Advice needed for poorly finished brickwork and beam installation.

[cdbe]

I'm still slightly puzzled by what you want to achieve here? The job should have been done with an off the shelf single leaf lintel:

This is galvanized, forms a cavity tray via the angled section at the rear and won't need any calculations.

Your SE should have told you this rather than that contraption you have now.

If it were me, I'd strip it all out and rebuild with a lintel. You've mentioned the different heights of the internal/external lintels - either drop the new external lintel a course lower, or fit a frame extender on top of the new doors.

You could try to rescue it, drilling weep holes where you've suggested would probably be ok - drill up at an angle and "waggle" the drill bit down till you feel it touching the front edge of the steel, it won't hurt the dpc. I think you've realised that even then any water won't necessarily drain, but the reality is that you shouldn't have bucketloads there and it will be a route for evaporation. You could drill a few more above the lower flange as well.

If BC have signed it off, don't worry about rust protection, you and your children will be long gone before it becomes an issue. Given how far it's set back from the front of the brickwork the exposed section can easily be completely enclosed with uPVC trim in conjunction with the door fitting.

* Having written the above, I've just noticed this:

It that's the standard of work generally I'd have it all out and start again! And whatever you do, sort those straight joints at the sides - they look dreadful.

 

[fandyman]

@cdbe Thank you a lot for your input.

I am a fairly skilled DIYer and was briefly considering doing it but can I do it on my own?

 

[fandyman]

If I were to leave the beam in current position how would you go about packing the 50mm gap under the steel?

Would you bolt the frame to the steel through some wood packers?

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[cdbe]

You could do it yourself - you'd need to hire two acrows and strongboys to prop the opening. The brickwork could be done with patience and care and a bit of formwork for the soldier course. Have you any spare/matching bricks as some look a bit battered and if you were to lower the lintel a course you'd need extra - sometimes the soldier course in a contrasting brick will look the part.

You could just fit the lintel yourself and get a bricklayer to do the brickwork.

Either way, ensure you follow any instructions regarding propping the lintel and leave the strongboys in until the mortar has set.

If you were (second post) to leave as is, you'd be best having a good measure up of how far you need to come down, fixing a length of timber to the steel with tek screws and getting your door fitters to fit a frame extender on top of the doors and cut it out to fit round the timber and steel, something like this:

 

[fandyman]

Thanks @cdbe for you post and drawing.

Would that mean the frame is screwed onto the timber but not the beam itself correct?

The gap between internal and external lintel is about 30mm.

My original impression was that I would have to attach timber and bolt the doors to steel flange through timber. I suppose that would not be the case?

Also a silly question but how would the timber be protected from elements to prevent the moisture damaging it or is that not a problem? Would it be just the frame extender serving as a protection layer?

 

[cdbe]

Yes 30mm timber will be fine to fix the frame into and easier to fit that to the steel. The frame extender will protect the timber (just how I'd do it - unless you insist on it your door fitters would probably just trim over any exposed timber to weatherproof it).