Oh No!! A Rotten Lintel.....

[Venomgrass]

As always, old houses never fail to surprise you... Started dry lining a room so I could skim it. I was struggling to get a good fixing for the ceiling plasterboard. Ripped the old Lime plaster ceiling away to expose a rotten joist... Easy fix Prop>Cut>Splice...

However, next to the joist I've found an old window wooden lintel completely rotted! Damn... like a 2m wide window too. It so rotted surely it's not holding anything up? this is a ground floor room and above is another room with a window in exact same place (which was source of the historical leak, some tw@t in the past must have installed a sky cable directly into the window with no drip loop or silicone...)

Anyway, could someone please advise, I might need to get a builder in for a quote....

 

[bobasd]

why not do what i suggest below an then post close-up pics of whats been exposed,
an pics ofthe window in the room above showing/including the skirting/flooring?
also pics of the exterior elevation showing/including the two windows.

make a level cut in line with the head of the door an then knock off plaster back to brick up to the ceiling.
then knock off across the head above the window - an the soffit below the lintel.
be cautious because some loose brick might come tumbling out.

i can see what look like wispy strands of something around the rotten wood.

if the extractor is old an weary - pull it after isolating it.

 

[Venomgrass]

Thank you very much for the reply. Here is a picture from outside it must be the external staircase causing the damp.

Will get better photos tonight.

https://m.imgur.com/a/6QrY0Dq

 

[bobasd]

the new pic wont hold still for me - it flickers and goes off.
can you format it like the previous pics?

external staircases can cause penetrating damp,
either direct penetration or splash penetration.
but so can other things?

 

[Venomgrass]

Sorry about that - Thanks for the help by the way.