This page provides general practical guidance and does not replace project-specific legal, engineering, planning, ecological, asbestos or waste advice.
The short answer
A contractor can carry out the agreed removal, temporary support and steel installation work, but structural design and calculations are the responsibility of a structural engineer. Suitable engineer information — drawings, calculations and any building-control requirements — should be available before relevant structural work begins. The scope must distinguish removal work from design, approvals and making-good.
Why it matters
The wall may support loads that need to be understood and temporarily managed during removal. Temporary support must be designed for the specific structure, not improvised. Building control approval may be required before work starts, and the sequence of temporary support, removal and steel installation must follow the engineer's specification.
Information that may be needed
Structural drawings, calculations, site information, service details and any building-control requirements may be relevant. Where building control approval is required, the approved documents should be available on site.
What can affect the scope
The structure, loads, retained elements, access, temporary support design, steel installation and approval requirements can all affect the sequence and scope. The contractor's scope should be defined against the engineer's drawings — not against a verbal description of the work.
When specialist input may be needed
A structural engineer is required to design the temporary support and specify the permanent steelwork. Building control approval is required in most cases. The contractor carries out the work to the engineer's specification.