New lintel

[veryconfused8888]

I have posted here before and if anyone needs to, you can read my older threads. Anyway, I had a new lintel fitted last week and was not happy with the quality of the work. The builders cut too much off the new lintel and had to put a small piece of the old lintel (the orange bit at the lefthand side)back at the end of the lintel space, which they mortered to the new lintel. (I only noticed this after they had gone.) The morter is where the original crack in the wall came down to. (See images of before and after.) I called building control this morning as I am concerned about the safety of the wall and they said I should have applied for planning permission for the lintel. Neither the builders nor the structural engineer had told me this and I didn't know. I have now applied-the council said to do it and that they could send someone out if needed to have the new lintel opened up to check if it is ok. I called the engineer and he said that I am 'starting to get people's backs up,' when all I am doing is trying to ensure that the work is ok and also now to be sure I am not breaking the law re. the planning permission. I have never seen a lintel with a bit of another lintel at the end before and wonder if this is unusual.

 

[^woody^]

I'm very confused 8889.

Why planning permission? Is the property listed?

The lintel looks OK. The job looks crap though

 

[veryconfused8888]

No, as far as I know the building isn't listed or in a conservation area. It is an ordinary little Victorian terrace in a not so great area.
Re. the new lintel. So you don't think that it is a cause for concern that it is pointed to the bit left of the old lintel at the place where the crack went down to?

 

[Ian H]

Did you consider an angle iron?

 

[veryconfused8888]

No, as I have not heard of them before. Could you tell me more and if they could be a solution?

 

[Ian H]

Of course you have. They were mentioned loads of timeswhen you were on about the lintel in your earlier threads.

The lintel is fine, the bit you think is the old lintel is the first brick beyond the lintel. Get it rendered and forget about it.

 

[^woody^]

No, as far as I know the building isn't listed or in a conservation area

Then you don't need planning permission.

 

[cdbe]

I think you've confused planning permission, building regs, repair work and new openings. To me it looks like the issue was always just crumbling brickwork under the left hand side of the original lintel. I would have replaced the half brick (or broken full brick) with a new full brick to tie it back into the wall but as said it's not going to fall down.

Unless the council are on their way round I'd be withdrawing whatever you've applied for and trying to get my money back. Don't mention the new plastic window or they'll want another £90 to tell you it's a window.

 

[^woody^]

Either way its a repair and not a new installation and so building regs wont apply either.

Surely the OP know what they applied for?

 

[tony1851]

Either way its a repair and not a new installation and so building regs wont apply either.

Surely the OP know what they applied for?

It looks more like a structural alteration to me, because what looks like a timber lintel has been replaced by a concrete lintel, so as it's not like-for-like, Building Regs would apply, IMO.

 

[veryconfused8888]

I didn't (and don't) have a clue about building regs/approval/planning permission etc or that any of them were relevant for a new lintel. I called the building control dept at the local council this morning on the advice of Age UK when I told them about my concerns over the new lintel to see if the council could send someone to check it. The man on the phone said I should have applied for approval for the installation of the new lintel. So it's something I was told I had to do. Yes, I have been getting mixed up as this is way out of my experience. Apparently it is approval I have applied for.

 

[^woody^]

It looks more like a structural alteration to me, because what looks like a timber lintel has been replaced by a concrete lintel, so as it's not like-for-like, Building Regs would apply, IMO.

Nah, its a repair.

Its not altering the structure or altering the loading arrangement like when replacing a load bearing frame. Whilst not specifically like for like, it is replacement with an improved lintel and nothing else. If the OP wanted to replace with paper mache, then yes he would have to apply and submit some calculations, but replacement with a similar or better is a straight-forward repair.

 

[tony1851]

So who would decide whether or not the concrete lintel was "better" than the timber lintel? A lay person? A builder who just happens to have a spare concrete lintel lying around? or an inspector who could call on an engineer to check?

 

[^woody^]

So who would decide whether or not the concrete lintel was "better" than the timber lintel? A lay person? A builder who just happens to have a spare concrete lintel lying around? or an inspector who could call on an engineer to check?

Who decides if the plaster you are hacking of the wall or the socket you are replacing needs an application?

 

[tony1851]

Stripping paster or putting in a socket doesn't alter the fact that replacing a lintel with a lintel of different material is a structural alteration.