What a structural package covers on a Richmond upon Thames project
The moment a wall comes out or a new floor goes in, something has to carry the load that wall or floor was holding — and building control will not accept "it looks strong enough". The engineer traces the load path: the weight of the roof, floors and walls above is gathered into a beam, the beam is sized in steel or timber to carry it within safe deflection, and that load is passed through padstones into the masonry and down to the ground. On Richmond upon Thames's Victorian and Edwardian villas and terraces, Georgian houses near the river and interwar semis in the outer wards, the spans and loads differ house to house, so every calculation is specific to the property.
The deliverable is two things that work together: the calculations, which show the maths an approved inspector can check, and the structural drawings, which turn that maths into something a builder can order and fit — a beam schedule with sizes and lengths, bearing and padstone details, and connection notes. The borough's exceptional conservation coverage means design detail and materials are scrutinised closely, and the calculations are drawn to sit alongside the architectural set rather than contradict it. Everything is signed by a chartered or incorporated engineer carrying professional indemnity insurance.
Older Richmond upon Thames stock — the kind found across Richmond Green, Twickenham Riverside, Kew Green, Ham Common and East Sheen (Sheen Common) — often hides the real structural question: shallow Victorian foundations, timber that has been notched by past work, or a wall that turns out to be load-bearing when the drawings assumed otherwise. Richmond is one of London's most conservation-heavy boroughs, with widespread Article 4 directions — on many streets even minor external alterations that would be permitted development elsewhere need a full application. A survey-based calculation catches this before the wall is opened, not after.
