Structural building plans for London homes
Structural building plans show how a beam, wall opening or foundation carries its load, and Building Control expects to see them with a full plans Building Regulations application. DrawingsDirect prepares structural calculations for homes across London for a fixed fee from £745, whichever borough you are in.
Fixed fee from £745 · all prices
Prefer to talk it through?
What counts as a structural plan for a house?
Most householders need one because they are taking out part of a wall, adding a storey, digging down or building an extension. The plan and its calculations say what size of steel or timber is needed, where it sits and what it rests on, so a building control officer can check it and a builder can price it.
It is a different document from the planning drawings. Planning drawings describe how the building will look; structural information describes how it will stand up. Our guide to structural calculations explained walks through what the pages contain.
How much do structural calculations cost?
DrawingsDirect's fixed fee for structural calculations starts from £745. The price list on our pricing page shows the other services, so you can see which parts of a project are covered by one fee and which are separate.
The fixed fee is a starting point for the calculation work. The Building Control body's own charge is paid to it separately and is not part of our fee.
Section 6(1) covers excavating within three metres, measured horizontally, of an adjoining owner's building or structure, where the digging goes below the level of its foundations.
How long does Building Control take to check a full plans application?
Under regulation 14A(6) of the Building Regulations 2010, the authority must tell you the outcome of a full plans application within five weeks of receiving it, or within a longer period you agree with it in writing.
The five weeks run from receipt, so clear structural information at the outset keeps the officer from having to come back with questions. The Building Regulations drawings service is where the structural pages and the construction details come together.
When do the Party Wall Act distances apply?
Digging near a neighbour's house brings the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 into play. Section 6(1) covers excavating within three metres, measured horizontally, of an adjoining owner's building or structure, where the digging goes below the level of its foundations.
Section 6(2) widens that to six metres where the excavation meets a 45-degree plane drawn down from the neighbour's foundations. In both cases notice of the proposed excavation has to be served at least one month before the work starts (Party Wall etc. Act 1996, section 6). The official wording is on legislation.gov.uk.
Our guide to party wall agreements explains who serves what, and the structural drawings are usually what the neighbour's surveyor asks to see.
Find structural drawings for your borough
Each London council has its own Building Control service, and local conditions such as ground, listed buildings and conservation areas change what is asked of you. Pick the page closest to your address for the local picture:
Notting Hill, W11, Canning Town, E16, Islington, Barking and Dagenham, Collier Row, RM5, Hadley Wood, EN4 or Bexley. For the service overview, see structural drawings in London.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| three metres | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s6(1): excavating within three metres measured horizontally of an adjoining owner's building or structure below its foundations (source wording: three metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| six metres | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s6(2): excavating within six metres measured horizontally of an adjoining owner's building where it meets a 45-degree plane drawn down from its foundations (source wording: six metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| one month | Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s6(5): notice of the proposed excavation served at least one month before beginning to excavate (source wording: one month) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| five weeks | Building Regulations 2010 reg 14A(6): authority must notify the outcome of a full plans application within five weeks of receipt, or a longer period agreed in writing (source wording: five weeks) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £745 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for structural calculations, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
Questions people ask
Do I need structural drawings to remove a wall?
Are structural plans part of the planning application?
Do structural drawings cover the party wall notice?
Photographs: Peikko (Public Domain).
