Project: Residential renovation, structural wall openings
Location: Stanmore, NSW
Sector: Residential construction
Client: TSD Group
Services provided: Temporary works engineering, propping design, equipment hire
Equipment used: Legend 50T Modular Propping System, Multiprops, needle beams
Project Overview
When TSD Group needed two load-bearing masonry walls supported during a residential renovation in Stanmore, restricted internal access made conventional two-sided propping unworkable. Legend Hire’s engineering team designed a cantilever needle propping system using the Legend 50T Modular Propping System and Multiprops, transferring wall loads to one side of the structure and keeping the work zone clear for demolition and new structural steel installation. The walls remained fully supported throughout, and the new steel lintels were installed safely and on programme.
The Challenge
Two separate masonry walls required temporary support so they could be partially demolished and replaced with new structural steel. The constraint was access: the renovation footprint left insufficient clear space for a standard propping arrangement on both sides of each wall, and any temporary works occupying the installation zone would have blocked the path for the incoming steel. The walls were load-bearing, so uncontrolled removal of masonry without engineered support risked cracking, deflection, or partial collapse of the structure above.
The Solution
Legend Hire’s engineering team designed a cantilever needle propping arrangement. Needle beams were installed through the masonry above the proposed openings, transferring the wall and floor loads to modular propping towers positioned on a single side of each wall. Because the system cantilevers the load rather than propping symmetrically, the opposite face (the steel installation zone) remained completely clear.
The Legend 50T Propping System carried the primary transferred loads, with Multiprops providing supplementary vertical support. All components were installed to the engineered temporary works design, with prop loads and positions verified before demolition commenced.
The Outcome
Both masonry walls were fully supported for the duration of the works, giving TSD Group safe, unobstructed access for wall demolition and installation of the new steel lintels. Loads were then transferred from the temporary propping to the permanent steel in a controlled sequence, and the propping was struck without incident. The engineered approach removed the access constraint entirely rather than working around it, no programme delay, no compromise on structural safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cantilever needle propping supports a wall by passing needle beams through the masonry and transferring the load to props on one side only, used where access or adjacent works prevent propping on both sides.
When a load-bearing wall must be partially demolished, typically to install a new beam or lintel, the wall above the opening must be temporarily supported until the permanent steel carries the load.
Once the steel lintel is installed and packed, temporary props are released in a controlled sequence so the load moves progressively onto the permanent structure.