steel lintels set too high :(

[damouse]

Hi all

Been a lurker for a while but sadly posting here in this forum due to some builders that did some work for me but have since been sacked due to lack of quality work and time keeping.

Essentially we have an issue with our UPVC doors in a brick extension - the steel lintel for these is positioned a course of bricks too high so the door fitters are now having to look at packing the void with extensions as we can't get bespoke doors to fit. We have two doors with this issue - a 2.4m set of French doors and an standard width door - both on the same side of the wall.

Was wondering if we should consider instead removing the partly fitted doors and have the existing steel lintels removed and replaced with new ones that are at the right level.

I'm trying to gauge if this is possible as I am not clear on what brickwork needs to be removed in this scenario before calling out some trusted builders to quote on such a job.

Cheers for any advice!

ps. we could of course live with the problem by using extensions to make up the gap but any alternatives are being considered while we can.

 

[LanceCorpralJones]

If it's possible to position a strongboy or two under the exisiting lintels, and still have room for new lintels, it should be a relatively easy job to install new lintels under the exisitng ones. But it sounds as though it might be very tight. Additionally, if the lintels are double skinned with an insulated tongue in the cavity this would not be possible.

To remove the exisitng and replace with new lower lintels is possible, but more fiddly and more expensive, possibly as much as 1.5 or 2 times as much.

Leaving and using the existing lintels, I'm assuming the interior can be masked with PB or similar. Can the outside be masked with brick slips or similar?

 

[noseall]

At what height are these lintels, i.e. from dpc to the underside of the lintel?

 

[damouse]

Thanks for replying

@LanceCorpralJones - 'm thinking along the same lines to disguise the inside using plasterboard. From the outside we will see about 5 extensions strips ... although not ideal I could live with it if I had to. I wonder if brick slips could be fixed to the upvc extensions but even so, they would stick out visually like a sore thumb

@noseall - The doc to top of lintel height is 2300mm - I think the door is standard height so hence we have the gap at the top.

I've read on this site somewhere that putting a course of bricks between the top of the door frame and the underside of the lintel is a non starter as the bricks will just drop out die to movement over time as the door opens and closes?