How to write a quote for removing a load-bearing wall (with a real worked example)

A mate of mine on a 1930s semi in Leicester quoted £3,200 to knock through between the kitchen and the dining room. One line on a text message, "wall out, steel in, plaster". Then the engineer wanted a different beam than he'd priced, Building Control wanted to see it before it was boxed in, and the customer asked if the radiator and two sockets could "just move a bit". He finished it, but only by working a week for nothing.

The wall wasn't the problem. The quote never said who paid for the engineer, what the steel was, who talked to Building Control or what was included in the making good. This guide shows how to write a wall removal quote so those answers are on paper before anyone picks up a sledgehammer.

Before you price anything, work out what the wall is doing

Never quote a wall removal off a quick look from the doorway. Get these written down first:

• What it holds up. Joists running onto it, a wall above, a chimney breast, a loft purlin. If you can't tell, you need the engineer, and the engineer needs to see it. Don't guess a beam size on site and price from that.
• What is in it. Cables, gas or water pipes, a flue, a radiator run. Walls in older houses hold surprises, and a 1930s semi has had ninety years of other people's DIY.
• What it is made of. Solid brick, blockwork, studwork with a lintel hidden inside. Textured ceilings and coatings in houses built before 2000 can contain asbestos, so sampling and a licensed contractor's price are a separate matter.
• The span and the bearing. Measure the opening and look at what the beam will sit on. Padstones, existing walls and floors below all affect what is possible.
• Party walls. If the beam will bear on a wall shared with a neighbour, or you are cutting into one, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 can apply, and notice has to be served on the neighbour first. The gov.uk party wall guidance sets out the process. A wall that is entirely inside one house is not a party wall.
• Access and dust. Where does the steel come in, where does the rubble go, and how much of the house needs sheeting off?

Then talk through the finish with the customer. A flush ceiling with the steel hidden in the floor void is a different job from a beam that drops below the ceiling and gets boxed in. Agree it before you price, because it changes the engineer's design as well as your labour.

Split the quote the way the job runs

A single number invites an argument. A quote split into stages shows the customer you have thought it through, and gives you something to point at if the scope changes. A sensible structure:

1. Design and approval

The structural engineer's calculations and drawings, and the Building Regulations application, whether to the local authority or an approved inspector. Show these as their own lines. If the customer is appointing the engineer, say so, and say that your price is based on that engineer's design.

2. Temporary works

Needles, props and strongbacks to carry the load while the wall comes out. This is the part that keeps the ceiling where it should be, and customers rarely know it exists. Put it on the quote so it is not the first thing they query.

3. The beam

The steel as specified by the engineer, padstones, bearing plates, delivery, and fire protection if the design calls for it. Quote the beam to the engineer's specification, not your own. If the design changes, the price changes in writing.

4. Removal and waste

Taking the wall out, making safe, a skip, protection to floors and furniture, and dust barriers. A wall removal produces more rubble than people expect, and bagging it through the house takes time.

5. Making good

Boxing or plastering the beam, reveals, patching the ceiling and floor, and skim. Decorating is normally a separate line or an exclusion. Say which.

6. Services

Moving sockets, switches, radiators or pipework. Electrical work in a home is notifiable under Part P unless it falls within the minor works the regulations exempt, so it needs a registered electrician or Building Control involvement. Show it as its own line so it is clear who does what.

A worked example: 4.2 metre opening in a 1930s semi

Here is a quote from Adam Wójcik trading as Wójcik Building for a Leicester semi. The wall between the kitchen and dining room comes out to leave a 4.2 metre opening. The engineer's design calls for a steel beam, two padstones and a fire-protected finish. The first floor is joists onto the wall, there is one double socket and a radiator pipe in the wall, and the customer wants it plastered and ready to decorate.

Cost build-up (materials, labour and plant):

• Structural engineer's calculations and drawings, at cost = £480
• Building Control application and inspection fees, at cost = £400
• Steel beam, padstones, bearing plates and delivery = £780
• Temporary works: props, needles and hire for a week = £260
• Labour: two people for 3 days on the structural work, 2 x 3 x £230 = £1,380
• Skip, waste and floor and dust protection = £440
• Fire protection board, plastering the beam and reveals, ceiling patch and skim = £680
• Electrician to move the socket and make safe, subcontract = £350
• Provisional sum for hidden services, repairs or changes to the bearing = £430

Add those up and you get £5,200. Check it: 480 + 400 + 780 + 260 + 1,380 + 440 + 680 + 350 + 430 = 5,200.

Overheads and profit at 15% on top: £5,200 x 0.15 = £780. That covers insurance, the van, tools, admin time and the margin the business needs to stay in business. Total price: £5,980. That is the answer for this wall, not a benchmark for yours. A longer span, a first-floor load, a chimney breast to support or a difficult access would all change it.

If the firm were VAT-registered, you would add 20% (£1,196) and show the VAT line. The registration threshold at the time of writing is £90,000 of taxable turnover, so check gov.uk and talk to your accountant before the quote goes out, not after.

Provisional sums, exclusions and who deals with Building Control

The £430 provisional sum covers what you can't see until the plaster is off. Write it in plain words: "Allowance for hidden services, repairs to the existing structure or changes to bearings found on opening up. Charged at actual cost plus 15%. Any unused amount is deducted from the final invoice." That last sentence is what makes customers trust the number.

Then write what is not included. A decent exclusions list for a wall removal looks like this:

• Party wall notices, surveyor fees and any neighbour's costs
• Changes to the engineer's design after the quote is accepted
• Removal of asbestos or other hazardous materials if found
• Moving gas pipework, boilers, flues or drainage, unless listed as a separate line
• Rewiring beyond the socket and switch moves listed
• New flooring to join the two rooms, and all decorating
• Planning permission or listed building consent, where the property needs it

Also write who deals with Building Control. The simple way is that you submit the application and book the inspections, and the quote says so. The inspector will want to see the beam and bearings before they are covered, so your programme has to leave a gap for that visit. If the customer's engineer or building control body causes a delay, the quote should say the dates move with them.

Payment stages that match the job

You will be paying for the engineer, the steel and the Building Control fees before the wall has moved, so don't wait for one invoice at the end. On the £5,980 job:

• On acceptance, 20%: £1,196. Covers the engineer, the application and the steel order.
• Beam installed, props out and Building Control has seen the steel, 50%: £2,990.
• Plastering and making good complete, 20%: £1,196.
• Walk-round done and the completion certificate issued, 10%: £598.

Check it: 1,196 + 2,990 + 1,196 + 598 = 5,980. The last 10% gives you a reason to chase the paperwork and the customer a reason to wait for it. For more on structuring the schedule, see our guide to stage payments for trades.

What NOT to do

1. Don't price the wall before the engineer has seen it. A guess at the beam is a guess at your margin, and the engineer's answer usually costs more than the guess.
2. Don't start without Building Control. Structural work without approval is a problem for the customer when they sell, and a bigger one for you if the ceiling moves.
3. Don't bury the engineer and the fees in the total. Show them as lines. It keeps the price honest and makes clear what is out of your hands.
4. Don't leave the making good vague. "Plaster and finish" means a skim to one person and a decorated room to another. Write what you are doing and where it stops.
5. Don't agree extras on the doorstep. Moving the radiator, adding a downlight and widening the opening are variations. Price them in writing before the work, not after.

The short version

Survey what the wall holds up and what is inside it before you price. Put the engineer, Building Control, the temporary works and the beam on their own lines, use a provisional sum for what is hidden, and write the exclusions in plain English. Tie the payments to things the customer can see, and keep a slice back until the paperwork is in. That leaves the customer with fewer reasons to argue about the final invoice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to remove a load-bearing wall in the UK?

It depends on the span, the beam, the access and how much making good the customer wants. The worked example above, a 4.2 metre opening between a kitchen and dining room in a semi, comes to £5,980 before VAT, including the engineer, Building Control, the steel and the plastering. Price your own job from your own survey, not from a headline figure.

Do I need Building Regulations approval to remove a load-bearing wall?

Yes. Taking out a load-bearing wall is structural work covered by the Building Regulations, so the job needs to go through Building Control, either the local authority or an approved inspector, with calculations from a structural engineer. The inspector will want to see the beam and padstones before they are covered up, and you should get a completion certificate at the end.

Who pays for the structural engineer?

Whoever you agree it with, but write it down. Many builders include the engineer's fee as a separate line and pass the cost through at what it cost them, so the customer can see what they are paying for. If the customer appoints their own engineer, say so on the quote and state that the price is based on that engineer's drawings.

Do I need a Party Wall notice to remove a wall?

Only if the work affects a party wall or a boundary shared with a neighbour, for example when the new beam will bear on a party wall or you are cutting into one. In that case the owner serves notice on the neighbour under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, generally at least two months before the work starts. The gov.uk party wall guidance explains the process. A wall inside one house is not covered.

How long does a wall removal take?

A single opening in a typical house is usually a few working days on site for the removal and the steel, plus time before that for the engineer and Building Control, and time after for plastering and decorating to dry. The worked example allows three days for two people on the structural work and the making good is priced on top.

What if we find a cable, pipe or flue in the wall?

That is what the provisional sum is for. Write the allowance, the rate for extra work and the rule that anything unused comes off the final invoice. Services that need re-routing by a gas, electrical or plumbing specialist should be priced as separate lines or listed as exclusions.