Advice needed for poorly finished brickwork and beam installation.

[fandyman]

Hi,

I've had a reputable and recommended building company who installed additional external leaf steel lintel next to already existing internal concrete lintel. I've this job certified by council building inspector. I have also sourced the company from recommendation. Since then I had a brickie come and visit to assess and quote another job who pointed out poorly installed beam and messed up brickwork above. He pointed out the following things:

• ⁠uneven bricks layout, every brick is at different angles
• appears no string used to level the bricks
•⁠ bricks not stepped/staggered correctly
•⁠ ⁠gaps between bricks are too large, don’t match the rest of the house
•⁠ ⁠size of the bricks doesn’t match house bricks, they are much smaller
•⁠ ⁠steel beam is not levelled
•⁠ ⁠steal beam is installed higher than concrete lintel (40-50 mm higher as seen on the photos) creating potential issues with door installation
•⁠ weep holes in incorrect place - should be at soldier course level not above
•⁠ ⁠brickwork uneven and poorly finished
•⁠ ⁠incompletely filled bed joints
•⁠ ⁠visible gaps between bricks
•⁠ ⁠bed joints that are too thick
•⁠ poor standard of pointing

The scope of works was as follows:

Install a steel beam (next to already existing concrete lintel) to support bowed brickwork above the existing opening between living room and conservatory and meet building regulations. Supply and install inc make good to brickwork only.

Could you please let me know whether he is right and I should called them back to fix it or should we accept this job?

In your opinion would a sliding door installation pose a problem in this configuration?

I will take more photos tomorrow.

 

[23vc]

Is it an I beam steel with the bricks cut into it? Sitting on a third of a brick? It’s to be an external door opening? Looks a complete mess, although the weep hole position might be ok if that’s where they’ve done the cavity tray

 

[fandyman]

Yes it is an I beam steel with the bricks cut into it. It's sitting on a imperial size brick each side. The I beam is 2700mm long and the opening was 2440 mm wide. It's to be an external door opening.

See some more photos from the day of installation.

Left side close up:

From distance props up:

Bricks cot into beam:

Before the job:

 

[noseall]

Rough as a bears arse.

 

[23vc]

It’s not actually on the brick though, is it? Looks like it’s massively offset. And I’d have thought it should be on padstones anyway.
If that’s to be external facing brickwork, it’s a shocker, gaps under soldier course which will be visible after door installation etc.

 

[^woody^]

Shiite. And I've not even read the post.