Quick answer: RC frame contractors in Surrey build the reinforced concrete skeleton of a building: the basement box, retaining walls, columns, beams and slabs. GSMS Construction Ltd does this with its own formwork and its own operated plant, and already works in Croydon, Purley and Coulsdon on the Surrey border. You get a free site survey, then a fixed price in writing.
Key takeaways
- An RC frame is the load-bearing concrete structure. Walls, cladding and roofs hang off it or sit on it.
- Surrey ground changes a lot: London Clay and river gravels in the north, chalk on the North Downs, Weald Clay to the south. Basements and foundations need a design that suits the ground they’re actually in.
- Planning in Surrey is changing. Two new councils, East Surrey and West Surrey, take over from the eleven boroughs and districts on 1 April 2027.
- Your structural engineer designs the frame. The contractor builds it: formwork, steel fixing, pours, striking and temporary works.
- Ask any contractor whether the formwork and plant are their own or hired in. It affects price, programme and who answers the phone when something goes wrong.
What RC frame contractors in Surrey actually do
RC stands for reinforced concrete. Steel bars carry the tension, and concrete carries the compression. Put them together in the right shape and you get columns, beams, slabs, cores and walls that hold a building up for generations.
The contractor turns the engineer’s drawings into that structure on site. In practice that means setting out, building the formwork (the temporary mould), fixing the reinforcement to the bar schedules, booking and placing the concrete, curing it, and striking the formwork once the concrete is strong enough. Props and back-propping stay in until the slab above can carry itself.
Most of what RC frame contractors in Surrey build on domestic jobs is small but tricky: a basement under a detached house, a retaining wall on a sloping plot, or a concrete box under a garden with a slab on top. On commercial jobs it’s podium slabs, cores and multi-storey frames. You can see the full list of what we build on our RC frame and formwork page.
RC frame and concrete services we offer
| Service | Best for | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| RC frames and podium slabs | New builds, flats, mixed-use and commercial blocks | Columns, beams, suspended slabs, cores, formwork and steel fixing |
| Basements and retaining walls | New basements under houses, sloping plots, lightwells | Dig, underpinning or piled walls to the engineer’s design, waterproof concrete box, slabs |
| Formwork systems | Curved walls, feature soffits, tall cores | Bespoke shuttering, modular systems, table forms, jumpform and slipform |
| Concrete foundations and slabs | Extensions, outbuildings, garages | Trench fill, rafts, ground-bearing and suspended slabs |
| Digger and dumper hire with driver | Reduced-level digs and muck-away | Operated plant with trained drivers |
Areas our RC frame contractors cover in Surrey
As RC frame contractors for Surrey, we already work across Croydon, South Croydon, Purley and Coulsdon (CR0, CR2, CR5, CR8). That’s right on the Surrey border, so east and central Surrey is a short run for our crews and plant.
- East Surrey: Chipstead, Banstead, Reigate, Redhill, Caterham, Oxted, Epsom, Ewell, Leatherhead
- North and central Surrey: Esher, Cobham, Walton-on-Thames, Weybridge, Woking, Guildford
- Postcodes we see most from Surrey: CR3, CR5, CR8, KT17, KT18, KT22, RH1, RH2, SM7
Not sure if we reach you? Send your postcode by WhatsApp and we’ll tell you the same day. For concrete work just over the border, see our guide to concrete work in Chipstead.
Surrey ground and why it matters for your frame
Surrey is not one kind of ground. North Surrey, around Spelthorne, Runnymede and Elmbridge, sits on London Clay and Thames gravels, so water near the surface is common. The North Downs, from Guildford through Dorking to Reigate and Caterham, are chalk. South of that you’re onto Weald Clay and sandstones.
Clay shrinks and swells with the seasons, and trees make it worse, so foundations go deeper. Gravels with a high water table mean pumping during the dig and a properly waterproofed basement. Chalk can hide solution features that only show up when you dig. A site investigation and a soil report sit at the start of any decent frame job, and the engineer designs to them.
Planning permission in Surrey
Most RC frame work comes with a planning permission already granted for the building. Basements under existing houses are the grey area. Some fall within permitted development, but many need full planning permission, especially with lightwells or in conservation areas. Check with your council’s planning team or the Planning Portal before you commit.
Two Surrey issues come up again and again. Much of the county is Metropolitan Green Belt, where new building is tightly controlled. Large areas also sit in the Surrey Hills National Landscape (the new name for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), where design and landscape impact get extra scrutiny.
Councils aim to decide most householder and minor applications within 8 weeks, and major applications within 13. From 1 April 2027 the eleven Surrey boroughs and districts are replaced by two unitary councils. East Surrey covers Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, and Tandridge. West Surrey covers Guildford, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Waverley and Woking (Surrey County Council, October 2025). If your application straddles that date, check which council will handle it.
Building Regulations, Party Wall and site safety
Every RC frame needs Building Regulations approval. Part A covers structure, and the engineer’s calculations and drawings go to building control before work starts. Building control inspects at key stages, typically the excavation, the reinforcement before a pour, and completion.
If you’re digging near a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies. Excavating within 3 metres of their foundations, and deeper than them, needs at least one month’s notice. Work to a shared party wall needs at least two months’ notice. The government’s Party Wall guidance explains the process.
