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#1
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The
garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel |
#2
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
I love lentil beans
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#3
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
It's lintel, not lentil. I worked for a general contractor way back
when, we did a few jobs where we changed the overhead door on commercial buildings and had to take the brickwork out to modify the opening (generally to make it taller). Assuming this is brick veneer and not structural brick, I would remove the brick back far enough to put in a new lintel, then replace the brick. Make sure you save as much of the brick as possible so it will match when you put it back up. You probably want to get a civil engineer or architect to do the calculation for a replacement, especially if you're in a hurricane or earthquake area. There can be considerations other than the weight it supports, so don't let another contractor make a poor choice. You can probably tear everything out yourself and set the lintel if you're ambitious, but laying brick takes a fair bit of skill, probably not a DIY project. You should probably also think about shoring up the middle of the existing lintel until you can get this repaired. It could cause quite a bit more damage (and maybe injury) if it fails before you get it fixed. You could buy a basement support column and put it in the middle of the span, that should stabilize it for awhile and still allow you to use the garage. On May 1, 7:39 am, Daniel Fenner wrote: I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel |
#4
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On May 1, 7:39 am, Daniel Fenner wrote:
I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel Can't tell w/o seeing but almost certainly you'll have to get to it to either add structure or replace it for a permanent fix. If it is steel and accessible from below and you have clearance over the garage door, I suppose it would be theoretically possible to add some additional strength there but you still need a structural guy to come look and determine what is the root cause and the needed fix. As a note, "best" and "cheapest" are almost always dichotomous notions and I suspect that is the case here... |
#5
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On 1 May 2007 05:39:23 -0700, Daniel Fenner
wrote: I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel Onions are not a good choice for structural materials. Is the structure double-wythe brick, or a brick facade over a wood frame? Are you sure the crack is because the lintel isn't adequate, and not because the whole foundation is moving, or because the roof is spreading the tops of the bearing walls? The fact that the crack started at the window makes me a little suspicious. If it was sagging, I'd expect the crack to start at the top of the door and work it's way up. Does a straightedgee show sagging? How much headroom do you have in the doorway? Is the room above the garage finished space, or can you get at the structure from the inside? How much ugly are you willing to put up with? If you can spare the headroom, the SIMPLEST fix would be to jack the middle of the door back into place, and weld a big chunk of angle iron to the underside of the existing lintel to reinforce it. I'd seriously consider running cable and a turnbuckle under the window across the whole width of the garage, while you're at it. |
#6
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
Most brick veneers houses are poorly done. Visit www.bia.org to read the
tech reports to learn how brick veneer should be installed. The lintel could be too thin or not long enuf. Also the masonry is supposed to be fastened to the wood house studs every couple feet. Since most builders put opaque paper on top of the sheathing before bricking it up, how could the masons possibly know where the studs are unless they are marked on the paper (never done). On top of that, many masons leave out flashing around doors and windows and leave weepholes plugged. I had all of these defects in my new home and had to hire a mason for big bucks to fix them all. That is why I will never again buy a brick veneer house. "Daniel Fenner" wrote in message oups.com... I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel |
#7
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Tue, 01 May 2007 12:54:47 GMT, "longshot" wrote:
I love lentil beans Me too. I wouldn't know what lintel meant if it weren't for my Block City. My best friend had Brick Town. I guess they have both been replaced by Leggos. |
#8
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On May 1, 8:15 am, MarkL wrote:
