Replacing sandstone lintels?

laxeylady

Our Amityville horror has had subsidence in the past which has caused a lintel (sill?) underneath an upstairs window to crack. The window hole (reveal?) has also been made smaller by using a single layer of bricks down both edges. We have noticed (because the walls are chipped off and window has just been replaced) that in places rain is actually getting through the bricks through old holes drilled into them for the windows - we don't know how its getting into holes as they don't go all way to outside. The lintel doesn't appear to be leaking at all, and has been filled and painted sometime in past. We don't know how bad this is in real terms or how easy to solve but hubby is ready for setting place on fire (like the damp sh*thole would ever burn). Is it possible to have window holes rebuilt and new lintels put in? Is it horribly difficult and horrendously expensive do you think? This is not the same window as in my wet ceiling thread unfortunately.

iamcornholio

Sorry, you don't seem to have explained it well. Lintels are above windows to hold the walls up, cills are below and the windows frame sits on them. Reveals are the walls up the side of the window opening just behind the curtains

But I can't understand what you mean by the window holes, or the actual problem

Could you post an image, which might be better to expain?

laxeylady

That's cos I'm a lady!!! The sandstone sill on which the window sits has an old crack in it. The window must have been bigger in the past and to fill in so a smaller one could be used they have basically built the walls in a bit with bricks down both sides of the HOLE. The old windows were screwed into these bricks and water is now seeping through a couple of the screw holes. I am terrible at describing things, but what I meant was can a window opening be worked on (that is knocked in and rebuilt) successfully without causing damage to owt else? Will take a pic at weekend. at moment the rooms we are replastering have no lights and its dark before I get home from work. Cheers for trying tho!!

iamcornholio

OK ... a smaller frame has been put in a larger opening and the sides bricked up?

Normally, the frame is sealed around the outside between the frame and wall to keep rain out, and no screw holes are exposed to let rain in.

However if the new brick infill have been done badly, and the frame badly fixed to them, then there can be problems ... but a picture would help in this case.

ormus

from your rough description, a builder would probably advise to remove all the old bricks and replace with a new window, to the original opening size.
new window say 400 quid.
new cill say 200.
a bit extra for the tidying up work.