If you're removing or altering a load-bearing wall, building an extension, converting your loft, or building a new home — you'll almost certainly need a structural engineer. Building Control will require calculations to approve the work, and your builder will need them to know what steel beam or structural element to install. It's not just a box-ticking exercise; it's what keeps your home safe and standing correctly.

I work out what your building is doing structurally — how loads travel through the roof, floors and walls — and then design the solution that keeps everything safe when you make changes. That usually means visiting your home, carrying out calculations, and producing a report with drawings and specifications that your builder can work from and Building Control can approve.

Not always. For small straightforward projects, like removing a wall or making small changes to roof structures we can make our site visit to measure the areas which are to be changed, gather details on the loads and then design the steel, timber or masonry elements required. The calculation document we produce can then be handed over to your chosen builder and Building Control. For larger projects, extensions and loft conversions we require architectural drawings to work from. The structural design is just one part of the process and detailed drawings from an Architect are essential to cover items such as insulation, fire protection, access for Building Control approval. They are often required to obtain planning approval in the first instance. Send me your plans for a quote and breakdown of what we can help you with. dean@lloydstructural.co.uk