Frame jobs also fall under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Temporary works such as propping, excavation support and formwork need a proper design and a check before loading. Good contractors plan these from day one, not when the concrete lorry is already on the road.
How much do RC frame contractors in Surrey charge?
There’s no honest per-square-metre figure that fits every RC frame, because the structure drives the cost. The main drivers are:
- Volume of concrete and tonnage of reinforcement on the engineer’s drawings
- Formwork area, and how much of it repeats from floor to floor
- Depth of dig, ground conditions and whether you need pumping or dewatering
- Access: a narrow side passage in Reigate costs more to work than an open plot in Cobham
- Concrete pump hire, muck-away and road closures
- Temporary works and propping
The fastest way to a real number is to send us your structural drawings, or book a site survey if you don’t have them yet. We price after we’ve seen the site, and the price we give you is fixed and itemised.
How long does an RC frame take?
RC frame contractors in Surrey build a frame in cycles: fix the formwork, fix the steel, get the inspection, pour, cure, strike, move up. The number of floors and how much the formwork repeats set the pace. A basement adds the dig, the walls and the waterproofing before any frame starts.
Weather matters too. Concrete shouldn’t be poured onto frozen ground, and winter pours need protection while they cure. We give you a written programme with the price, including the building control hold-points, so you know when each stage lands.
How to choose RC frame contractors in Surrey
- Do they own their formwork and plant, or hire in a separate shuttering gang?
- Will they show you frames and basements they’ve built, with photos you can ask questions about?
- Do they work from your engineer’s drawings and raise queries early, in writing?
- Is the price fixed and itemised, with clear lines on pumping, muck-away and temporary works?
- Do they hold public liability insurance, and will they send the certificate?
- Do they give a written guarantee on their workmanship?
- Can you speak to the person running the job, not just a sales office?
Projects we take on
Our work as RC frame contractors runs from small domestic jobs to commercial buildings. Typical work includes basements and lightwells under houses, retaining walls on sloping plots, ground-floor slabs for extensions, and RC frames and podium slabs for small developments. On the commercial side we’ve delivered fit-outs for Morrisons Daily and for Global Fresh Bazaar in Ilford.
Want to see frames and basements like yours? Ask us for photos when you call, and read our reviews on Google. Our guide to RC frame contractors in London covers the London side of our work.
Why choose GSMS as your RC frame contractors in Surrey
- In-house formwork and steel fixing. We build our own shuttering, so we don’t wait on a separate subcontractor.
- Our own operated plant. Diggers and dumpers with trained drivers keep the dig on our programme.
- Free site survey, fixed price. We see the site first, then put an itemised price in writing.
- Five-year workmanship guarantee. It covers the work we build.
- Groundworks to frame in one package. One contractor from the first dig to the top slab.
Hiring RC frame contractors in Surrey: how it works
- Call or WhatsApp. Tell us the postcode and send drawings if you have them.
- Site survey. We look at access, ground, neighbours and where the plant and pump will go.
- Fixed price and programme. Itemised, in writing, with hold-points for building control.
- Build. Dig, formwork, steel, inspection, pour, cure, strike, one stage at a time.
- Handover. Clean site, records for building control, and the workmanship guarantee.
RC frame contractors Surrey: FAQs
What is an RC frame in construction?
An RC frame is a building’s load-bearing structure made from reinforced concrete: columns, beams, slabs and walls with steel bars cast inside. The steel takes tension and the concrete takes compression. Walls, windows and roofs are then built onto the frame, which carries the loads down to the foundations.
Do I need planning permission for a basement in Surrey?
Often, yes. Some basements under existing houses fall within permitted development, but lightwells, changes to the outside, conservation areas, Green Belt sites and the Surrey Hills National Landscape can all trigger a full application. Ask your council’s planning team, or apply for a lawful development certificate if you think it’s permitted.
Who designs the RC frame, the engineer or the contractor?
Your structural engineer designs the permanent frame: sizes, reinforcement and concrete grades. The contractor builds it and designs or arranges the temporary works, such as formwork, propping and excavation support. A good contractor checks the drawings early and raises any buildability questions with the engineer before work starts.
Is an RC frame better than a steel frame?
It depends on the building. Concrete frames give good fire resistance, sound insulation and thin flat slabs, and they suit basements and flats. Steel goes up faster and spans further with less weight, which suits sheds and open-plan commercial space. Many Surrey projects use both: a concrete basement with a lighter frame above.
Do I need a Party Wall agreement for a basement?
Usually, if you’re digging within 3 metres of a neighbour’s foundations and going deeper than them. You must serve notice at least one month before excavation starts, or two months for work to a shared wall. If the neighbour doesn’t agree in writing, surveyors draw up a party wall award before work begins.
Do you guarantee your concrete work?
Yes. GSMS gives a five-year workmanship guarantee on the work we build. It’s set out in writing with your fixed price, alongside the scope, so you know what it covers before we start on site. Materials such as concrete and reinforcement are supplied to the grades on your engineer’s drawings.
Looking for RC frame contractors in Surrey?
Send us your postcode and drawings, or a few photos of the site. We’ll come and look, then give you a fixed price and a programme. Call 07717 790273 or 07453 292996, or email info@gsmsconstructionltd.co.uk. Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.