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What should an RSJ quote include in Cheshire?
In Cheshire, an RSJ quote is the price of opening a wall safely, not the price of a piece of steel on its own. Ask for the beam, the propping and the making good as separate lines.
Last reviewed:The beam is the middle of the job
Opening a wall in a Cheshire house, for a doorway or a wider room, is the job that leads people to an RSJ. RSJ means a rolled steel joist: a steel beam used to carry load across an opening. Whether your wall needs one, and what size, is a calculation for the designer and for building control. No figure is printed, because we could not find two dated public sources that agree on one. The steel, the propping and the making good are separate lines on the quote.
What the Planning Portal says about the wall
If you wish to build a new internal wall, remove an internal wall, or form an opening in one, the Planning Portal says building regulations will normally apply [S1]. It distinguishes two kinds of internal wall. A load-bearing wall separates rooms and also transfers loads from other parts of the structure, the roof and the floors, down to the foundations [S1]. A non-load-bearing wall separates rooms and is not required to transfer those loads [S1].
Care should be taken before removing any internal wall, because these walls can have functions that affect the building and the people in it [S1]. That is the Portal's warning. It is not a method. Do not knock out a pier, prop a ceiling, or cut a bearing yourself to "see what happens". The quote should name the designer of the support and the building control body that will see the design.
New internal walls generally require approval too [S1]. If the reason for the beam is a kitchen-diner, the making good, the plaster and the electrics are part of the household's job even when a different firm does each one.
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Party walls
In a terrace or a semi, the wall you want to open may not be only yours. GOV.UK says a party wall can be a wall that stands on the lands of two owners and forms part of a building, or a wall on one owner's land used by two owners to separate their buildings [S2]. The Act covers work to an existing party wall [S2]. Cutting into a party wall is one of the examples [S2].
The Act is separate from planning permission and from building regulations approval [S2]. Where it applies, serve a party wall notice before anyone cuts. A builder who says "we'll just get on with it" has not answered the question. Ask them to say in writing whether they think the wall is a party wall.
Cables, pipes and the plaster
Sockets, switches and radiators often sit on the wall that is about to move. The Planning Portal says electrical work in a home in England and Wales must comply with the building regulations [S3]. Use an installer who is registered with a competent person scheme so the work can be self-certified [S3]. If the installer is not registered, certain riskier jobs need a building control body or, in England, a registered third-party certifier, and that body must be told before work starts [S3].
Notifiable jobs include a new consumer unit and a complete new circuit [S3]. Alterations such as an extra socket are notifiable in special locations [S3]. In England those are the spaces around baths and showers [S3]. A living-room socket move can still be work that must comply, even when it is not notifiable [S3]. None of that is an instruction to switch a circuit off, or to pull a cable out of the wall. Hire a registered electrician for that part.
Electrical Safety First: find a registered electrician; NICEIC; NAPIT. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
When the opening disturbs a cable, the person who makes it compliant should be findable on the Electrical Safety First register search, or on NICEIC or NAPIT. Ask for that name in the quote.
Pipes in the wall are a plumber's line. If a radiator is on the wall, the quote should mention it and price moving it as its own line.
Lines to put on the quote
| Line | What a silent quote is hiding |
|---|---|
| Which wall, and load-bearing or not | The Portal's distinction [S1] |
| Width of the opening | The design depends on it |
| Who calculates the support | Ask them to name the section, or to say the size is still to be calculated |
| Temporary support while the wall is open | The dangerous part of the week |
| Bearings, padstones and fire protection around the steel | Often missing from a "beam supplied" line |
| Making good: plaster, flooring, decoration | The room you live in afterwards |
| Electrics and pipework disturbed | Must comply if it is electrical work [S3] |
| Building control | Normally applies to an opening [S1] |
| Party wall | Cutting into a party wall is an Act example [S2] |
| VAT | A business registers when taxable turnover goes over £90,000 [S5] |
What to tell the firms
- Which rooms are either side of the wall, and whether the wall continues upstairs.
- The opening you hope for, as a width, even if it is approximate. Say that it is approximate.
- Photos of both faces, including sockets and radiators. Do not open the wall to take them.
- Whether the neighbour shares the wall.
- The postcode.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Semi in Nantwich. We want a wider opening between the kitchen and the dining room. Please say if you think the wall is load-bearing, name who will calculate the support, and include building control, making good and moving two sockets. Do not start until that is agreed."
- "Terrace in Crewe. The wall we want to open is the one we share with next door. Please include a line for a party wall notice if you believe the Act applies, and do not cut until that is clear."
- "Detached house. Opening in a ground-floor wall under a bedroom. We do not know if it carries the floor. Please inspect and price the design separately from the building work if they are different people."
