Indies Structures

20/10/2026

Cracks in your walls? Here's what's usually behind them 🏠🔍

After inspecting over 300 homes for cracks and movement, these are the causes we see most:

1️⃣ Leaking drains: water washes out the soil under the foundations and part of the house settles
2️⃣ Trees too close: roots dry out clay soil, especially conifers, willows, poplars and oaks
3️⃣ Poorly propped beams: walls removed without proper temporary support, or an undersized steel, let the structure sag
4️⃣ Lintel movement: seasonal expansion and contraction cracks at the corners of windows and doors

💡 Tip: subsidence cracks are typically diagonal and wider at the top.

How we assess it:
✅ Measure crack widths against the BRE damage categories
✅ Fit tell-tale gauges and monitor over time to tell historic from ongoing movement
✅ Recommend the right fix: repair, crack stitching, underpinning or, in severe cases, rebuilding

Seen a crack? Don't ignore it.
📩 DM us or tap the link in bio to book a structural inspection.

Indies Structures, Chartered Structural & Civil Engineers
📍 Wales · Bristol · South West

20/10/2026

Thinking of knocking through? 🔨 Here's how to tell if a wall is load-bearing.

1️⃣ Decide your opening: part of the wall or all of it?
2️⃣ Knock it: solid usually means masonry, hollow means stud (which can still carry load!)
3️⃣ Measure from the external walls on both sides
4️⃣ Check floor-to-ceiling heights
5️⃣ Repeat upstairs: walls stacked on top of each other = load-bearing
6️⃣ Lift the carpet: boards parallel to the wall mean the joists sit on it
7️⃣ Check the loft: purlins & struts vs trusses

Still not sure? Don't guess. Get it checked before anything comes out.

📍 Indies Structures, Chartered Structural & Civil Engineers
Wales · Bristol · South West
📩 DM us or tap the link in bio for wall removal calcs and beam design.

26/09/2026

01/07/2026

"Site progress on this new build commercial property — a funeral directors' building. Despite planning delays and additional SuDS drainage requirements, the project is back on track and moving toward completion. Excited to see the progress so far. 🏗️"

06/05/2026

17 years ago, I left my home in the British Virgin Islands with a dream and walked through these very doors at Swansea University to study Civil Engineering. 🇻🇬🏗️

What followed was a journey I could never have fully imagined — a Master's degree, a graduate role in Bristol, and years of working alongside some incredible people and companies who shaped me into the engineer I am today.

Now, I'm writing the next chapter. 📖 Indies Structures is more than a business — it's proof that no matter where you come from, you can build something meaningful. That with the right mindset, the right work ethic, and a little faith, anything is possible.

To anyone out there who feels like the odds are stacked against them — they're not. You belong in any room you walk into. 💪🏾

Can't wait to visit the new campus. 🙌

08/04/2026

❓ Question:

Would you feel comfortable if this was supporting your home?

A️. Yes – looks fine to me
B️. Not sure 🤔
C️. Definitely unsafe 🚫

Drop your answer in the comments below 👇

06/04/2026

We took on an overgrown plot in Cwmbran that had already been refused planning twice for a traditional two-bed cottage.

Instead of repeating the same approach, we rethought the design.

After nearly 2 years of planning, surveys, and studies, we secured approval for a modern, tiered home built into the slope — designed to blend into the landscape.

Now the journey begins.

Follow along as we bring this project to life.