Age and type of house
A steel beam over a knocked-through lounge is encased and was not exposed. What can the survey not say about its size or its bearings?
It cannot say the size, and it cannot say the bearings are adequate. The steel beam over the knocked-through lounge is encased and was not exposed, so the section was hidden and the ends in the walls were hidden. The survey can say a beam is there and that it is cased. It has not measured the steel, counted the bearings, or seen a padstone. Approved Document A is structural guidance for building work. It is not a size read off this casing, and the survey has not issued a building-regulations certificate for the opening.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Knocking two rooms into one puts a beam where a wall used to be. What matters is the depth and weight of the steel, how far each end sits into sound masonry, and what it bears on. Casing, plaster and a row of boards hide all of that. A straight ceiling is not a calculation. The survey records the limit: encased, not exposed. Anyone who needs the size has to open the case or find the design drawing. This visit produced neither.
Ask the surveyor what, if anything, was visible at the ends, such as a crack at the bearing or only smooth plaster. Ask the solicitor whether any building-control paper or calculation came with the knock-through. Do not tell a lender the beam is adequate because the rooms look open and finished. If you need the size, agree an exposure. The home survey has already said what it cannot say.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the steel section itself unseen inside the casing?
- Could you see either bearing, or only the cased soffit?
- Are size and bearing adequacy outside what this visit can say?
What are the typical next steps?
- State that the beam is encased and was not exposed.
- Do not claim a size or a sound bearing from the casing.
- Ask the solicitor for any calculation or approval for the opening.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If there is no crack in the ceiling, is the beam proved large enough?
No. An uncracked ceiling hides the steel. It does not give the section size or show the bearings. The survey did not expose the beam, so neither the size nor the bearings have been confirmed by a quiet finish. The report leaves the encased steel beam where it is, without a second finding.
Can the seller's word on the beam size stand in for the survey?
No. A seller's recollection is not a measurement, and it is not what the survey saw. The casing was not opened. Put any drawing with the solicitor, and keep the survey's limit as it is. No extra conclusion about the encased steel beam should be read into the wording.