Get Your Calcs
Simply upload your Architectural plans or measured survey sketches and indicate which service you require using our simple project enquiry form below to receive your fee quote
Once we have received your calculation enquiry form we will assess your submitted plans and supporting information and email your bespoke fee proposal to you.
We aim to respond to your initial enquiry within 24 hours…
Please ensure you provide us with both existing and proposed plan and elevation drawings (sections if available) to a recognised scale or fully dimensioned measured survey sketches in either PDF or CAD format.
It is important that you provide us with detailed plans, measured survey sketches and supplementary supporting information. This enables us to assess your project holistically and give you a fee proposal which is accurate to your requirements.
Please do not send us screen grabs or photographs as we will simply not work from this information. We will not accept links to assess plans as we take our own security and the security of our clients seriously.
FAQs
What are Structural Calculations?
Structural Calculations are concerned with the assessment of a material and its ability to withstand applied stresses and strains. A good example within a domestic home improvement project would be a steel beam or a roof or floor joist.
The loads applied to the structure come in two forms. The first is dead load and the second is live loads. Dead loading, simply put, consists of the material itself and any permanent applied finishes. Consider a masonry cavity wall in a traditional dwelling house. We have the masonry outer leaf, cavity insulation, internal blockwork and a plasterboard and skim finish. The sum of all these elements gives the total dead load per m2. Live loading is primarily concerned with gravity loads. Examples of common live loads encountered in domestic construction are primarily. Snow loads, wind loads and people and furniture.
Once the loading has been determined it is applied to the material, be it a steel beam or timber joist. Calculations following formats given in British Standards are then used to determine if the member is suitable for its intended purpose.
How long does it take for structural calculations to be produced?
Our beam calculation packages usually take around 2 to 3 days for straight forward single beam calculations and minor schemes and 10 to 14 days for more complex arrangements from initial appointment to PDF issue and delivery.
We do have a priority ‘FASTRACK‘ service available for single beam calculations if time is a factor. Simply indicate if you would like this service in your initial enquiry and we can adjust our fees to suit. This service is only available for schemes presented to us before 10am. Your beam calculations will be emailed to you by close of business that same working day.
Please Note: At busy periods we may run over our estimated scheduled time scale but we will always keep you updated and you can email us any time for a progress update at [email protected].
Do I need architect drawn plans to use this service?
Emailing us detailed Architectural plans allows us to consider the scheme holistically as often specialist supports and extra checks and calculations are required in addition to the main supporting steel beams to allow approval under Building Regulations 2010. We will always advise you if we feel additional checks and beam calculations are required and of any additional extra fee these may ecru.
Please note for anything other than simply supported single beams we will only work from detailed Architectural plans to a recognised scale. The plans must include existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and sections, if available.
If you wish to discuss your scheme please email us at [email protected] or call 07376 805039 and we will be happy to discuss your proposals.
How much do structural calculations cost?
We do not have a minimum set fee like a lot of our competitors. We assess all projects individually and our fee proposal is bespoke to the scheme. There is a lot more to inserting a steel beam into a building than stating an opening size!
We will only quote for work having first seen your Architectural plans or survey drawings. The drawings must include all floor plans and elevations and sections if available. You may think you only require a simple beam calculating but you may need other elements of structure looking at and checking as a result of removing a load bearing wall. A common occurrence is when the wall to be removed is acting as a buttress to a supported wall, or removal would result in a slender pier being left. So please don’t ask for a fee over the telephone as we will politely refuse!
Take a look on our recent projects page for examples of some past schemes.
Do you carry out site surveys?
Our core business is online working from detailed Architectural Plans, Specifications, and Photographs. This is how we are able to keep our fees at a cost-effective price as we do not need to charge for site visits which can cost up to £200 per visit! However, we can visit your property to carry out a survey if we feel your Architect has not provided you with the details which we require to undertake our services. Please email us in the first instance or call us to discuss your requirements.
Our Fees are as follows:
On Site Survey £200.00
On Site Inspection £200.00
Can you act as our agent with the local authority?
Yes we would be glad to assist you. We understand that finding an engineer and project managing information between Building Control and Builders can be frustrating and time consuming. We can act as your Appointed agent and deal directly with your Building Inspector on structural matters for a fixed fee of £150 per application. Just let us know if you require this service at the time of your enquiry and we will adjust the fee accordingly.
How do I pay for your steel beam design service?
If you are happy with our fee offer we will simply email you an electronic invoice for the agreed fee amount. You can pay for our services quickly online with all major debit or credit cards or through our website dedicated payments portal. We also accept PayPal and BACS payments. We now accept telephone card payments. Please note, we do not accept cheques. Full payment details are on all of our invoices.
We take your security and privacy seriously and our online banking portal is secured by Worldpay and Norton.
Please note it is company policy that no calculations, sketches or drawings, leave our office until payment has been received in full.
Unfortunately due to a very small minority of dishonest people, we needed to implement this strict policy of no payment no calculations. This is simply to protect our time. As a small business pursuing debts is simply not an option.
What if building control ask for further information?
Our aim is to ensure you are 100% satisfied with our service and that you gain full Building Regulation approval. If Building Control ask for additional information due to an error or omission on our part we will provide this absolutely free of charge with no questions asked. If however you or your builder make changes to the design then additional fees will be payable based upon a minimum amendment fee of £85.00.
We charge a standard flat fee of £25.00 for reissuing calculation packages.
Do you provide detail AutoCAD drawings with your service?
All of our calculation packages are supplemented with a general arrangement sketch, with exception to very detailed Architectural drawings. For an additional fee we are able to produce detailed AutoCAD detail drawings. Please advise at the time of enquiry if you would like this service and we can adjust our fee to include this service.
I have received your realistic fee offer - how do I proceed with your service?
If you are happy with our realistic fee for a beam calculation or full structural package simply get in touch via email to confirm that you wish to proceed. We will then arrange for an electronic invoice to be sent and upon payment your scheme will be booked onto our system.
Are your calculations suitable for building control approval?
Our calculations are specifically produced to allow approval under the building regulations 2010. This is the nature of our business. They are in a recognised format which are readily accepted by Local Authority building control departments and private building inspectors.
Is beamcalc.co.uk just an online calculator?
No. We are more than an online calculator. Unlike online calculators, your project plans are individually assessed by qualified building engineers who are experts in domestic construction and the requirements of The Building Regulations 2010 (as amended). After an initial appraisal they will advise/design a bespoke solution which best fits the specific project requirement. No two projects are identical! We are fully insured for our design and specifications meaning you can choose our service with peace of mind.