Considering creating a patio / french doors at the back of the house. Been sent a photo by a local “builder” of a job he just completed where they cut out the brickwork and installed french doors. But there’s no sign of any lintel or additional support being installed. Would it be needed? Asking here before I ask him and probably get a load of bull in reply 😉

My personal feeling is that it’s a lot of wall / house for the door frame to hold up.

Cheers

Absolutely needed

I’ll have to check with him. The photo I’ve seen doesn’t look like any stonework above the door has been disturbed, so not like one has been installed and then dressed.

Doubt I’d use this bloke anyway, just made me wonder.

Yes, of course!

Did you ask him whether he was just resting the brickwork on the frame?

The photo I’ve seen doesn’t look like any stonework above the door has been disturbed,

Depends on the construction of the wall and the design of the lintel but sometimes you can install one without disturbing the exterior brick either from the inside or straight up from underneath. A really good brickie could make the repair nearly invisible. Plus the door trim will cover some of it.

I’d recommend it 😉

**** yes!

And just for clarification, a door/window frame should never support anything regardless of what the cheapskate builder says.

To be fair to the builder, a lintel can be fitted without disturbing the original brickwork I& you are lucky.
I can’t see any reputable builder fitting patio doors without a lintel
Ask him and he will tell you !

Quite often an internal cavity steel lintel will be used instead of an exterior concrete / stone slab.

it will appear as if only the door frame is holding brick up as only a 6mm or so thick lip is visable

oh and lolz @ the comments by those who clearly dont work in construction  😉

Google catnic lintel.
Some very mis-informed replies above.

Yes you do. type will depend on what its holding up.

All the above are probably correct, but far more important is to get a decent builder. I appreciate this may take time but well worth it.

Oooo and don’t forget planning and building control will you.

Wrightyson is like my cat there his tail has went all bushy

Shaped like bump that goes into the cavity.

I’m not sure what the last two posts mean?

Are you sure they didn’t just replace a window that already had a lintel?

I’m not sure what the last two posts mean?

Me neither but they left me feeling oddly aroused.

#strangest

Some very mis-informed replies above.

Which ones are those?

Wrightyson is like my cat there his tail has went all bushy

I’m not sure what the last two posts mean?

Me neither but they left me feeling oddly aroused.

My cavity, My cavity, there’s no one like My cavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity

Easy there martin, you’ll send perchy over the edge!

Are you sure they didn’t just replace a window that already had a lintel?

I did this – cut down from the existing window to ground level with a 200mm angle grinder, wacked a french door in.

Building control came round after I’d removed the original window and before I’d started cutting and confirmed they were happy with the existing lintel being used with a door underneath.

Just make sure you get a door that’s the same width as the window. Cost me about £500 for the door unit and fitted it myself in a day. Cheapest quote from a double glazing firm was £1750. Buildign control was £125 on top.

(it will be messy whoever does it, though)

where they cut out the brickwork and installed french doors. But there’s no sign of any lintel or additional support being installed.

You wouldn’t see a Catnic lintel from the outside (at least not on a photo of a finished job from a distance)

If it replaces an existing window the catnic was probably already in place so no disturbance needed.

Just to follow up, I asked about the lintel and oddly he never got back to me.

So I went to a Facebook market place post he’d also done and asked about if a lintel was fitted / needed.

He deleted his advert.

Guess my suspicions were correct. I thought I could hear the spurs on his boots jingle 😂

Edit: Some piffle I deleted.

four years on.

Yeah…. That’s not really very long!
I’d have thought that a 1.2m opening really should have a lintel.
(Otherwise why would they make them even smaller than that?)

If the hole is very small then probably no lintel but, put it this way…. I’ve just had a single block thickness wall built inside an existing internal wall to create some shape on what is a big flat wall.
In this block wall is a 10″ hole for the stove flue to go through (and the wall behind it) into an external chimney.
The week supports absolutely nothing and yet the builder put a concrete lintel in above the hole!

The internet is packed full of stories that if you don’t do something a certain way, usually incurring extra costs, then certain failure awaits you.

I’m just sharing my experience that it’s not always true, and I’m not sure what’s meant to happen from a lack of lintel that doesn’t occur within four years.

If your builder sticks a lintel in for a ten inch gap, then good for him, it doesn’t mean it was necessary 🙂

Certainly less necessary than for a 1.2m opening 😉

Ermmm bear who on here suggested no lintel for a 1.2m opening because they are certainly misinformed and have subsequently told you very wrong.
External leaf wound have benefitted from even a basic shelf angle with a 4×3 concrete on the inside. Thing is your frame cant be picking up both leafs, so is the internal one just floating in fresh air?

Sorry, I’ve done my bit for spreading misinformation/bollocks on the internet..the small windows already had internal lintels and the French doors went in place where a window was already – but no external lintel was added.

I’ve deleted it in case anyone reads it in the future!

A correction, *and* an apology?

Are you from round here?

😉

Bear, I think maybe the following post should also go as its almost encouraging bad practice for the misinformed.

Good work bear. I was a little concerned. Is it solid 9 inch brickwork then?

**** me it gets worse.

Can I just slope off now please?

Hard to tell from the pic but that could be a catnic half an inch back from the face showing and no damage above would make you think that

The fact that that the brick has been notched would make me think lintel! Anyway, sorry if I upset you bear, I didn’t quite get your last response.

I mean it gets worse as in there was a bloody lintel put in after all, so my post was even more bollocks than I first realised

I’ll stick to topics of welfare and cheese-puns in future.

Is it solid 9 inch brickwork then?

Can’t see any header courses… And the brickwork looks comparatively modern… So probably cavity.

🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4X_bdJox8w