It's lintel, not lentil. I worked for a general contractor way back when, we did a few jobs where we changed the overhead door on commercial buildings and had to take the brickwork out to modify the opening (generally to make it taller). Assuming this is brick veneer and not structural brick, I would remove the brick back far enough to put in a new lintel, then replace the brick. Make sure you save as much of the brick as possible so it will match when you put it back up. You probably want to get a civil engineer or architect to do the calculation for a replacement, especially if you're in a hurricane or earthquake area. There can be considerations other than the weight it supports, so don't let another contractor make a poor choice. You can probably tear everything out yourself and set the lintel if you're ambitious, but laying brick takes a fair bit of skill, probably not a DIY project. You should probably also think about shoring up the middle of the existing lintel until you can get this repaired. It could cause quite a bit more damage (and maybe injury) if it fails before you get it fixed. You could buy a basement support column and put it in the middle of the span, that should stabilize it for awhile and still allow you to use the garage. On May 1, 7:39 am, Daniel Fenner wrote: I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Thanks for the info Mark. I put up a supporting post yesterday and am waiting for a couple more estimates before I have the work done. |
#9
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On May 1, 11:04 am, Goedjn wrote:
On 1 May 2007 05:39:23 -0700, Daniel Fenner wrote: I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel Onions are not a good choice for structural materials. Is the structure double-wythe brick, or a brick facade over a wood frame? Are you sure the crack is because the lintel isn't adequate, and not because the whole foundation is moving, or because the roof is spreading the tops of the bearing walls? The fact that the crack started at the window makes me a little suspicious. If it was sagging, I'd expect the crack to start at the top of the door and work it's way up. Does a straightedgee show sagging? How much headroom do you have in the doorway? Is the room above the garage finished space, or can you get at the structure from the inside? How much ugly are you willing to put up with? If you can spare the headroom, the SIMPLEST fix would be to jack the middle of the door back into place, and weld a big chunk of angle iron to the underside of the existing lintel to reinforce it. I'd seriously consider running cable and a turnbuckle under the window across the whole width of the garage, while you're at it. Thanks for your reply. The crack actually started at the headers, I just wasn't clear in my explanation. And yes, the beam does show obvious sagging. You mentioned the roof possibly spreading the tops of the bearing walls. Can you explain to me in more detail? I've got a structural engineer coming out today to look at the problem and I'll be curious to see if he mentions that. |
#10
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On May 1, 1:20 pm, "Art" wrote:
Most brick veneers houses are poorly done. Visitwww.bia.orgto read the tech reports to learn how brick veneer should be installed. The lintel could be too thin or not long enuf. Also the masonry is supposed to be fastened to the wood house studs every couple feet. Since most builders put opaque paper on top of the sheathing before bricking it up, how could the masons possibly know where the studs are unless they are marked on the paper (never done). On top of that, many masons leave out flashing around doors and windows and leave weepholes plugged. I had all of these defects in my new home and had to hire a mason for big bucks to fix them all. That is why I will never again buy a brick veneer house. "Daniel Fenner" wrote in message oups.com... I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - You made an interesting point that the masonry "is supposed" to be fastened every couple of feet. If I find out this is not the case, is the home builder somehow liable for this problem? The house is only 8 years old and it's my understanding that under Oklahoma state law, home builders are required to have a 10 year warranty on their homes (looking into the details of this). Any thoughts? I'm hoping for an inexpensive fixso that I don't have to go the legal route. |
#11
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On 2 May 2007 04:49:44 -0700, Daniel Fenner
