Renovation
Load-bearing wall removal and beam design in Canberra
Removing a load-bearing wall in the ACT needs building approval. We design the beam, posts, connections and footings that take over its load, and give your certifier and builder the drawings they need.
- From $890 + GST ($979 inc GST), fixed before we start
- Fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- Never exempt from building approval: removing a load-bearing wall in the ACT
Prefer to talk? Call 02 6189 9876
Or email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
- Engineering onlyWe never sell the repair or the build.
- From $890 + GST($979 inc GST), confirmed before we start.
- Fixed quote in under 20 minutes on averageDuring business hours, Monday to Friday.
- Canberra and the Queanbeyan sideEvery district, plus Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
In short
Wall removal and beam design in Canberra costs from $890 + GST ($979 inc GST). Removing a load-bearing wall in the ACT is never exempt from building approval, so your certifier needs the replacement structure designed. We provide calculations and drawings or specifications for the beam, posts, connections and footings that your certifier and builder can use. Same prices across Canberra, Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong.
- Fee
- From $890 + GST ($979 inc GST)
- You receive
- Calculations and drawings or specifications for your certifier and builder
- Approval
- Building approval needed; usually no development approval if the building class doesn't change
- Site visit
- Your fixed quote says if one is needed
- Quote
- Fixed, in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours
- Area
- Every Canberra district, plus Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong
Do you need approval to remove a load-bearing wall in the ACT?
Yes. Removing a load-bearing wall is never exempt from building approval. It's usually exempt from development approval if the building's class doesn't change.
| Work | Development approval (DA) | Building approval (BA) |
|---|---|---|
| Removing a load-bearing wall | Usually exempt, if the building class doesn't change | Always needed. Never exempt |
| Removing a wall that carries no load | Usually exempt, if the building class doesn't change | Exempt only if it doesn't affect structural integrity, fire safety, exits, light or ventilation, and doesn't involve asbestos. Your certifier confirms |
From the ACT Government's check if you need a building approval page and its development approval equivalent.
Building approval comes from a licensed certifier you appoint, also called a building surveyor. Where development approval is needed, it comes from the Territory Planning Authority.
The certifier needs the new structure designed before approving the work. That's the part we do. Our guide to building approval in the ACT walks through the rest of the process.
House built before 1985?
The building approval application must include an asbestos removal control plan if the house was built, or started, before 1985. Check the ACT's loose-fill asbestos Register too: we check it before any visit, and we never enter the roof space or subfloor of an affected house. More in older homes and asbestos in the ACT.
Is my wall load-bearing?
Only a look at what sits on it can tell you. These signs mean it might be, so have it checked before anyone takes it out.
- It runs across the ceiling joists, at right angles to them, rather than alongside them
- It sits near the middle of the house, under the ridge or along a central hallway
- In the roof space, something rests on it: a strut, a prop or the ends of ceiling joists
- There's a wall or a beam directly above it in a two-storey house
- It was an external wall before an extension was added
None of these is proof
A wall can carry load without any of these signs, or show one and carry very little. An engineer confirms it from the roof space, the plans or a site visit.
Many of the walls Canberrans want gone are in 1960s ex-govvies and 400 Series houses. In the mid-1960s the NCDC built detached houses, almost all brick-veneer, in nearly every new suburb, including those of Woden. Our guide to renovating an ex-govvie covers what to check before you start.
What's included in wall removal and beam design?
Engineering calculations and drawings or specifications your certifier and builder can use. Your fixed quote says if a site visit is needed.
What the design covers
- The beam: its size and material, sized for the roof, ceiling or floor it now carries
- The posts: their size and position at each end of the opening
- Connections: how the beam sits on the posts and how the load gets down to them
- Footings under the new point loads: where a post lands, the slab or footing below may need a new pad
- Framing and tie-downs around the new opening
Form AF2025-18 lists the minimum documents for a house building approval, including footing and slab details, framing and bracing, and tie-downs and fixings. The certifier then inspects the structural frame before the internal lining goes on, so the beam and posts are checked before they're covered up.
If a post lands where nothing below can carry it, we design the footing too. More on footing and slab design, and on what we provide for builders, designers and certifiers.
What sets the price
- How wide the new opening is
- What the wall carries: the roof and ceiling only, or a floor above as well
- Whether the posts need new footings
- How many walls or openings are involved
Wall removal and beam design starts from $890 + GST ($979 inc GST). Your fixed quote is set from your photos or plans before anything is booked.
Who does what when a wall comes out?
We design. Your certifier approves and inspects. Your builder does the work.
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| Design the beam, posts, connections and footings | Us |
| Building approval | Your licensed certifier |
| Propping the structure, removing the wall, installing the beam | Your builder |
| Supplying the steel or timber | Your builder or their supplier |
| Inspecting the frame before it's lined | Your certifier |
We're engineers only. We don't build, supply steel or recommend builders, so the design isn't shaped by what anyone wants to sell you.
If the opening is part of a bigger job, such as a new kitchen wing or a second storey, see extensions and renovations.
What happens next?
Three steps, and you know the price before anything is booked.
Send photos or plans
Use the form at the top of the page, or email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au. Add up to 5 photos or plans of the wall, both sides and the ceiling above.
Get a fixed quote
We reply with a fixed quote in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours. The quote says if we need to visit.
Design and drawings
We design the beam, posts, connections and footings, and send the calculations and drawings for your certifier and builder.
From prices for a typical opening. See all our prices.
Often needed alongside wall removal
Every service is quoted at a fixed price before we start. Send photos or plans and we reply in under 20 minutes on average, during business hours.
Extensions & renovations
Footings, beams, framing and tie-downs for additions, second storeys and renovations, priced from your plans.
Fixed quotefrom your photos or plans See the service
Footings, slabs & site classification
Site classification and footing or slab design for new homes, rebuilds, granny flats and extensions, with the soil test at cost.
$1,290 + GST($1,419 inc GST) See the serviceRenovating a 1960s ex-govvie
Where Canberra's 1960s government houses came from, how a brick-veneer govvie is put together, and the approvals and engineering behind removing walls, extending or going up.
Read the guideWall removal questions
Something else on your mind? Call 02 6189 9876, email info@canberrastructuralengineers.com.au or send photos for a fixed quote.
Do I need a structural engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?
In practice, yes. The work needs building approval, and the certifier needs the beam, posts and footings that replace the wall designed and documented.
How much does a structural engineer cost for a load-bearing wall in Canberra?
From $890 + GST ($979 inc GST) for the beam and support design. Your fixed quote confirms the price, and whether a site visit is needed, before we start.
Can I remove a wall without approval in the ACT?
Not a load-bearing one. The building approval exemption for internal alterations needs the structural integrity of the building to be unaffected. A wall that carries no load may be exempt if the other conditions are met; your certifier confirms.
Do you supply or install the steel beam?
No. We design it. Your builder props the structure, removes the wall and installs the beam, and the certifier inspects the frame before it's lined.
Does the beam have to be steel?
Not always. The span and the load decide what works. We size the beam for your opening, and the drawings say what it's made of.
Can you tell from photos whether a wall is load-bearing?
Sometimes, with photos of the roof space or the original plans. Often the framing above the wall has to be seen. Your fixed quote says if a site visit is needed.