Swindon & Wiltshire
Looking for a structural engineer in Swindon? We provide fixed-fee structural calculations from £245 for wall removals, loft conversions, extensions, chimney breast removals and RSJ beam designs across Swindon and the wider Wiltshire area. Building Control-ready in 24 to 72 hours.
We work remotely from your photos, drawings and dimensions. No site visit is needed for most residential projects. Calculations arrive by email, signed and ready for Swindon Borough Council Building Control or your Registered Building Control Approver.
We respond to Swindon enquiries within one working day.
Most residential structural engineering jobs in Swindon cost between £245 and £1,500. All fees are fixed and confirmed in writing before we start.
| Service | Typical Fee | What Is Included |
|---|---|---|
| RSJ beam calculation | £245 to £450 | Beam sizing, padstone design, masonry bearing checks |
| Load bearing wall removal | £300 to £600 | Full Building Control calculation pack and drawing |
| Chimney breast removal | £350 to £700 | Multi-floor calculations, stack support, padstone details |
| Loft conversion structural design | £395 to £1,200 | Floor joists, ridge beam, dormer framing, padstones |
| Rear extension structural package | £600 to £1,500 | Opening beam, foundations, roof structure, connections |
| Structural report or defect assessment | £350 to £900 | Cracks, movement, pre-purchase, subsidence assessment |
We cover all common residential structural engineering across Swindon and Wiltshire. Every project is completed or reviewed by a Chartered Engineer and delivered in a format ready for Building Control submission.
Steel beam calculations for load bearing wall removals across Swindon from £245. We size the RSJ, specify the padstones and check the masonry bearings. Building Control-ready within 24 to 72 hours. See our guide to load bearing wall removal.
Floor joist design, ridge beam or steel purlin, dormer framing and padstone details for loft conversions across Swindon and Wiltshire from £395. We check the existing roof structure before specifying anything. Full Building Control pack included. See our loft conversion structural design guide.
Opening beam design, foundation specification and roof structural design for rear extensions in Swindon from £600. We coordinate with your architect or builder and produce a complete Building Control-ready pack. See our extension structural engineering guide.
Chimney breast removal is more structurally involved than most homeowners expect. If you are removing at ground floor but retaining the breast above, the first-floor breast must be supported on a new beam. We calculate each floor separately. Swindon chimney breast removal calculations from £350.
Large openings for bifold or sliding doors need a properly designed steel beam. We size the beam, specify the padstones and check the load path from the wall above. Get the calculations before ordering the door — beam size and pocket details affect the frame installation. From £245. See our bifold door structural calculations.
Every calculation pack we produce includes a structural drawing your builder can follow on site. Swindon Borough Council Building Control and Registered Building Control Approvers both accept our drawings. We respond to inspector queries at no extra cost.
Swindon has one of the most varied housing stocks of any town its size in England. Understanding the construction method before specifying any structural element is essential — and it is one of the reasons we always ask for photos before confirming any scope or fee.
The older parts of Swindon, including Old Town and the streets around Faringdon Road, have solid brick construction typical of late Victorian and Edwardian terraces. Internal walls in these properties often carry floor joists and sometimes a roof purlin. The ground-floor wall between the front reception and back kitchen is almost always load bearing in these houses. Padstones in solid brick walls behave differently from cavity wall construction, and we specify accordingly.
The railway village properties around Emlyn Square are some of the oldest in Swindon, built for Great Western Railway workers in the 1840s. These cottages use a mix of brick and local limestone construction. If you are working on a property in this area, tell us upfront — the structural specification may differ from a standard Victorian terrace.
The major post-war expansion of Swindon from the 1950s through to the 1980s produced large estates across the north and west of the town. Freshbrook, Walcot, Toothill and Park North are predominantly cavity-built properties — a mix of brick outer leaf, block inner leaf, and concrete ground floors. The structural picture in these homes is different from Victorian terraces.
Cavity walls distribute loads differently, and the inner block leaf matters when it comes to padstone sizing. Timber ground floors in some 1960s properties can complicate wall removal calculations if floor joists run in both directions. We identify the construction type from your photos before confirming any specification.
The newer developments around Wichelstowe, Great Western Park and Kingshill use modern timber frame and traditional masonry construction, often to current Part A Building Regulations. These properties are generally well-documented and the structural implications of alterations are more predictable — but they still require calculations for any load-bearing alteration. Timber frame properties in particular need careful assessment before any wall removal because the structural system is fundamentally different from masonry.
A beam that works in a solid brick Victorian terrace is not automatically correct for a 1970s cavity-built semi. Padstone sizes depend on the masonry type, the bearing stress and the load path through the wall. We never issue a beam size without checking the construction from photos or drawings first.
This approach is also why we ask for photos of the room above as well as the wall being removed. What sits above the wall — floor joists, another wall, a staircase, a chimney — affects the load the beam must carry and therefore the beam size and connection details.