wrote: On May 1, 11:04 am, Goedjn wrote: On 1 May 2007 05:39:23 -0700, Daniel Fenner wrote: I've been in a home for one year now, that was built 8 years ago. The garage has a brick gable, with a window in the middle, above it. It appear that the lentil that the building company put in is not strong enough to support all of that weight and is starting to sag in the middle which has caused the brick above it to start separating (one large verticle crack from the window and growing larger as it moves down to the lentil. My QUESTION is, what is the best and cheapest repair for this. I've had a range of recommended fixes from taking all of the bricks out and replacing the lentil, to putting in lagger(?) bolts and tuck points(?). Is the latter option just a short term fix? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks, Daniel Onions are not a good choice for structural materials. Is the structure double-wythe brick, or a brick facade over a wood frame? Are you sure the crack is because the lintel isn't adequate, and not because the whole foundation is moving, or because the roof is spreading the tops of the bearing walls? The fact that the crack started at the window makes me a little suspicious. If it was sagging, I'd expect the crack to start at the top of the door and work it's way up. Does a straightedgee show sagging? How much headroom do you have in the doorway? Is the room above the garage finished space, or can you get at the structure from the inside? How much ugly are you willing to put up with? If you can spare the headroom, the SIMPLEST fix would be to jack the middle of the door back into place, and weld a big chunk of angle iron to the underside of the existing lintel to reinforce it. I'd seriously consider running cable and a turnbuckle under the window across the whole width of the garage, while you're at it. Thanks for your reply. The crack actually started at the headers, I just wasn't clear in my explanation. And yes, the beam does show obvious sagging. You mentioned the roof possibly spreading the tops of the bearing walls. Can you explain to me in more detail? I've got a structural engineer coming out today to look at the problem and I'll be curious to see if he mentions that. It was just an alternative explanation for the cracking if the problem wasn't a sagging lintel. Since you have an obviously sagging lintel, spreading is probably a non issue. |
#13
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Tue, 01 May 2007 12:54:47 GMT, "longshot" wrote:
I love lentil beans I missed out on the bean count. I like Lima beans. -- Oren If your not getting it from the horses mouth, You're listening to the wrong end. |
#14
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
replying to Daniel Fenner, Houstonbrick wrote:
We see this problem often here in Houston,TX..We are a small masonry repair contractor in Spring, TX..There are very few options available. If there is a way to access your home warranty, you could ask them to repair. Second option is to call someone like us. We would demolition 2 to 3 feet of garage and replace lentil with stronger back. A stronger piece of iron the is 4 inches on one side and the other side 5 to 6 inches. If the masonry above garage is attached well with wall ties,there is a possibility that entire gable will have to come down. This is not a DIY project. It's best to call a pro. In our area it is considered an extensive repair. You can expect to pay 3200 to 7000. There really is no easy way to do it right. The guys at www.masoncrew.net are wonderful and you can trust them to give you a free evaluation if you send pictures. -- posted from http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...ng-213768-.htm |
#15
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 8:44:05 PM UTC-5, Houstonbrick wrote:
replying to Daniel Fenner, Houstonbrick wrote: We see this problem often here in Houston,TX..We are a small masonry repair contractor in Spring, TX..There are very few options available. If there is a way to access your home warranty, you could ask them to repair. Second option is to call someone like us. We would demolition 2 to 3 feet of garage and replace lentil with stronger back. A stronger piece of iron the is 4 inches on one side and the other side 5 to 6 inches. If the masonry above garage is attached well with wall ties,there is a possibility that entire gable will have to come down. This is not a DIY project. It's best to call a pro. In our area it is considered an extensive repair. You can expect to pay 3200 to 7000. There really is no easy way to do it right. The guys at www.masoncrew.net are wonderful and you can trust them to give you a free evaluation if you send pictures. -- Tragically, five years ago, Dan was sitting in his running car when the garage collapsed. The car exploded and Dan was killed in the fire that destroyed both the car and garage. It was awful, Dan left behind 18 children. o_O [8~{} Uncle Burning Monster |
#16
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On 06/11/2016 09:44 PM, Houstonbrick wrote:
replying to Daniel Fenner, Houstonbrick wrote: We see this problem often here in Houston,TX..We are a small masonry repair contractor in Spring, TX..There are very few options available. If there is a way to access your home warranty, you could ask them to repair. Second option is to call someone like us. We would demolition 2 to 3 feet of garage and replace lentil with stronger back. A stronger piece of iron the is 4 inches on one side and the other side 5 to 6 inches. If the masonry above garage is attached well with wall ties,there is a possibility that entire gable will have to come down. This is not a DIY project. It's best to call a pro. In our area it is considered an extensive repair. You can expect to pay 3200 to 7000. There really is no easy way to do it right. The guys at www.masoncrew.net are wonderful and you can trust them to give you a free evaluation if you send pictures. That's what you get for building beams of lentils; you're supposed to use lumber. And, yes, I know this is an old post to which I am responding. Perce |
