Replacing french doors and side lights with bifold doors

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Hi All

I am planning on replacing my old doors with new 8ft bifold doors. Have spoken to building control who won't come out and offer advice, but will just come out and inspect after. so i have taken a photo to help explain.

What i am uncertain off is weather i can just put new frame in with out adding any additional support to the facing brick on front. There is some kind of cast concrete lintel on the inside which runs right through to front coarse of brick above the tiles, which in turn is rendered i know this as i have made a repair to render of side of house ( new ceiling on inside) which had a similar opening and could see how it was constructed.

I will be cutting the bricks out below the side lights and fitting 8ft bifold sliding doors on. These will have a U value of 1.8 and the officer on phone wont except a u value of 2 even though those doors are cheaper and have a thickness of 54mm as regards to the more expensive 1.8u versions which are only 44mm thickness.

From the conversation i had with building control he wants me to lay damp proof coarse below cill and put cavity closers up the sides and said as just replacement no need for buildings works just an £89 fee for replacement of window but the guy on phone not seen how house is constructed. Any advice anyone can give me, be appreciated. I don't want to spend £1700 on my doors for him to fail it!!

Did get quotes from fensa firms but they were obserd regards timber doors and could only offer deals on upvc which is not the look im after.
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Regards
Tim
 
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most bi-fold doors are top hung. make sure the lintel currently in place is capable of taking the additional load.

by the way wickes sells very good oak veneer folding doors.
 
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Its 2450mm, I used a tape measure! that the total width of opening not the exisiting door.

What I really need to know is, if extra support needs to go in, to change it would likley be a nightmare as i'm assuming it done like the opening on side of the house. This opening only 2.1m and the concrete above those header bricks is 20inches thick and bearings of 300mm as i recently had work done, new ceilings, new plaster on walls.

Building control wont come out before hand to advise, other than they dont class removing the bricks out from under sidelights as tructual work as it does not effect the the exisiting opening, and to just submit for change of door. they not helpfull!
 
If you say the lintel is where the tiles are that would suggest the brick on edge soldier decorative relief is supported on the door and window/frame.

You need to make sure the lintel is supporting the brick on edge to be sure.

Gently rake away the mortar between frame and brickwork at the top and see if you get to the metal lintel. They would normally carry the soldier course!

Those old crittal windows are coming back into fashion, looks very Gerry and Margo :)
 
There is no metal lintel, i have knocked some plaster off internaly and some render off externaly, this lintel is constructed of some kind of concrete, cast ( bits off pottery in it) as building went up, on inside it starts from bottom off opening but on outside starts from top of the tiles and bridges the cavity.

Does anyone know if flat steel under the decorative headers would be acceptable? regarding building control?. The support is there just not for the headers and new jeldwen bifold sliding doors needs fixing to the headers as i really dont want to spoil the look of the house by ripping them out.

The wellington door set require. "The additional loads imposed by the folding sliding patio
doorsets will be a uniformly distributed Load (UDL) of
0.5kN"
 
they not helpfull!
Not they're job to advise full stop! No obligation whatsoever to offer advise or do a site visit. You realise the LA are run as profit making company in direct competition with private Building Inspectors? When will people grasp it? :rolleyes:
 

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