How to compare beam quotes
Citizens Advice says get a written quote, because a quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S4]. Collect at least three [S4]. Be wary of a trader who will not write it down, and be cautious if one price is a lot lower [S4]. Ask to see insurance, including cover for design if they are designing the beam, and check it lasts to the end of the job [S4]. Citizens Advice says professional indemnity matters where there is technical design [S4]. If a guarantee is offered, ask whether it is insurance-backed [S4].
The week the wall is open
An opening is a sequence, and the quote should show the sequence even when the lines only describe the work. Someone calculates the support. Someone props the floor or the wall above while the masonry comes out. The steel, or whatever support is specified, goes in and bears on something that has been designed, not on the nearest brick. Then the plaster, the skirtings and the flooring are made good. If any of those steps is missing from the paper, ask where it went. A price that is only "supply beam" has left the dangerous middle of the week unnamed.
Temporary support is not a decorative extra. Ask who designs it and who is on site while the wall is open. Ask what happens if the job pauses overnight. Do not prop the wall yourself, and do not guess a timber size. The quote should say that a competent person has designed the support, and that building control will see the design [S1].
Decoration after the opening is where households get caught. Dust travels. A "making good" line might mean a plaster patch, or it might mean the whole room painted. Ask which. Ask whether the floor covering is protected or replaced. If you are keeping a carpet, say so before it is cut.
Neighbours in a terrace hear the work. That is not the same as the Party Wall etc. Act applying. Where you think the wall is shared, the earlier section is the one to follow, and the phrase to use in the quote is a party wall notice if the Act applies. Do not start from a guess about the mortar.
Official pages
QuoteZila is not affiliated with these organisations.
- Internal walls: Planning Portal [S1].
- Party walls: GOV.UK [S2].
- Electrics: Planning Portal [S3].
- Quotes and deposits: Citizens Advice [S4].
- VAT: GOV.UK [S5].
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Where this applies. The internal-wall note is the Planning Portal's. It does not set a steel size or a price. Electrics wording cited here is for England and Wales, and the special-location line quoted for baths and showers is the England wording [S3].
Post a job about an opening
Describe the wall and the town. Up to five matched local businesses can reply [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Openings in walls are a builders job. Cables are an electricians job. Plaster afterwards is a plasterers job. All services.
Questions about RSJ quotes
How much does an RSJ cost?
The steel is one line. Propping, the opening, making good, design and building control are others. Compare quotes that name the same wall and the same opening width.
Do I need building regulations approval to put a beam in?
The Planning Portal says that if you build a new internal wall, remove an internal wall, or form an opening in an internal wall, building regulations will normally apply. A load-bearing wall is one that also transfers loads from the structure, roof or floors down to the foundations. Do not decide that from a tap on the plaster.
Is an RSJ always the right support?
Not every opening needs a rolled steel joist, and the section is not something to copy from a neighbour. Those are design questions for the person calculating the opening and for building control. Ask the quote to name who does that calculation.
What if the wall is shared with next door?
GOV.UK lists cutting into a party wall among the work the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 can cover. A party wall includes a wall on the land of two owners that forms part of a building. Where the Act applies, use a party wall notice. The Act is separate from building regulations approval.
There are sockets on the wall. Who deals with them?
Electrical installation work in the home must comply with the building regulations. Adding a new circuit is notifiable. Altering a circuit in a kitchen is not, on the England wording, a special location, but the work must still comply. In England the special locations named are the spaces around baths and showers. Use a registered electrician. Leave the cables in place until that electrician is on the job.
How big a deposit is reasonable?
Citizens Advice says to avoid paying a large sum before work starts, to consider buying materials yourself, and not to agree more than 25% if a deposit cannot be avoided. Steel is often ordered to a length. Get a receipt that says what that payment covers.
Does QuoteZila check firms that install beams?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Can I post a job to open a wall?
Yes. Describe the rooms either side, the rough opening you want, and your Cheshire postcode. Up to five matched local businesses can quote. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.
Related reading
- Electrician cost in Cheshire
- Plumber cost: if a radiator has to move
- Builders
- All cost guides
Part of Cost guides. All services
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Related pages
- Shed Roof Work in Cheshire: What to Ask. A shed roof in Cheshire may be a felt repair, a new sheeted covering, or a shed that needs rebuilding. Keep those briefs on separate quotes.
- Side extension: what changes the price. In Cheshire, a side extension price turns on width, height and the plot's planning status. No pound total is printed here. Compare the quote lines.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- S1: What building regulations apply to internal walls, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/internal-walls/what-building-regulations-apply-to-internal-walls
- S2: Party Wall etc Act 1996 guidance, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/party-wall-etc-act-1996-guidance
- S3: Building regulations: electrics, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/electrics/building-regulations-general-information
- S4: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S5: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-27. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat