2 inch thick wood lintel holding up my roof!

Joined
20 Mar 2008
Messages
178
Reaction score
4
Location
Durham
Country
United Kingdom
Hi I've been busy renovating my small 2 bed single storey cottage for a few months now and made an "interesting" discovery today. I pulled off a window frame to discover a 2 inch thick lintel looking very bent. It spans 2 windows both measuring just over 1meter wide and there is a brick column between the the windows supporting the center of the lintel. The lintel is supporting the inner skin of the cavity wall. The roof's Queen post is sat on this inner skin of bricks which is about 4 courses deep before the lintel. The Queen Post is positioned rite in the middle of the right hand window, which has unsurprisingly severely bent the lintel. This could not be seen behind the large old wooden window frame. I presume the old original wooden framed sash windows may have provided some support to this lintel, but the UPVC windows that are fitted to the external skin now obviously don't.

I wondered if it would be the same story on the opposite side of the house, so I chipped off the plaster above the single large window on this side as well to discover a 3 inch wood lintel that must have been re-enforced at a later date with a 4 inch lintel underneath it. This had also sagged a bit but no where near as much the single 2 inch one at the opposite side of the house.

So I reckon while the house is in this state I'm best of replacing both of em. The main thing I suppose I need to know is what type of lintel I should be looking at as there are so many these days?

Basically I think I need some thing to support the weight of my roof and a bit of storage in the boarded loft. The spans measure: 1760mm for the single large window and 2280mm for the 2 window on the opposite side. (there is a supporting brick column in the middle of these 2 windows)

Cheers in advance :D
 
Sponsored Links
One of the modern pressed steel lintels should work OK. You haven't said what the cavity leaf sizes are and what the cavity width is so can't be too specific on which one in particular. Try the Catnic, I'G and Keystone web sites for more information. By the way, it's not uncommon on older properties to find timber lintels but they shouldn't be used under a point load such as your roof truss. They usually only give a problem when they start rotting.
 
Hi thanks for the response :)

The cavity is aprox 100mm from memory and the leaves are basically 1 brick width, not at the property rite now so can't be exact with measurement! The front single window has a course of bricks on the outer leaf that rests on the UPVC window that is perpendicular to the rest of the bricks. It's outer face is flush, but inside the cavity the "length ways" bricks obviously protrude in.

The outer leaf of the two rear windows have brick arches. Very hard to explain and visualise with words I know so I've took a load of photos today. I haven't got my lead to upload em with me though so I'll have to do it tomorrow. They not the best quality to be fair! :LOL:
 
Ok heres the dodgey pics I promised. The first one is the badly bent 2 inch lintel above the 2 living room windows. It's very hard to see from the pics I know:

This is the outside view of the 2 windows:

The next pic shows the bedroom 3 inch lintel that has been re enforced with a newer 4 inch lintel:

This is outside of the bedroom:

I'm thinking it's going to be a major hassle fitting a lintel to both the internal and external leafs for various reasons, so would be acceptable to just replace the both wooden lintels on the internal leaf?
 
Sponsored Links
It would be foolish to not fit a lintel that deals with both inner and outer leaves whilst disruption is going on.

external-solid-wall-lintel-(page-picture-large).jpg
 
Yep, that's what I thought! :LOL:

Ok then I'm just trying to get clear in my head what sort of lintel is best for the front and back of the house. With the the roof truss resting on the inner leaf of bricks above window openings on both sides I'll need something substantial for them.

I've had a look at the catnic heavy load cavity lintels which I think could be OK for the front of the house, but not so sure how easy it'd be fitting one of these at the rear of the house yet for various reasons.

Alternatively I know someone who has some steel "I" beam lintels I can have, so would there be a problem with installing these on the internal leaf and concrete lintels to the outside leafs? Also should I fit some sort of cavity tray and weep holes if I did it this way? The house is painted so the concrete lintels should no be an eye sore on the outer brickwork.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top