Brickwork & Structural Openings
New build brickwork, extensions, RSJ installations, knock-throughs, repointing and matched brick repairs.
Brick Rip and Dig carry out brickwork and structural opening work across the Wirral, including new build brickwork and blockwork, extension shells, forming openings for bifold and patio doors, installing RSJs and steel beams with needling and propping, repointing, brick matching and rebuilds. Structural openings are formed to a structural engineer's beam calculation and inspected by Building Control before the props come out.
What brickwork work covers
Structural openings & RSJs
Load-bearing wall removal with needling, propping and steel beam installation to an engineer's calculation, padstones bedded and beams fire-protected.
Bifold & patio door openings
Forming wide rear openings for bifolds and sliders, including lintel or goalpost frames where the span needs it.
Extension brickwork
Cavity walls, wall ties, insulation, cavity trays, lintels, cills and openings — built plumb, level and to line.
Repointing & brick repair
Raking out and repointing in the correct mortar mix, including lime mortar on older Wirral properties where cement would do damage.
Brick matching & rebuilds
Sourcing reclaimed or matched facing brick for repairs, rebuilds, blocked-up openings and bay window restoration.
Garden walls, piers & steps
Boundary walls, retaining walls, gate piers, garden steps and patio brickwork built to last a Wirral winter.
How the job runs
The sequence matters. Most of what goes wrong on building work goes wrong because somebody skipped a step near the start.
Engineer & drawings
For any load-bearing work we arrange a structural engineer's calculation for the beam and padstones before we start. No calculation, no cutting.
Building Control
A building notice or full plans application is submitted and the inspection stages are booked by us.
Needle & prop
The load above is transferred onto needles and props before a single brick is cut out of the wall.
Steel & padstones
Beam lifted in, seated on padstones to the correct bearing, packed and pinned solid, then inspected before props are struck.
Make good
Openings squared, beam boxed and fire-protected, brickwork made good and the area left clean for the plasterer.
What we do that a cowboy won't
None of this is heroic. It is just the correct way to do the work — which is exactly why the corner-cutters skip it.
- Structural engineer's calculation on every load-bearing opening — no exceptions
- Correct bearing and padstones, not a beam dropped onto two bricks
- Lime mortar used on older solid-wall properties where cement would cause spalling
- Brick and mortar matched to a sample panel before we point the whole elevation
- Building Control stages booked and attended by us
Brickwork projects
Facing brickwork reinstated after strip-back
Elevation rebuilt in matched facing brick, clean and to line
Kitchen and dining room knock-through with RSJ
Load-bearing wall removed, steel in and props still taking the load
Steel beam installed over a new opening
Beam in, bearings solid, props in place until sign-off
New external doorway with brickwork made good
New opening formed, door fitted and brickwork made good around it
Rear elevation brickwork, steps and patio
Brickwork, drainage and Indian sandstone patio laid to falls
Brickwork & Structural Openings across the Wirral
We deliver brickwork work throughout the peninsula. Local ground conditions and property stock change what a job actually involves — pick your area to see what tends to come up.
Brickwork & Structural Openings — common questions
Do I need a structural engineer to remove an internal wall?
If the wall is load-bearing, yes. An engineer calculates the beam size, bearing length and padstones, and Building Control will want to see it. If the wall is non-load-bearing it is simpler, but the only safe way to know which it is is to have it checked. We arrange that check.
How long does an RSJ installation take?
A typical single-beam knock-through in a domestic property takes two to four days on site, plus lead time for the engineer's calculation and steel fabrication. Wider openings, multiple beams or a goalpost frame take longer.
Do you use lime mortar on older properties?
Where the property has solid walls and soft handmade brick, yes. Repointing an old Wirral terrace in hard cement mortar traps moisture and blows the face off the brick. We match the mortar to the wall, not to what is quickest.
Can you match the brick on my extension to the existing house?
In most cases yes. We source facing bricks by blend and size, or use reclaimed brick where the property is older. We build a small sample panel for you to approve before the main run.
Other things we do
Demolition & Soft Strip
Controlled structural demolition, internal soft strip-outs and chimney breast removals — planned, propped and cleared properly.
Find out moreCladding Removal & Recladding
Facade strip-back, SFS and insulation works, cavity barriers and masonry reinstatement on remediation schemes.
Find out moreGroundworks & Excavation
Foundations, drainage, site clearance, concrete slabs and hard landscaping — dug right, first time.
Find out moreGet a straight answer and a written price
Tell us what you need doing. We'll come out, look at the actual job, and give you a fixed written quote with the scope and the exclusions spelled out. No charge, no obligation, no hard sell.