Not every internal wall is load-bearing, but plenty of walls that look purely decorative are quietly carrying floor joists or roof loads from above. The only reliable way to know is to check what's directly above the wall on the floor plan, not to guess from its thickness or position.
Working out if the wall is load-bearing
We look at what the wall lines up with on the floor above — if joists run perpendicular to the wall and it sits under a similar wall upstairs, or under a valley or hip in the roof structure, it's almost certainly carrying load. Walls running parallel to the joists, with nothing significant stacked above, are more often non-structural partitions, but this still needs checking rather than assuming, especially in older houses where later alterations have sometimes moved things around.
In a lot of Victorian and Edwardian semis and terraces in Kent, the wall between front and back reception rooms is load-bearing, carrying the upstairs partition wall and part of the roof structure — which is exactly the wall most people want opened up for a through-lounge or kitchen-diner.
Temporary support while the wall comes out
Before a single brick or stud comes out of a load-bearing wall, temporary support — usually adjustable steel props under a strong timber needle or Acrow-supported beam either side of the wall line — takes over the load the wall was carrying. This isn't a formality; it's what stops the floor or roof above dropping the moment the permanent wall is disturbed.
The props stay in place until the new steel or timber beam is installed, padstones are built up under each end to spread the load into the masonry below, and the beam has taken up the full load. Only then does the temporary support come out.
The engineer's calculation
A structural engineer calculates the beam size based on the span, the load coming down from above (roof, floor, any point loads from walls stacked above), and what the beam is bearing onto at each end. This produces a specification — beam size, steel grade, padstone dimensions, and often a note on whether the existing foundation below needs checking or strengthening to take the new concentrated point loads at each end of the beam.
This calculation is what building control checks against on site, and it's also what protects you if a buyer's surveyor questions the opening years later — a properly calculated and signed-off beam with a completion certificate closes that question immediately.
- Beam size and type specified by an engineer, not a rule of thumb
- Padstones sized to spread the new point load into the wall or foundation below
- Existing foundations checked where the new point loads are significant
What the finished opening looks like structurally
Once the beam is in, it's usually cased in plasterboard to sit flush with the ceiling, though some clients now leave a shallow, boxed steel visible as a design feature or fit a decorative timber beam casing over it. Either way, the structural beam itself doesn't move once it's installed and signed off — the finish around it is purely cosmetic.
Where the removed wall reaches an external wall, that junction needs making good properly, including checking whether the external wall needs a pier or additional support at that point now the internal wall is no longer tying it back.
Building control sign-off
This work falls under the Building Regulations because it's a structural alteration, so it needs notification, an inspection of the temporary support and beam installation before it's covered up, and a completion certificate once finished. As with chimney breast removal, this certificate matters at resale — solicitors ask for it as a matter of course for any visible or known wall removal.
How disruptive it is and how long it takes
For a single internal wall opening in a typical semi, the structural work itself — propping, removing the wall, installing the beam, building padstones — is usually a matter of days, followed by making good the ceiling, walls and floor junctions, which takes longer depending on the finish. It's dusty and noisy work while the wall comes out, and we sheet the rest of the house off to contain it, but it's one of the shorter structural jobs we do relative to the difference it makes to a layout.
Common questions
How do I know if my wall is load-bearing before calling anyone?
A rough guide is checking the loft or floor above for joist direction and whether a wall sits above in the same line, but this isn't reliable enough to act on alone — always get it confirmed by a professional before any wall comes out, since assuming wrong can mean a serious structural problem.
Can the wall come out in one day?
The wall itself can come down quickly once temporary support is in, but the sequence — propping, careful removal, beam installation, padstones, then curing time for any wet trades — usually spans several days even for a single opening.
Will removing the wall need the floor above checking too?
If the wall was supporting the floor joists directly, yes — the new beam takes over that role, but the engineer will also check whether the floor construction either side needs any additional strapping or support once the wall's restraint is gone.
Does the new opening need a lintel as well as a beam?
The beam is doing the structural job a lintel would do over a smaller opening — for a full wall removal you generally don't need both, the beam is sized to do the whole job of spanning and carrying the load above.
Can I leave the steel beam exposed as a feature?
Yes, plenty of clients now want this look rather than boxing it in — it needs to be agreed before installation so the right beam finish and fire protection (where required) is specified from the start rather than added afterwards.