Detached garage: I'm replacing the timber frame (925mm wide overall)
for the side entry door. The wall is single brick with buttresses.
The brick (soldier) course over the frame lacks a lintel, so wish to
add a steel L section.

Can someone kindly help me step by step with how to set the lintel and
where to put mortar.

First, how should the ends of the lintel be placed on the supporting
bricks? On a thin bed of mortar? - if so how thick?

Next SFAIUI a PVC dpc should be placed on the lintel. Is this laid on
the steel lintel directly without a mortar bed? And does it go up and
over the rear upright of the L?

Next the layer of mortar for the new soldier course: - is this
continued up the rear L upright?

The lintel I purchased has a lip at the top of the rear upright which
sticks out 15mm at 45deg. What is this for and how is it left when
finished?

How should the dpc be left so that it looks trim? Should any of it be
visible?

Nothing else I need to watch out for?

TIA for all help.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
jim wrote:

Detached garage: I'm replacing the timber frame (925mm wide overall)
for the side entry door. The wall is single brick with buttresses.
The brick (soldier) course over the frame lacks a lintel, so wish to
add a steel L section.

Can someone kindly help me step by step with how to set the lintel and
where to put mortar.

First, how should the ends of the lintel be placed on the supporting
bricks? On a thin bed of mortar? - if so how thick?

Next SFAIUI a PVC dpc should be placed on the lintel. Is this laid on
the steel lintel directly without a mortar bed? And does it go up and
over the rear upright of the L?

Next the layer of mortar for the new soldier course: - is this
continued up the rear L upright?

The lintel I purchased has a lip at the top of the rear upright which
sticks out 15mm at 45deg. What is this for and how is it left when
finished?

How should the dpc be left so that it looks trim? Should any of it be
visible?

Nothing else I need to watch out for?

TIA for all help.

Are you sure you *need* a lintel? What's above it, in terms of brick courses
etc.? Does that part of the wall support the roof? If there's not much to
hold up, a row of soldiers may well be more than sufficient.

Assuming you *do* need a lintel, I would simply use a piece of 6mm thick
100mm angle, about 250mm longer than the doorway width. It sounds as if the
lintel you have was intended for a cavity wall, and includes a cavity tray -
which you neither need nor want. I've never heard of putting a DPC between a
lintel and the wall above - what's it supposed to *do*?

I don't know whether this is the official method, but this is what I would
do if fitting a lintel in your circumstances:
* Rake out the mortar either side of the door, from the course level with
the top of the doorway, sufficient to be able to slide the lintel in from
inside the garage, with a few mm of clearance between the lintel and the
soldiers
* Apply a thin layer of mortar to the upper horizontal surface of the
lintel, and slide it in
* Use Acrows to jack it up so that it 'beds' under the soldiers, and any
surplus mortar squeezes out
* Use thin slate (not mortar) to pack between the underside of the ends of
the lintel and the supporting brickwork
* Re-point the mortar joints which you have disturbed

--
Cheers,
Roger
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On Sat, 18 Aug 2007 16:44:54 +0100, "Roger Mills"
wrote:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
jim wrote:

Detached garage: I'm replacing the timber frame (925mm wide overall)
for the side entry door. The wall is single brick with buttresses.
The brick (soldier) course over the frame lacks a lintel, so wish to
add a steel L section.
[...]
* Re-point the mortar joints which you have disturbed
That's pretty interesting. Any chance the OP, you can post some pics
step-by-step? That's be a good ref for any other's doing it! (Like me
- maybe perhaps possibly :-) )

On 19 Aug, 23:23, dave wrote:


Detached garage: I'm replacing the timber frame (925mm wide overall)
for the side entry door. The wall is single brick with buttresses.
The brick (soldier) course over the frame lacks a lintel, so wish to
add a steel L section.

Reason for this is a rotten timber threshold (part of the door
frame). Replacing it with a Stormguard aluminium cill should give
vastly enhanced proofing against water entry. The refitted door will
finish just over 1 brick course lower and I intend to rebuild the
soldier brickwork course over the door as packing the gap above the
new frame might look a bit naff.


That's pretty interesting. Any chance the OP, you can post some pics
step-by-step? That's be a good ref for any other's doing it! (Like me
- maybe perhaps possibly :-) )

I've sort advice elsewhere. Result:

The single brick garage is around 40 years old and the door frame was
built into the wall using the horns. Horns are formed by cutting cill
and top rail timbers at 45 deg to fit into the brickwork at each
corner of the door. That made the frame an integral part of the
wall. SFAIUI that method of fixing window and door frames was going
out about then and being replaced by the current practice of screwing
or bolting the frame into the brickwork openings. Timber used in the
traditional method was generally of better quality and larger cross
section than now and allowed the top rail to be used to support
brickwork.

The new method has the advantage of easier fixing and replacement but
as the timber is weaker it cannot support brickwork, hence the need
for a lintel. IG and Birtley make suitable L shaped lintels around
100 x 100 in section.

Both makes advise the use of a DPC with the lintel. I had assumed
this was to protect the lintel galvanized finish. Not so - the
recommendation is for when the lintel is used in a cavity wall in
association with a different lintel on the other leaf. As it is being
used in structure exposed on both sides to the atmosphere, no DPC is
required in this application.

As for what the lintel should rest on - basically it rests on the
brick pillars either side of the door. A smeer of mortar under each
side can be used to help spread the load, but essentially the lintel
is built into the wall by starting the next brick and mortar course on
the lintel.

HTH