Cracked Brickwork above Kitchen window

[Sonic70]

My nephew is purchasing a 1970/80s house of brick block construction and the surveyor has notice some cracking and loose brickwork above the kitchen window and has advised a lintel needs to be introduced. It looks like just two rows of bricks above the window are affected at present. Now i am assuming for the moment that the inner skin of blockwork has a concrete lintel that does not extend to the outer skin and that just a metal lintel needs to be fitted for the outer skin of bricks. Is this something we need a structural engineer to size the lintel or can we just employ a builder to get on with it? The other option is to insist the current owner sorts it.

Thanks
Victor

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

You'll just need a builder. Pretty bog standard stuff. Prop everything up, take the window out, see what's there and proceed accordingly. Buy a single or cavity lintel of the right length, build it in. No great design needed.

It was probably a wooden window originally, which was rigid enough to support a couple of courses of bricks. Then replaced by plastic, which has approximately no strength.

If you definitely want the house then aim for a discount. If they refuse then it's your choice, focus on whether the price is right rather than getting obsessed with the reduction, it may be a bargain already. If you ask them to fix it they might take for ever thinking about it then getting it done, by which time you or they may have lost interest or sold to someone else.

 

[Sonic70]

Thanks Ivor. My nephew won't have a lot of spare cash after sale as buying on his own which is why I was thinking of asking seller to sort it.

 

[stuart45]

Normally better to get a reduction than get a seller to do the work, as they are more likely to bodge it. As Ivor says, it's a relatively small job for a bricklayer. You can normally leave the window in and just remove the brickwork above and fit something like a Catnic L10.

 

[Sonic70]

Thanks Stuart.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I wouldn't ask the seller to do it. They may well just sell to someone else who isn't so "fussy"*.

Perhaps uncle Sonic could help?!

* I mean someone who doesn't care about the wall falling down. But they may just think you're being fussy about a detail that doesn't matter as it hasn't yet fallen down.

 

[Sonic70]

I would do it if I felt more confident about it, never put a lintel in before. Looks like the concensus here is not to let the owner do it, I think my nephew is leaning towards leaving it for time being until he has more funds unless the mortgage provider says it must be done. He also doesn't want to lose the property by quibbling with the owner, I would myself but its his choice.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

I really isn't a big deal and isn't about to collapse.

I'd forget it until if/when the kitchen needs refitting. Then make all the mess at once.

 

[Sonic70]

That might be a while as the owner has just fitted a new kitchen. Thanks for the advice

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Oh in that case do it whenever. Guess it will need lots of dustsheets and cardboard and just need a repaint inside after.

Still not a big deal.

 

[Sonic70]

As there is no lintel at present I assume there won't be a cavity tray. Does one need to be fitted as normally its also bedded into the block work which you can't do now. Plus is a metal or concrete lintel better to fit.

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

There are arguments for and against a cavity tray. For two courses of bricks at the top of a bungalow, I'd argue you'd be better without as there won't be any cavity above it, and anything in there can evaporate from the top. A cavity tray detaches the mortar from the lintel and inevitably ends up bunched here and there, so can lead to wobbly bricks if there's little weight on top. All my opinions, official rules may dictate otherwise, but I have heard of building inspectors suggesting similar.

A concrete lintel would be visible from outside, so probably not a good idea cosmetically.

Leave it until it's time to tackle it. Get props under everything. Take the window frame out and have a look. If there's an inner lintel in good condition that's not rusty then just add an angle iron to the outer skin. If there's nothing at all or it looks a mess then it needs a standard cavity lintel across the lot.

 

[Sonic70]

Brilliant, thanks Ivor.

 

[stuart45]

When it was built it most likely had a cavity tray. On big sites the standard was a 6x6 concrete lintel on the inner skin, 18 inch hyload as a tray coming over a timber window, and either a soldier course over the top, or 3 courses of brickwork with bricktor in the bed joints. Catnic lintels were around in the 70's, but the big house builders like Laings went for the cheaper option.

 

[Sonic70]

Interesting stuff, thanks stuart