Long straight road of brick terraced houses in Barking seen from a footbridge on a sunny day

Barking & Dagenham · London

Structural drawings in Barking and Dagenham

Removing a load-bearing wall, opening a loft or adding an extension in Barking and Dagenham moves weight onto new beams, and structural drawings prove those beams and their bearings will carry it, in a form Building Control can check. DrawingsDirect's structural calculations for a single beam or opening start from £745.

Fixed fee from £745 · all prices

Prefer to talk it through?

Call 020 7864 7245 WhatsApp us

What a structural drawing set is for

A planning drawing shows what the building will look like. A structural drawing shows what holds it up. When you take out a wall, open a loft or build out at the back, loads that used to run down one path have to be carried by another, and the calculation proves the new path works.

If you searched for floor planning in Dagenham, the layout stage comes first and has its own page: floor plans in Barking and Dagenham. Structure follows once the layout is settled, and our structural calculations explained guide walks through that order.

Where Building Control comes in

Structural alterations are controlled work, so the calculations go to Building Control with the rest of the package. On a full plans application the authority must notify its outcome within five weeks of receipt, or a longer period you agree in writing (Building Regulations 2010, regulation 14A(6)).

The wider submission is covered by our Building Regulations drawings service. Building Control charges its own fee on top of ours.

Metal stud partitions and plasterboard sheets during a conversion

Two-storey extension shell in white blockwork with open window holes beside a semi-detached house, a cement mixer and telehandler in front

Structural calculations for a single beam or opening start from £745.

Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026). www.planning.data.gov.uk

Shared walls and the Party Wall Act

Beams that bear into a wall you share with a neighbour usually trigger the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. A party structure notice is served at least two months before the proposed work begins (section 3(2)(a)), so the structural design is worth settling early. The party wall agreement guide explains who serves what, and the Act is on legislation.gov.uk.

Barking and Dagenham planning figures

The council made 388 householder decisions over the four quarters 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2, counting prior approvals, and 66% of them were granted (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2). Excluding prior approvals, the share decided within 8 weeks rounds to 100%.

Householder appeals tell a longer story. Of 166 householder appeals decided between 2021 and 2026, 30% were allowed (our analysis of the Planning Inspectorate Casework Database, release 2609). That is a record, not a forecast for your application.

The national register holds 4 conservation-area entries for the borough (our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset, snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026). Check the council's own conservation area map for your street.

DrawingsDirect sample structural sheet showing a steel beam and its bearings — Sample drawing

One beam, or a whole floor

Structural calculations for a single beam or opening start from £745. A job with several beams or a new floor costs more, and we confirm its fixed fee once we have seen the project; send your address and a line on the work through the form. The pricing page lists our other services.

Data

Sources

Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.

Figure	Source	Link
£745	DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for structural calculations for a single beam or opening, from the published price list	drawingsdirect.co.uk
five weeks	Building Regulations 2010 reg 14A(6): the authority must notify the outcome of a full plans application within five weeks of receipt, or a longer agreed period (source wording: "within five weeks beginning with the date the application is received")	www.legislation.gov.uk
two months	Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s3(2)(a): a party structure notice is served at least two months before the proposed work begins (source wording: "at least two months before the date on which the proposed work will begin")	www.legislation.gov.uk
388	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
66%	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
100%	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
166	Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609))	www.gov.uk
30%	Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609))	www.gov.uk
4	Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026)	www.planning.data.gov.uk

FAQ

Questions people ask

Do I need structural calculations to remove a wall in Barking?

If the wall carries load from above, yes. Building Control will want to see the beam sized and the bearings checked before work starts.

Can you work from drawings I already have?

If they are accurate, yes. If not, a measured survey gives a reliable base before any calculation is run.

Is the council fee included in your price?

No. Our fee covers the structural drawings and calculations. Building Control charges separately.

Photographs: Des Blenkinsopp (CC BY-SA 2.0); David Hawgood (CC BY-SA 2.0); Peikko (Public Domain).