"Graham Jones" wrote in message
...
Hello,

Continuing my inspection of the brickwork I have noticed that the bricks
above the kitchen window have dropped slightly and there are zig-zag
cracks in the mortar going up and in from the corners.

The lintel above the window is a row of bricks placed on end
(verticalically),

It is these vertical bricks that have dropped causing the brickwork above
to drop.

9 years ago we had all the windows replaced with uPVC frames. This may be
the cause as uPVC frames aren't structual. But this would mean the old
wooden frames were taking some of the weight. Could this be right? Would
it have been designed this way?

So how do I fix it and also could someone explain how bricks placed on end
work as a lintel? I don't really see it myself.


What sort of windows did the uPVC ones replace? Were they concrete, wooden,
or steel?