I know there are a lot of posts about this - and I've got some really useful info from reading them.
I guess the decision I'm trying to make that would benefit from a more experienced perspective is whether loose mortar on a couple of bricks in the arch necessitates installing a new lintel...
I'm opening up the chimney breast, have been hacking off the plaster to get to the original builders opening. Got to the original lintel but one of the central bricks moved substantially as I was taking off the plaster. If this is taking the weight then I would have thought it would be under...