conservatory – steel column

The steel column is now in place and the guys are working on altering the tiled roof to the left of the picture.

As often is the case, we did not want a large brick nib in the opening between kitchen and conservatory.  However, when removing the brickwork right back to the corner of the existing building, the structure is weakened as it is the corner of the bulding that give it lateral strength. To compensate for this, we have used a steel column that is connected with resin-bonded steel studs to the existing wall.

In some cases, it is possible to lose the steel column within the wall cavity, but on this job there is a solid nine inch wall  so the steel column will have to fit inside it. However, it is still far more preferable to have an eight inch steel than a two foot brick nib.

Interestingly, structural engineers alway tend to specify beams butted up to columns, rather than beams sitting on columns. This type of connection may appear illogical, but it is the accepted method.

Conservatory Construction Steel column