Cracked Lintel Advice

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TopRockChick

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Hi

I have a terraced house and the lintel above the front entrance door has cracked and dropped. I am struggling locally to get a replacement. I have been told I can have a cast done but it wouldnt be load bearing and would require a catnic lintel in first and then put the decorative cast on top of that. Someone else has said that is wrong. I dont have any idea what to do but I want it done properly so that I dont have to worry about it again. I am at a standstill at the moment as I cant have new doors and windows installed until the lintel is replaced. I dont know how to go about doing measurements whilst the lintel is still in situ if I did need one cast. The property is empty at the moment. Could anyone give me advice on what are my best options and how to do this properly. I dont have a clue and I am getting mixed advice.

Thanks

Attached is a picture of how bad it is....
 

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You could have one cast with reinforcing bars in. A Catnic wouldn’t really be suitable there.

Alternatively I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t just use a fair-faced reinforced concrete lintel off the shelf and paint it.
 
Put three 65 x 100 standard concrete lintels in bedded on each other, then have the bottom one disk cut to form the chamfer, and then render over the lot.

If the chamfer is a bit deep, put a 150mm lintel on the bottom and a 65mm above. Someone will need to confirm which is more appropriate, as the steel reinforcement may dictate things.

The builder will need to allow for the render when setting things out, and perhaps a bit of mesh across too, to prevent cracking showing through.

However a properly cast lintel, with reinforcement will be load bearing. It may be that a non-specialist firm may not be able to make such a lintel properly or warranty it's performance.
 
^woody^ said:
However a properly cast lintel, with reinforcement will be load bearing. It may be that a non-specialist firm may not be able to make such a lintel properly or warranty it's performance.
Click to expand...

shouldn’t be any different to a builder forming an RC beam as long as it’s designed by an engineer, should it?
 
RonnyRaygun said:
shouldn’t be any different to a builder forming an RC beam as long as it’s designed by an engineer, should it?
Click to expand...
"Shouldn't"

But how many builders can do this nowadays? Knock up a box, pour some concrete in a job's a good 'un?

Would they even think about what material to use to get the smooth finish, or just throw a few bags of sand and gravel in from Wickes?

Could they pre-stress the reinforcement?
 
Hi
Thanks for all your replies. I have been out and about visiting Reclamation Yards to see if I can find a similar lintel but no luck so far. I've even been looking at the local planning portal to see if there are any terraced houses being knocked down at the moment. I am a little bit wiser thanks to your replies, I am considering the 3 lintel option and maybe cut off the bottom of the current lintel to keep the pattern in keeping with next door. The problem is the front of the house is on the main road. Is it possible to leave Acrow supports over a few days on a public pavement whilst the lintel is being prepared?
 
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