I have removed an old backboiler from our lounge fireplace and surrounding filler bricks so now all I have is the original builders opening. The arch has a supporting steel bar underneath it.
I need to reduce the original openings height and width and estimate I will need two rows of bricks to reduce the height to the required size.
What is the best way of supporting these bricks? Should I buy a standard concrete lintel and cut it to size (could be difficult ?) or a steel one (again difficult?). This must be a fairly common scenario so how is it normally done?