Building work quality (lintels, bricks etc))

1404

Hi all,

Somone I know just had some building work done. A front door was moved to where a window was and a partition wall put up to create the internal hallway for the new entrance. The old front door entrance was bricked up. In addition, the front door isn't exactly where the window was. It's offset by a foot. So a new lintel was used and the work was therefore structural in nature. 

No planning was needed. But Building Regs have inspected the work and asked the following:

1) what kind of lintel was used above the new doorway?
2) what insulation was used to fill where the old front door is?
3) some cement on the new bricks where the old front door is crumbles when touched. So needs to be repointed. Not much of the work, but certainly some and enough that it needs attention. 

It's a bit late to be asking these questions (1 & 2) after the work has been completed! Of course, the builder will (hopefully) provide the answers. But its only their word we can go by. 

Questions:

Is it likely that an insufficient lintel was used? How would we know? What can be done now?

Not that we particularly looked, but didn't see any insulation in the walls when the old doorway was removed. And we didn't notice any new insulation going in. Just looked like grey blocks inside, external bricks on the outside, and plasterboard inside. 

The house was built in 2002. 

A certificate is needed from Building Regs, so they need to be satisfied. 

stuart45

Have you got any photos of the work?

1404

stuart45 said:

Have you got any photos of the work?

Yes, I have quite a few.

But none of the lintel itself. Just the doorway being held up by iron rods before the lintel and then the doorway with the lintel obviously in and the rods removed. I'd have requested a pic of the lintel had I known to. It's a bit late now. 

Regarding have a picture of the wall with insulation, I have a pic of the grey blocks before the plasterboard was put on. And also of the external red bricks being built up. But I don't remember seeing insulation in the new or the existing surrounding wall. 

stuart45

Can you upload the photos on here?

1404

stuart45 said:

Can you upload the photos on here?

This is the old doorway being bricked up. Looks like they didn't put insulation in? 

1404

stuart45 said:

Can you upload the photos on here?

Not sure what pic I can share regarding the lintel. 

stuart45

Have you got any of the new door? On the photo shown there's no evidence of any insulation being installed. You can't see into the cavity because the blockwork was returned across the cavity. 

1404

stuart45 said:

Have you got any of the new door? On the photo shown there's no evidence of any insulation being installed. You can't see into the cavity because the blockwork was returned across the cavity. 

What would a pic of the new door tell you regarding what lintel is underneath? 


And isn't the insulation supposed to be between the grey and red bricks? Insulation though is easy to inject into that space if need be? Wouldn't involve the bricks being removed? 

stuart45

1404 said:

stuart45 said:

Have you got any of the new door? On the photo shown there's no evidence of any insulation being installed. You can't see into the cavity because the blockwork was returned across the cavity. 

What would a pic of the new door tell you regarding what lintel is underneath? 


And isn't the insulation supposed to be between the grey and red bricks? Insulation though is easy to inject into that space if need be? Wouldn't involve the bricks being removed? 

If a Catnic type metal lintel was used you can usually see it over the top of the door frame. If insulation is retro put into the cavity they drill holes in the wall.
You can see the metal lintel in the photo.

1404

stuart45 said:

1404 said:

stuart45 said:

Have you got any of the new door? On the photo shown there's no evidence of any insulation being installed. You can't see into the cavity because the blockwork was returned across the cavity. 

What would a pic of the new door tell you regarding what lintel is underneath? 


And isn't the insulation supposed to be between the grey and red bricks? Insulation though is easy to inject into that space if need be? Wouldn't involve the bricks being removed? 

If a Catnic type metal lintel was used you can usually see it over the top of the door frame. If insulation is retro put into the cavity they drill holes in the wall.
You can see the metal lintel in the photo.

The metal lintel in the pic above was the old doorway which was being bricked up. 

I'll post the pics of the new doorway below. 

1404

Here are the closest pics I have to the new doorway lintel. The bricks above it had already been laid.