Structural alterations cover any work that changes how your property carries load. Here is how that applies to the most common projects we handle across Swindon.
Swindon Borough Council Building Control requires structural calculations before approving any load bearing wall removal. This applies whether you are using Full Plans or a Building Notice route. The calculation pack must be prepared by a qualified structural engineer and must include beam sizing, padstone specification, masonry bearing checks, and a structural drawing.
Building Control will inspect before the beam is installed. Covering the steel before the inspector has visited can cause significant delays to your project. We produce the calculation pack quickly so you can notify Building Control and get the inspection scheduled without holding up your builder.
Loft conversions are popular across Swindon's estate housing because adding a loft room is often more cost-effective than moving to a larger property. The structural engineering for a loft conversion involves more than just sizing the floor joists. The existing roof structure needs assessing, the ridge beam or steel purlin needs designing, and any dormer requires its own structural framing.
In the post-war estates, some properties have trussed rafter roofs rather than traditional cut roofs. Trussed rafter roofs require more extensive structural work before a loft conversion is viable, because the trusses span the full width of the house and cannot simply be cut out. We identify the roof type from your photos before confirming the scope. See our loft conversion cost guide for typical project budgets.
A straightforward process from your first enquiry to a Building Control-ready calculation pack.
Send photos of the wall, floor, roof or structure, a rough plan or estate agent layout, the proposed opening width or project description, and your postcode. No formal drawings required to get started.
We review your photos and confirm a fixed fee in writing before any work begins. No surprises, no hourly rates. If we need anything more to quote accurately, we will tell you what and why.
A Chartered Structural Engineer completes the beam design, padstone specification, foundation details or loft structural package. Every calculation is checked before issue.
The completed calculation pack and structural drawing arrive by email as PDF files. Formatted for Swindon Borough Council Building Control or your Registered Building Control Approver. We answer any inspector queries included in the fixed fee.
Recent feedback from homeowners and builders across England and Wales.
"Fast, clear calculations and a drawing the builder could actually follow. Building Control approved without any queries. The fixed fee made it easy to budget."
Homeowner, kitchen knock-through
"Loft conversion calculations delivered in under three days. The engineer checked the existing roof first and flagged a trussed rafter issue before we committed to the builder's quote. Saved us money."
Homeowner, loft conversion
"Rear extension steelwork designed quickly and the drawings were exactly what the architect needed. Responsive to questions and no hidden costs."
Builder, rear extension
We cover Swindon and the surrounding Wiltshire area. All work is handled remotely from your drawings and photos.
Common questions from Swindon homeowners and builders.
Structural engineer fees in Swindon typically range from £245 for a single RSJ beam calculation to £1,500 for a full extension structural package. Wall removal calculations are £300 to £600. Loft conversion structural design is £395 to £1,200. Chimney breast removal calculations start from £350. All fees are fixed and confirmed before we start. See our full structural engineer cost guide for a complete breakdown.
Yes, if the wall is load bearing. Swindon Borough Council Building Control will not approve a load bearing wall removal without structural calculations from a qualified engineer. The calculations must cover the beam size, padstone specification and load path. Your builder cannot choose the beam size — it must be specified by an engineer. RSJ calculations for Swindon properties start from £245.
No. Most residential structural projects in Swindon do not require a site visit. We work from your photos, drawings, dimensions and descriptions. This keeps costs lower and turnaround faster — most wall removal calculations are ready within 48 hours. If a site visit is genuinely needed for a complex or unusual project, we discuss this upfront and include it in the fixed quote.
RSJ beam and wall removal calculations are typically ready in 24 to 72 hours. Chimney breast removal calculations take 3 to 5 working days. Loft conversion structural packs take 3 to 7 working days. Extension structural packages take 5 to 10 working days. We will confirm the turnaround when you enquire so you can plan the build programme.
Yes. Our structural engineering service covers Swindon and the wider Wiltshire area including Chippenham, Marlborough, Royal Wootton Bassett, Calne, Devizes and Highworth. Because we work remotely, your location within Wiltshire makes no difference to the fee or turnaround time.
We work on all residential property types found across Swindon and Wiltshire — Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Old Town and Faringdon Road, post-war cavity-built estate properties in Freshbrook, Walcot, Toothill and Park North, and modern timber frame and masonry properties in newer developments such as Wichelstowe. Each construction type has different structural characteristics, and we check the construction method before confirming any beam size or specification.
Yes. We provide a free, fixed quote for all Swindon and Wiltshire structural engineering enquiries. Send us your drawings, photos or a project description and we will confirm a fixed fee — usually the same working day. All fees are confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Fill in the form and we will review your details and send a fixed price by return. We are engineers, not salespeople.
Fixed fees, fast turnaround and Building Control-ready calculations every time. Call us on 07359 267907 or fill in the quote form above and we will come back to you the same working day.
