Remote structural assessment — UK chartered SE

Your structural question.
Answered in 48 hours.

Photograph your wall, sketch your floor plan, answer a few questions. A chartered structural engineer delivers a stamped assessment — no site visit needed.

Basic / Pro
£250
per assessment
Advanced / Elite
£200
per assessment
Save £50
SiteBrief — Remote Structural Assessment
Powered by SiteBrief
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Import from property listing
Rightmove · Zoopla · OnTheMarket · Land Registry
Floor plan found — 3-bed semi-detached · 87m² · Ground floor loaded. Mark the wall you want to remove.
or sketch your floor plan
Tap to place points
Double-tap to end wall
mm
Floor above the wall? Critical
Roof type above? Critical
Traditional cut roofs often bear purlins onto internal walls. This wall may carry significant roof load — critical for beam sizing.
Masonry above the beam? Important
A chimney or gable above significantly increases beam load. The SE will need to calculate masonry weight and bearing area.
Wall construction?
What does the wall bear onto at each end? Padstone sizing
Approximate property age?
Assessment summary
Proposed openingNot entered
Floor above—
Joist direction—
Roof type—
Masonry above—
Wall construction—
End bearing—
Property age—
Required photos — upload before submitting
Full refund if the SE determines a site visit is required or the job is outside scope. Turnaround: 48–72 hours from confirmation.
Assessment fee
Based on your SiteBrief membership
£200
Chartered structural engineer
Stamped calculations — Building Control ready
48–72 hour turnaround
Full refund if out of scope

How it works

1
Sketch or import your floor plan
Paste your Rightmove URL and we pull the floor plan automatically. Or sketch from scratch on the grid — mark the wall to remove and enter the critical span dimension.
"3-bed Victorian semi — want to knock through kitchen to dining room"
2
Answer the load questions
Seven questions covering what's above the beam — floor joists, roof type, chimney stack. This is what determines the beam size. Takes 3 minutes.
"Attic truss roof — perpendicular joists — no masonry above"
3
Upload your photos
Six required photos — both sides of the wall, loft space, opening marked up. Guided checklist tells you exactly what to capture and where to stand.
Wall both sides · loft above · opening marked · joist direction
4
SE delivers in 48–72 hours
Stamped structural calculation pack, beam specification, padstone detail and a pre-populated contractor brief ready to send to your builder via WhatsApp link.
Universal column over opening — padstone each end — section and bearing to SE specification

What's covered

✓ Fixed fee — £200 / £250
✓Single beam knockthrough — wall removal, beam sizing, padstone spec. One span, clear load path. The most common residential job.
✓Lintel sizing & schedule — up to 4 lintels over standard window and door openings. Catnic, Birtley or equivalent specified by size and load.
✓Padstone sizing — bearing area confirmation for an existing or proposed beam. One calculation. People routinely pay £300 for this.
✓Non load bearing confirmation — written SE sign-off that a wall is non-structural before your builder takes it down. Desk study from photos and floor plan.
✓Loft hatch / roof opening — trimmer and header sizing for a new loft hatch through ceiling joists. Simple calculation, commonly overpaid for.
✓Timber deck or pergola — joist sizing, post sizing, connection check. Garden setting, no habitable space above, low consequence.
✓Existing steel beam — safe load check — confirm an existing RSJ or UC is adequate for a new load. Section check from known size and span.
✓Timber joist sizing — new floor or replacement joists. Span, centres and load specified per TRADA tables. Hanger and bearing details included.
Tier 2 / Tier 3 members — £200  ·  Tier 0 / Tier 1 — £250
? Get a quote — priced per job
?Single storey rear extension — indicative beam over opening, wall head restraint, basic load path review. Not a full extension design but enough to get your builder started.
?Steel post to existing beam — introducing a mid-span column to support an existing beam. Point load calculation and connection detail. Common on open plan remodels.
?Garage conversion — slab adequacy, lintel over new opening, load path review. Ground conditions and slab spec add variables — SE quotes once survey reviewed.
?Foundation adequacy — extension — existing strip foundation capacity for a proposed extension load. Depends on available information and ground conditions.
?Complex or unusual construction — period properties, stone walls, chimney stacks in the load path, non-standard spans. SE reviews your survey and confirms whether fixed fee applies or quotes bespoke.
?Multiple beams — same project — more than one knockthrough or structural change in the same project. Often more efficient to quote as a package.
✗ Out of scope — full refund if encountered
✗New build structural design — requires full SE appointment and site visits
✗Commercial or industrial structures of any type
✗Buildings over 3 storeys — increased consequence class
✗Listed buildings or scheduled ancient monuments
✗Jobs requiring ground investigation, trial pits or site testing
✗Anything the SE determines requires a mandatory site visit
SB
SB Structural Engineering
UK-based Chartered Structural Engineer · Residential specialist
48h
Typical turnaround
PI
Fully insured
UK
Building Control ready
"A virtual load assessment for a standard residential knock-through is straightforward with the right information. The SiteBrief photo survey and load question flow provides everything needed — no site visit required in the vast majority of cases."

Assessment pricing

SiteBrief members get £50 off every assessment. Upgrade pays for itself.

Tier 0
£250
Free SiteBrief tier
Full stamped structural assessment · 48–72hr turnaround · Building Control ready
Tier 1
£250
£20/mo — Tier 1
Full stamped structural assessment · 48–72hr turnaround · Building Control ready
Tier 2
£200
£40/mo — Tier 2
Save £50 per assessment
At one assessment per year — Tier 2 pays for itself in month one
Tier 3
£200
£70/mo — Tier 3
Priority 24hr turnaround
Tier 3 members get queue priority — assessment delivered within 24 hours

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Create your free account

Sign up to submit your assessment. Tier 2 and Tier 3 members automatically get the £200 rate.

Secure payment via Stripe. Full refund if job is out of scope.