DIYbanter - View Single Post - Fitting new first-floor window

wrote:
Lobster wrote:

I've got to fit a new upstairs window soon, which I'm just trying
to get my head round.

snip

There are only 2-3 brick courses above the window before the wall
plate upon which the ceiling joists/roof rafters sit (perpendicular
to the wall). Would I be able to just remove the bricks above
altogether - would the wallplate take the load OK? New window will
be 650mm from corner of house, and about 900mm wide.

is this a new window or a replacement?

A new one.
if a replacement the lintel
should support the wall above, if its a new window or there is no
lintle fitted one way of supporting the bricks is to cut away the
mortar from the course above and insert a length of steel angle iron
across the opening with a 6'' overlap at each side.

Now *that* sounds a hell of an idea, especially as I am simultaneously
facing the task of fitting a load of replacement windows which I know
don't have lintels already :-(

Some of my existing windows are as much as 2.3m wide (that's a
downstairs one). Would this angle iron trick work there too, while I
fit lintels, do we think? What grade/strength/thickness of angle iron
can you get? Logic rather tells me this would be indadequate in the
case of a downstairs 2.3m span, but then again, the timber window is
holding it all up OK at the moment! We're only talking outer leaves
too; the inner leaves (which presumably support the joists etc) already
have lintels.

David