Structural engineer in Kent
Structural engineers for houses, flats, conversions and mixed-use buildings in Kent. We work across the county alongside our London practice, with 3 projects in DA1, TN13, TN15 since 2019.
Structural engineering in Kent
North-west Kent meets Bromley and Bexley, and towns such as Dartford, Swanley and Sevenoaks are well within reach from London. We work mostly inside the M25 and in the counties surrounding it. Kent is a small part of that so far, with 3 projects since 2019, in Dartford, Sevenoaks and the Wrotham area, but we are happy to take on work across this side of the county.
We also cover the villages just beyond Orpington, such as Knockholt, Halstead and Badgers Mount, which fall in Sevenoaks district rather than Bromley. Typical requests are extensions, loft conversions, wall removals and crack inspections. Each project begins with a fixed fee agreed in writing, and our typical turnaround is 10 working days, confirmed alongside the fee. Designs and calculations go through our three-step quality control process before they are issued.
Victorian towns, commuter villages and new estates
Dartford has a Victorian and Edwardian centre of terraces and villas, surrounded by interwar and post-war semis and, more recently, large new-build estates on former quarry and industrial land toward Stone and Ebbsfleet. Swanley grew mainly after the war, with estates of semis, terraces and bungalows.
Sevenoaks is older and more varied: a historic town centre with listed buildings, Victorian and Edwardian villas near the stations, and large detached houses on wooded plots around the edges. The villages along the A21 and the M26, including Wrotham, Kemsing and Otford, have period cottages alongside interwar and later homes.
Chalk, sandstone and the Darent valley
Much of the Dartford and Swanley area is on chalk, with Thanet Sand and river terrace gravels on top in places. Chalk around Dartford was quarried and mined for centuries, and old workings or natural solution features can occasionally cause sudden settlement. If unexplained ground movement appears, it should be investigated properly rather than simply filled.
Sevenoaks stands on the sandstone ridge of the Lower Greensand, with Gault Clay in the vale to the north and the chalk of the North Downs beyond. Gault Clay shrinks and swells much like London Clay, so trees near houses on it need the same care. The Darent valley has softer alluvium near the river. A geotechnical desk study can pull this together before a larger project.
Structural work we do in Kent
Our Kent work looks much like the rest of our area: rear and side extensions, loft conversions on semis and bungalows, and the removal of load-bearing walls. On chalk and clay sites we also investigate cracking and settlement, and on newer estates we check alterations such as new openings, where the original design information can be hard to find.
- Rear and side extensions
- Loft conversions on semis and bungalows
- Load-bearing wall removals
- Investigating settlement on chalk
- Foundations near trees on clay
- Alterations to new-build homes
Towns we cover in Kent
We cover north-west Kent inside and just outside the M25, from Dartford and Swanley down to Sevenoaks and the villages along the North Downs. Our recent projects have been in Dartford, Sevenoaks and the Wrotham area, and we are happy to discuss work elsewhere in this part of the county.
- Dartford (DA1, DA2)
- Swanley (BR8)
- Sevenoaks (TN13)
- Knockholt, Halstead and Otford (TN14)
- Wrotham, Borough Green and Kemsing (TN15)
- West Kingsdown (TN15)
- Longfield and Hartley (DA3)
- Westerham (TN16)
Services most requested
Kent councils and the Green Belt
The county council is not involved in house extensions in Kent. Your planning and Building Control contact is the district or borough, which in our area means Dartford Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council or Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. Most of Sevenoaks district is Metropolitan Green Belt, and parts lie in the Kent Downs protected landscape, so extensions are assessed carefully. Many villages are conservation areas, so ask the council what applies before design work goes far.
Once the design is complete, we submit our structural information and stay in contact with the Building Control surveyor through to sign-off. Our guide to Building Control explains how approval works.
Questions about structural work in Kent
Do you take on work in Kent?
Yes, mainly in the north-west of the county near the M25, such as Dartford, Swanley, Sevenoaks and the villages around them. Kent is a smaller part of our work, with 3 projects since 2019, as our main business is inside the M25 and the surrounding counties. We confirm a fixed fee and turnaround in writing before any work starts.
Are old chalk workings a risk for houses near Dartford?
In some places they can be. Chalk has been dug around Dartford for centuries, and old pits and shafts are not always recorded. Natural solution features in the chalk can also cause settlement. Most houses are unaffected, but if you see a sudden dip, new cracking or a hole opening up, keep people away and have an engineer look before anything is filled or built over.
I live in a village near Orpington. Is it in Kent or Bromley?
It depends on the village. Some places just outside Orpington, such as Knockholt and Halstead, are in Sevenoaks district, Kent, while others, like Pratts Bottom, are in the London Borough of Bromley. It matters because planning and Building Control are run by different councils with different policies. Our Bromley page covers the London side, and your council can confirm the boundary.
What does a loft conversion on a Kent bungalow involve structurally?
Bungalow roofs are often low-pitched with light rafters, so a loft room normally needs new floor joists or steel beams, extra support for the roof and often a large dormer for headroom. The walls and foundations below must be checked for the extra load. Our loft conversion structural package from £800 + VAT covers the calculations and drawings for Building Control.