Very worried about quality / safety of window company building work - please help!

the_opposite

Hi all,
Sorry if I sound panicky, but I so worried about the quality of this work, I really need some second opinions. They company is due back at my home on Tuesday.

We paid over £12k for 5 new windows and a front door, which included building work of splitting a bedroom window into 2. This building work is what I'm concerned about.

The existing window opening was enlarged and a brick column built in the centre to create 2 separate windows. (photo below)

The builder installed the external steel lintel first, then removed the window and enlarged the opening. Then built and centre column of bricks. This photo shows the lintel installed and cut lines in the wall either side of the window.

He used an angle grinder to cut the outer skin of bricks. However for the inside skin, instead of grinding or stitch drilling, he just hacked at the wall with a kango meaning the inside edge of the bricks were in a complete mess with lots of bricks missing.

After he made the enlarged opening the external steel lintel was clearly bowing down in the centre, by at least 10mm, probably more like 13mm. You can see this in the next photo

If you look at the left side you can see where he kangoed the bricks (same on the right hand side). The internal concrete lintel is sat on top of this and most of the bricks beneath are missing! Surely this compromises the integrity of the lintel support? Also, the lintel is sat on steel shims (which he has banged in everywhere) so it is effectively only sat on the first brick which is 100mm wide. It doesn't have the required 150mm.

This seems dangerous to me.

Also you can see the external steel lintel bowing down in the center. Surely if this lintel was adequate it should be straight? The lintel is a L shape 2.4m long, 10mm thick and 8cm x 5cm.

Both lintels are sat on steel shims, not a bed of mortar.

Below you can see the concrete lintel sat on the steel shims meaning it only has 100mm support and missing bricks beneath it.

He built the centre column external skin up to the steel lintel, and to 'attach' it to the steel lintel he hammered in steel shims. The internal skin he made from breeze blocks. So the internal and external skins aren't attached together. He put steel shims above the internal breeze block column too. But this column moves if i press it.

And as you can also see, he has put steel shims everywhere to support bricks which have obviously become dislodged/fallen, maybe because he didn't use acro props, or some other reason.

Is hammering steel shims all over the place normal?

Should I get building control to come and inspect the lintel to see if it meets the standards of support?

Is the centre column of bricks with steel shims above adequately held in place?

Is the steel lintel bending so much normal and not being sat on any mortar etc?

Are steel lintels supposed to have corrosion protection? These have rust patches on them and the ends look like freshly cut steel with no coating at all on them.

I am really worried about this. The stress is killing me. I want to go and talk to them about it tomorrow so some other opinions would really help me.

Many thanks for any help / advice.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Should there be padstones to spread the weight bearing down on the bricks that beam is supported on? 

the_opposite

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

Should there be padstones to spread the weight bearing down on the bricks that beam is supported on? 

I'm not sure. I read they should be on a bed of mortar. Here they are on steel shims only.

stuart45

I guess you aren't going through Building Control?

the_opposite

stuart45 said:

I guess you aren't going through Building Control?

The company I am using is an established FENSA registered etc window company. I assume they deal with any building control stuff?

Do you think I should get building control in myself to inspect it?

stuart45

The company should know that this is a structural alteration, and needs to be signed off. 

Doozergirl

the_opposite said:

stuart45 said:

I guess you aren't going through Building Control?

The company I am using is an established FENSA registered etc window company. I assume they deal with any building control stuff?

Do you think I should get building control in myself to inspect it?

Fensa is for glazing only, they absolutely cannot self-certify structural works.  

You need building control involved - you always did.   Says all it needs to say about these people for me.   

the_opposite

Thanks for your replies.

Ok, do you think it is reasonable of me to tell the company I don't want them doing anything else until building control have been and assessed / signed off the building work?

FreeBear

A few comments based on my limited work here. Lintels should be resting on concrete pad stones, and depending on the span, set 150mm in to the wall (spans of less than 1200mm, you can get away with 100mm). Steel rusts, so should always be galvanised or other rust inhibitors used. When steel rusts, it expands up to 5 times its original thickness which leads to large cracks forming (look up "rust jacking" for the gory details). Steel can be used as temporary shims, but they should be removed after a load bearing grout has been injected in to the gaps.

Bricks freshly laid on to mortar will appear to be "loose" until the cement has set - This can take a day or two depending on weather conditions. Just don't go wriggling bricks whilst the mortar is going off otherwise you break the bond.

Catnic do a pressed steel lintel specifically for double thickness solid brick walls such as yours. I doubt the majority of builder's merchants would carry one in stock, so it would either need to be a special order, or purchased online from somewhere. It is debatable weather a random bit of odd leg angle from a steel stockholder is suitable...

Depending on the span of each of your openings, 100mm bearing at either end may be acceptable. If the steel shims are going to be removed when a load bearing grout is injected, they shouldn't be a problem. The lack of corrosion protection on the steel is of concern, and there should be some structural engineers calculations to demonstrate that the size is suitable.

And yes, Building Control should have been notified before the work commenced. If you call them on Monday, they may well tell you (the builder) cease work until they have had a chance to look at it and have seen the structural engineers calculations.

the_opposite

FreeBear said:

A few comments based on my limited work here. Lintels should be resting on concrete pad stones, and depending on the span, set 150mm in to the wall (spans of less than 1200mm, you can get away with 100mm). Steel rusts, so should always be galvanised or other rust inhibitors used. When steel rusts, it expands up to 5 times its original thickness which leads to large cracks forming (look up "rust jacking" for the gory details). Steel can be used as temporary shims, but they should be removed after a load bearing grout has been injected in to the gaps.

Bricks freshly laid on to mortar will appear to be "loose" until the cement has set - This can take a day or two depending on weather conditions. Just don't go wriggling bricks whilst the mortar is going off otherwise you break the bond.

Catnic do a pressed steel lintel specifically for double thickness solid brick walls such as yours. I doubt the majority of builder's merchants would carry one in stock, so it would either need to be a special order, or purchased online from somewhere. It is debatable weather a random bit of odd leg angle from a steel stockholder is suitable...

Depending on the span of each of your openings, 100mm bearing at either end may be acceptable. If the steel shims are going to be removed when a load bearing grout is injected, they shouldn't be a problem. The lack of corrosion protection on the steel is of concern, and there should be some structural engineers calculations to demonstrate that the size is suitable.

And yes, Building Control should have been notified before the work commenced. If you call them on Monday, they may well tell you (the builder) cease work until they have had a chance to look at it and have seen the structural engineers calculations.

Thanks for your reply.

I was quite surprised by the amount of steel shims he hammered all over the place. They have no intention of removing them since a. they have already pointed the bricks and b. the steel shims are what is locking the column of external bricks to the steel lintel directly above. There can't be more than 10mm of mortar in front of these shims that run across the whole width of the top of the centre column.

Here are a few more photos of the steel shims.

stuart45

If I was doing the job, I'd probably have propped the roof from inside and taken down the brickwork over the top. Built up the central pier, and then a catnic each side and built the brickwork back up, using a dry pack mortar to pin up under the plate.