#17
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
MarkL wrote: "It's lintel, not lentil. "
Welcome to America, where everyone is either ADHD, dyslexic, or both! |
#18
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On 12 Jun 2016, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in
alt.home.repair: That's what you get for building beams of lentils; you're supposed to use lumber. Instead of lentils, try I-beans. And, yes, I know this is an old post to which I am responding. |
#19
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On 6/12/2016 5:47 PM, Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 06/11/2016 09:44 PM, Houstonbrick wrote: replying to Daniel Fenner, Houstonbrick wrote: We see this problem often here in Houston,TX..We are a small masonry repair contractor in Spring, TX..There are very few options available. If there is a way to access your home warranty, you could ask them to repair. Second option is to call someone like us. We would demolition 2 to 3 feet of garage and replace lentil with stronger back. A stronger piece of iron the is 4 inches on one side and the other side 5 to 6 inches. If the masonry above garage is attached well with wall ties,there is a possibility that entire gable will have to come down. This is not a DIY project. It's best to call a pro. In our area it is considered an extensive repair. You can expect to pay 3200 to 7000. There really is no easy way to do it right. The guys at www.masoncrew.net are wonderful and you can trust them to give you a free evaluation if you send pictures. That's what you get for building beams of lentils; you're supposed to use lumber. And, yes, I know this is an old post to which I am responding. Perce Sounds like you know your beans. -- .. Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .. www.lds.org .. .. |
#20
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 6:15:52 PM UTC-4, Nil wrote:
On 12 Jun 2016, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote in alt.home.repair: That's what you get for building beams of lentils; you're supposed to use lumber. Instead of lentils, try I-beans. It's easier to see eye-beans. "The garage has a...lentil that...is not strong enough..." Beams, beams, they're good for support The more you use, the stronger your car port The stronger your car port, the better you feel So use those beams that are made from steel |
#21
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
Uncle Monster wrote:
Dan left behind 18 children. That's a lot of sprouts. |
#22
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Sun, 12 Jun 2016 14:49:44 -0700 (PDT),
wrote: MarkL wrote: "It's lintel, not lentil. " I probably wouldn't know the word but two of them came with my Block City when I was 7 or 8, one for a round door and one for a square-top door. Welcome to America, where everyone is either ADHD, dyslexic, or both! |
#23
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 5:49:48 PM UTC-4, wrote:
MarkL wrote: "It's lintel, not lentil. " Welcome to America, where everyone is either ADHD, dyslexic, or both! Did you hear about the agnostic dyslexic insomniac? He would lie awake at night wondering about whether or not there is a dog. M |
#24
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
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#25
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
replying to DerbyDad03, bs wrote:
Yes, this is an old post. For those reading it looking for a remedy: Most likely, the lintel was not properly fastened on the ends. This is what causes it to sag. Common problem, home warranty issue for sure. If in Texas, it's 10 years. -- for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...ng-213768-.htm |
#26
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Lentil Beam above Garage is Bending
On Monday, April 30, 2018 at 5:14:05 PM UTC-5, bs wrote:
replying to DerbyDad03, bs wrote: Yes, this is an old post. For those reading it looking for a remedy: Most likely, the lintel was not properly fastened on the ends. This is what causes it to sag. Common problem, home warranty issue for sure. If in Texas, it's 10 years. -- You're too late, DerbyDad03 was abducted by Mutant Democrats From Outerspace. It's feared they tried to convert him into a homosexual HITLERy Clinton supporter. It didn't work so they fed him to The Giant Mutant Gerbils From Outerspace. It was a tragic loss for his children and The Pinebox Derby community. O_o [8~{} Uncle Sad Monster |
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