We need to insert a lintel above a ground floor window: no lintel was used when the house was built, the brick wall for the ground floor and bedroom floor being built straight off the top of the window frame.
The opening is 6', so we're looking at a total length of 7', and I've been asked to get an L section length of steel.
Anyone able to tell me what the thickness should be and what the dimensions of the L section should be please?
TIA.
"F" wrote
Who is doing the asking? If the opening is not adequately supported then AFAIK you would need to inform Building Control who will want to see justification for the size of lintel you intend to use, perhaps calculations even. Not a major issue, but 6' spans are no longer considered to be adequately supported by resting them on window frames.
Phil
What's the wall structure? If it's just a single leaf brick wall, then you need to go and buy an L-shaped lintel. Don't try and find a random bit of steel. Any reasonable builders merchant should be able to sell you one although they may need to order it. They come in a range of standard sizes but if necessary can be cut down with either a metal cutting blade on an angle grinder or (quicker but more effort) with a decent hacksaw.
I'm assuming that this is a cavity wall and that there is already a conrete or other lintel holding up the inner leaf of the wall. If not then the L-shaped lintel is not the right thing, and I would suggest you post more details.
As far as building control is concerned, of course you ought to tell them, but given that anything you do is an improvement and if done well nobody will ever ask about it, the choice (as they say) is yours.
I did almost exactly the same thing on my last house and didn't involve BC. It had been raised on the survey when we bought the house, we did it and it was never raised when I sold the house, even though the buyers were super-picky about everything else.
Fash
That's why we're putting the lintel in (although the window frame has held the wall up since the house was built in 1959!).
That's the one...
I'm led to believe that a 100x100x10 angle will be adequate.
Anyone care to confirm or otherwise?
TIA
Think that's wrong. Having done just whjat you;re doing myself in the past, AFAICR a span of that width will require the vertical leg of the 'L' to be longer than that. Have you looked at the Catnic site - they make all these steel lintels?
Obviously the horizontal leg of the 'L' will always be 100mm, so it fits within the outer leaf of the wall; however the longer the span, then the taller the vertical leg will be. This is taken care of by Catnic when you specify the span.
Catnic also specify that you should never cut a steel lintel, by the way: you buy the correct size for your application. (apart from anything else, if you cut one you're likely to end up with an over-specc'ed lintel for the span - more expensive and longer vertical 'L', so more awkward.
David
Is there any other genuine reason for not cutting them?
NT
Yes, you (or rather the average site operative) are unlikely to do whatever is necessary to stop the cut end rusting - if it does it is likely to do serious damage to the brickwork.
Ancon SL41 - 95mm high
thanks Tony
NT
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