Structural steel on Wicklow's sloping sites
A large share of Wicklow building happens on ground that falls away, and that changes the steelwork. Where a flat Dublin site needs a beam, a Wicklow hillside site often needs a frame, with posts of different lengths and base plates at several levels.
Frames rather than single beams
When a house steps down a slope, the structure has to carry load across changes in level. That typically means a portal or goalpost arrangement: two columns and a beam, bolted together, with moment connections where the engineer calls for them. Each column may be a different length, and each base plate sits at a different finished level.
Getting those lengths right in the workshop rather than on site is the whole game. We work from the engineer's setting out levels, mark every member clearly and drill the holes to the drawing so the frame bolts up without flame cutting on a hillside.
Cantilevers and balconies
Sloping ground is also why Wicklow has so many cantilevered balconies and terraces taking in a view. Those need careful fabrication because the connection back into the structure is doing all the work, and tolerances on a cantilever are unforgiving.
We fabricate the steel, the fixing plates and the balustrade connections as a coordinated set, so the balustrade later bolts to something designed to receive it rather than being drilled into finished steel on site.
Weather and finish
Wicklow sites, particularly around Bray, Greystones and the coast, get more weather than inland Dublin. Where steel is exposed or partially exposed we recommend hot dip galvanising rather than paint alone, and we detail drainage holes so water cannot sit inside a hollow section.
For steel that stays inside the building envelope, a standard primer is normally sufficient, and we follow whatever the specification requires.
Delivery into Wicklow
We deliver from Dublin 22 down through Bray, Greystones, Wicklow town and into the valleys. Steep or narrow site access is common, so we plan the vehicle and the offload before the day.
Send the engineer's drawings and a photo of the site entrance and we will tell you honestly what can be delivered in one load and what needs splitting.
Want this priced for your own job? Send us your drawings or a photo and we will come back with a fixed price, usually within one working day.
Common questions
Need this done properly? Talk to the workshop.
Send us drawings, a sketch or a site photo. We come back with a fixed price and a firm lead time, usually within one working day.