get

A wall out between two rooms, a wide opening formed, a chimney breast removed, or a steel in to carry what the wall was carrying.

The order is not negotiable

Establish what the wall holds up, size the beam for it, prop before a brick moves, then cut. Getting this wrong is not a cosmetic problem.

The one people forget

Taking a chimney breast out downstairs leaves the rest of the stack above it needing support. It comes up constantly in terraced stock.

A new arched opening formed between a room and a ground floor wet room, plastered and painted

IN THE QUOTE

What is in the quote

  • Establishing what the wall actually carries before anything is priced
  • Structural calculations for the beam, by somebody qualified to produce them
  • Temporary support and propping while the wall comes out
  • The beam, the padstones or spreaders, and the bearing at each end
  • Making good to ceilings, walls and floors on both sides of the opening
  • A clear statement of what needs building control involvement, so you can arrange it

The one job here where cheap is dangerous rather than disappointing. What the wall carries is a question with one right answer.

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HOW WE DO IT

How a structural alteration job actually goes

Four steps, start to finish, so you know what happens and when.

  1. 01

    Tell us which wall you want gone

    A knock through, a wider opening, or a doorway moved. Photos of both sides of the wall, and of the ceiling above it, are the useful ones.

  2. 02

    Whether it is holding anything up

    We look at what sits above the wall and which way the joists run. If it is structural it needs a beam sized by an engineer, and that is arranged before anything is priced, not after.

  3. 03

    A written quote with the steel in it

    The beam, the padstones, propping, making good, and the finish on both sides. Building control is the council's decision and the quote says where it applies.

  4. 04

    Propped, cut, steel in, made good

    The opening is propped before a brick moves, the steel goes on its padstones, and the props stay until it is carrying properly. Then it is boarded, plastered and finished.

THREE WAYS TO START

Talk to us about your structural alteration

Whichever is easiest. You get the same answer from all three.

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Or send it in a minute

Three boxes and a photo if you have one.

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PAST WORK

Recent structural alterations

Photographs of his own work.

The finished arch with its ceiling light, looking through into the tiled bathroom
The finished arch with its ceiling light, looking through into the tiled bathroom
Through the new arch into the finished bathroom
Through the new arch into the finished bathroom
New stud partitions framed out in a commercial unit, ready for boarding
New stud partitions framed out in a commercial unit, ready for boarding

Call us for your structural alteration quote

A written quote, itemised, with no obligation.

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USEFUL TO KNOW

Structural questions

How do I know if a wall is load bearing?

You often cannot tell by looking, and the usual shortcuts are unreliable. Direction of the joists above, what is directly over it on the floor above and what is in the roof all have to be looked at together. It is established before a price is given, not assumed.

Does this need building control?

Structural alterations generally do, and that is a good thing rather than a hurdle: it is the check that the beam is right. The application is not handled on your behalf here. What you get is a clear statement of what needs it, so you can arrange it with the council or an approved inspector.

Can a chimney breast be removed?

Usually, and the important question is what happens to what is above it. Removing one downstairs leaves the stack above needing support, and gallows brackets are not automatically the right answer. It is a job that has to be designed, not improvised.

Will the ceiling crack afterwards?

A small amount of settlement cracking at the junctions is normal on any opening and gets made good. Cracks that keep coming back are a different matter and mean something was not right, which is why the propping and the bearing are worth paying attention to at the start.

Often booked alongside

Bathroom refurbishmentsBrickwork and repointingGroundworks and foundationsAreas we cover

GET A PRICE

Tell us about your job

Three boxes and a photo if you have one. We price it in writing, with no obligation.

Goes straight to Andrew John. No obligation.

Where we work from

Based in Oldham, covering Greater Manchester.

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