Why such a big concrete lintel?

[ARW]

This is not a supporting wall.

Two courses of brick above it and nothing else.

house was built in 1969/1970.

[brass monkey]

At least the wall is supporting the lintel. In our house the door and window frames support 'em. Friggin cowboy builders.

[Tim Watts]

I like their method, with the mattress!

[Tim Watts]

See a lot of lintels round here where it hangs on the bricks by the skin of its teeth - 1/2" overlap if you're lucky!

[brass monkey]

1/2"? I wish. Ours are cut to match the windows/doors widths. Or more probably broken off with a sledge. 10 bungalows in our street, all lintels are supported in the same manner.

[Tim Watts]

Someone hates double glazing salesman. Or rather the installer who's getting a nasty surprise when he checks for a lintel then confidently pulls the window frame out!

[ARW]

To lift it down would need three pairs of steps, maybe four. Might as well let gravity do the work.

I just could not believe the size of it considering it only had two courses of bricks above it.

[harry]

Thy are made in standard sizes. There may have been a floor above anyway.

[Tim Lamb]

Could this be *standard house design* with variable second floor configuration?

>

[F Murtz]

Did it have an other floor or roof struts sitting on it?

[Lobster]

Originally intended to be installed elsewhere in the house? Wrongly ordered/specified? -> Builder decided it was easier just to use it in that location rather than cart it off site and store it somewhere indefinitely?

[mark]

I'm renovating a 1948 house and all of the lintels are cast insitu. Maybe your one was. The one across the doorway of the flat roofed garage recently removed was 3 courses of brick deep and loaded with rebar. It was removed, without the aid of a safety mattress, by the relentless application of two sledge hammers.

mark

[ARW]

There is a wall directly above it, but the wall above it (thermalight bricks) is just sat onto the floorboards. Both walls run parallel to the joists and the lower wall was not supporting a joist or the wall above - it stopped at ceiling height.

The surveyor said it was fine to knock the wall down and lots of people on the estate with identical houses have done the same.

[ARW]

I do believe you may be correct. I have had a look at the "markings" on the lintel from when it was cast..

It was shuttered with timber - you can clearly see the wood grain on the lintel face at the front and back but the bottom of the lintel looks like brickwork and the top was smooth.

[ARW]

Not that I am aware of. There are 30 identical houses on this estate.

[Andrew Gabriel]

So it was reinforced concrete, not pre-stressed concrete. That probably explains the size difference (needs more rebar).

[SteveW]

Could it have been planning ahead for future extensions?

SteveW

[Rick Hughes]

If there was no room to build in at least 3 courses of composite brickwork courses .. which is needed for pre-stressed concrete lintol .. then you need a reinforced concrete lintol ... these are deep ... can't be sure on this without measurements .. but at least 9" deep for that opening.

[ARW]

Ta.