Window removed but no lintel on outer leaf

[Sunil237]

Hi folks,

 

We had removed a window from there rear to create the entrance to the extension and there's actually no lintel in place. 

 

Oddly enough the opening has been fine for a month with excessive work taking place as we've added a flat roof above it!

 

I wanted to make it right though, just wanted to get thoughts on what to use

 

It's a 2.7m opening with a 50mm cavity and 100mm brickwork.

I am hoping to use an angle iron on this external face, remove some mortar and just dry-bed it into the each side by 150mm - easiest DIY option

 

Alternative would be to remove 1 corse of bricks and replace with a concrete lintel or a steel box

 

As the plasterer is looking to crack on on Monday I'd like to get this done this weekend 

Any thoughts?

[Mr Punter]

I am pretty sure there must be a lintel or beam above, otherwise they would not have been able to build the bricks across the top.

[Canski]

20 minutes ago, Mr Punter said:

I am pretty sure there must be a lintel or beam above, otherwise they would not have been able to build the bricks across the top.

I’m not so sure. On the estate where I used to live the brickwork was built straight on to the window frames. Even the garage door 🙄

 

@Sunil237 If there is no lintel there ( even if just in the brickwork skin) you need to get some temporary support in there pretty quickly. 

[Sunil237]

There's definitely no lintel, I knocked off a bit of mortar to check. There is a concrete lintel on the inner wall.

 

@Canski, it's stood firm with no cracks through the full extension build somehow without failing! 2 more days with no activities should be oka. Haha famous last words

 

I went to a builders merch and they did recommend a steel angle lintel. So I'm going to put that in on Monday

[Canski]

Some years ago we cast concrete lintels in situ behind brickwork that was connected to the concrete using expamet. This could be the same in your case. An angle is a solution depending on how you install it. 

[Sunil237]

46 minutes ago, Canski said:

Some years ago we cast concrete lintels in situ behind brickwork that was connected to the concrete using expamet. This could be the same in your case. An angle is a solution depending on how you install it. 

I was thinking to just drill out all the mortar, 150mm either side of the opening and place the angle in from the outside face as the cavity is 50mm, and use a dry mix packed tightly above and below the lintel.

 

Any issues or better way for a DIYer?