Old House Windows Lintel vs. Vertical Brick Course
Discussion
Hello,
Looking at buying an 1880s farmhouse, and as far as I can see the windows all have vertical/soldier brick courses above them, with wooden window frames.
Given the age, is it pretty unlikely there is any form of Lintel here? i.e. it's just the window frames holding things up?
Some are curved courses, and even have the same curved bricks on the inside. Would this worry you, or just something to be aware of with old houses?
Looking at buying an 1880s farmhouse, and as far as I can see the windows all have vertical/soldier brick courses above them, with wooden window frames.
Given the age, is it pretty unlikely there is any form of Lintel here? i.e. it's just the window frames holding things up?
Some are curved courses, and even have the same curved bricks on the inside. Would this worry you, or just something to be aware of with old houses?
Given it’s about 150 years old and still standing it wouldn’t worry me, our house is about the same age! I don’t think there would typically be a lintel…I can ask the question tomorrow to the builders we currently have on site finishing our refurb if nobody on here knows definitively.
You also have the variable of whatever f
kwittery of any builder who has worked on the house since it was built has done 
Speaking from personal experience….
You also have the variable of whatever f
kwittery of any builder who has worked on the house since it was built has done Speaking from personal experience….Our 1883 house has a variety of decorative bricks above windows but all of them have chunky timber lintels behind them. As long as the lintels are OK you'll be fine, just keep an eye out for brickwork cracks or movement above them. You could replace them as a precaution with something more concrete as long as you don't mind a bit of mess but when we did our extension I rescued one of the timber lintels that came out after holding up a six foot span of three-brick-wide wall for 140 years and and if that's at all representative and they're reasonably dry, I imagine they'll last forever.
E63eeeeee... said:
Our 1883 house has a variety of decorative bricks above windows but all of them have chunky timber lintels behind them. As long as the lintels are OK you'll be fine, just keep an eye out for brickwork cracks or movement above them. You could replace them as a precaution with something more concrete as long as you don't mind a bit of mess but when we did our extension I rescued one of the timber lintels that came out after holding up a six foot span of three-brick-wide wall for 140 years and and if that's at all representative and they're reasonably dry, I imagine they'll last forever.
Thanks, how do you know if there is an inner lintel? Can you just knock on it the internal wall to identify sound of a wooden one?Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff