Basement Conversions
Cellar conversions, full dig outs, underpinning and tanking, matched to a basement specialist covering your area.
Groundwork And Structural Work In London, Right At The Bottom
Foundations, excavation, drainage, underpinning and steel beam installation. Send the site detail and we route it to a groundwork contractor.
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Structural & Groundworks In London
Groundwork is the part of a build nobody sees and everybody pays for twice if it is wrong. Foundation depth, drainage runs, what the subsoil is doing and where the services are buried all get settled before the first course of bricks.
London adds its own complications: clay that moves, mature trees with protection orders, Victorian drainage nobody has mapped and sites with no room for a lorry. Tell us the site and we route it to a contractor who works on ground like that. Where the numbers matter as much as the dig, quantity surveying runs alongside.
Site Preparation And Excavation
Getting a site ready is its own job, particularly on a tight London plot where there is nowhere to put the spoil and the only access is through a side return.
- Site clearance, reduced dig and muck away
- Service location before anything is broken out
- Working around protected trees and root zones
- Access, hoarding and neighbour protection
Foundations And Structural Concrete
Which foundation you get is a soil and engineering decision, not a price decision. On London clay near trees the depth is often considerably more than people have budgeted for.
- Trench fill and strip foundations
- Piled foundations where ground or trees require it
- Reinforced slabs, ground beams and pile caps
- Retaining structures and substructure walls
Underpinning And Structural Alterations
Work to a structure that already exists is the riskier half of this trade, which is why it is governed by an engineer's design rather than site judgement.
- Underpinning in engineered sequences
- Steel beam installation for openings
- Removing load-bearing walls with temporary support
- Drainage diversion and new connections
How A Structural & Groundworks Enquiry Runs
Describe The Site
The property, what is being built and anything you already know about the ground, the trees or the drains. Engineer's drawings if you have them.
We Match The Contractor
Domestic foundations, underpinning and commercial civils are different outfits with different plant. The enquiry goes to the right one.
They Price The Ground
They assess access, spoil removal and the engineering requirement, then quote. Structural work follows an engineer's design throughout.
Get The Groundwork Priced
Send the site details and any engineer's drawings and we will put a groundwork contractor in touch.
The Kind Of Work That Comes Through
Surveying, structure, extensions and finishing across London property.
Where We Work
RCRO Building works across London and the towns and villages within 20 miles.
Towns And Villages
- London
- City of Westminster
- Islington
- Chelsea
- Battersea
- Holloway
- Brixton
- Peckham
- Fulham
- Archway
- Shepherds Bush
- Canary Wharf
- Stamford Hill
- Willesden
- Cricklewood
- Putney
- Streatham
- Stratford
- Chiswick
- Catford
- Canning Town
- Acton
- Wimbledon
- Tottenham
- Finchley
- Leytonstone
- Walthamstow
- Mitcham
- Wembley
- Beckenham
- Brent
- Morden
- Edmonton
- Eltham
- Croydon
- Barking
- Ilford
- Carshalton
- Enfield Town
- Chingford
- Greenford
- Harrow
- South Croydon
- Hounslow
- Welling
- Southall
- Thamesmead
- Heston
- Surbiton
- Sutton
- Becontree
- Purley
- Borehamwood
- Ewell
- Bexley
- Hayes
- Dagenham
- Feltham
- Banstead
- Ruislip
- Epsom
- Cheshunt
- Esher
- Romford
- Dartford
- Watford
- Uxbridge
- North Watford
- Staines
- Leatherhead
- Hatfield
- Hoddesdon
- Redhill
- St Albans
- Grays
Structural & Groundworks Questions
How much does groundwork cost?
It is the least predictable element of a build, because it depends on what is under the ground rather than what is on the drawing. Trees, clay, old foundations and buried services all move the figure, and none of them can be priced from a description.
What foundation type is right for my site?
That is a structural engineer's decision, taken from a soil investigation and the distance to any significant trees. On London clay near mature trees, piled foundations or much deeper trench fill are common.
Do I need permission or permits for groundwork?
The building work needs building regulations approval and often planning. Separately, anything in the highway, a skip, a crossover or a hoarding needs a licence from the local authority, and building near or over a public sewer needs the water authority's agreement.
Will underpinning affect my neighbours?
If you are attached or working near the boundary, almost certainly, and it falls under the Party Wall Act. Notices have to be served and the adjoining owner can appoint their own surveyor at your cost.
How do you handle drainage and buried services?
Properly done, services are located before anything is dug, not found with a bucket. Existing drainage often has to be diverted or rebuilt, and in older London properties the actual run rarely matches any drawing.
Is the contractor insured and qualified for structural work?
Ask them directly and ask to see it. Structural alterations should be carried out to a structural engineer's design and signed off by building control, and that paperwork matters when you come to sell.
Related Building Work
House Extensions
Rear, side return, wrap around and double storey extensions, matched to an extension builder covering your area.
Quantity Surveying
Cost planning, procurement and commercial management on London projects, from feasibility through to the final account.
Quick Quote Online For Groundwork
Tell us about the job and we will put you in contact with a trade who does that work in your area.
- Costs you nothing and commits you to nothing
- Detail helps: drawings, photographs, a rough budget
- The trade quotes you directly, not us
Quick Quote Online
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