Another problem

[veryconfused8888]

I haven't been here for a while but have posted before so if anyone who reads this hasn't read my earlier posts,it might be helpful for you to read them.
I have had a Trading Standards officer out to the house and he said that he would not be happy with the work either. He also passed me on to the Business Approved Register people, whom I spoke to.
The structural engineer came here yesterday and inspected the new crack below the window and said it was caused by the installation of the new window. He said to get a bar installed in the wall. He looked at the lintel and said to get a new one incase it is corroded inside-he said he hadn't looked at the lintel when he came here originally to see the crack in the wall, which to me seems odd, given that there was a long crack above it. Anyway, so now I have to get these two jobs carried out. The problem is that the builders had told me that having a new lintel fitted could cause problems with the bars which they installed above the window and I don't want this to happen. I am also tempted to get a different builder to git a lintel and to put a bar under the window to knit the brickwork together as I don't think that these are reliable enough. The problem with this is that if there is afterwards a problem with the bars which the original builders installed caused by putting in the new lintel, would I then have any comeback legally as the original buildersd could say it was the new builder's fault or something.

 

[wessex101]

I'm confused. I looked at the previous threads and the photo of the "cracked lintel" and old window and I couldn't see a crack in the lintel. It looks like there is a crack between the left hand end of the lintel and the mortar infill. The concrete lintel itself appears to be intact.

If the engineer recommended replacing the lintel "in case it is corroded inside" with no evidence of longitudinal cracking or spalling in the face of the lintel I would question his conclusion. Likewise installing a mortar bed reinforcement bar to strengthen a stepped vertical crack below a window apparently caused by the installation of the window....WHY? If it was caused by the installation of the window it must be historic so just make good the crack, why reinforce it? I just cannot understand what the hell your engineer is going on about.

The work undertaken by the builder looks horrendous and I would strongly question whether the reinforcement bars have been installed correctly given the appalling quality of finish.

 

[veryconfused8888]

To be honest, I sometimes wonder what he is on about as well. There is a crack on the far lefthand side of the lintel (not directly above the window)-it doesn't show up on photos very well but is easily seen with the naked eye. Several builders told me that it didn't need replacing but now the engineer thinks that it does. I agree that the work looks bad. Now what I had expected at all.

 

[wessex101]

Structural engineers are a funny lot. Their main function for which they are trained is to prepare the very complex calculations to design the structural elements of large commercial building projects to make sure they don't fall down. The ones that can't quite cut it with the big boys will do small domestic projects, beam designs and structural surveys etc.

In my many many years in this business I think I have met no more than a handful of engineers who can really undertake site surveys and correctly diagnose structural movement in small residential properties. People slag off surveyors/valuers for being vague and covering their backs with caveats in their reports but in my experience most structural engineers are just as bad.

 

[^woody^]

Hi, I'm veryconfused2.

I'm not sure if this is an autobiography or if there is a question in there somewhere?

 

[veryconfused8888]

The lintel has a crack in it on the far left hand side (not above the actual window). It is virtually impossible to see it on the photos but is clear when seen in real life.
I agree that the work looks really bad. I also feel uneasy about whether or not the bars were installed properly.
When you say that the crack under the window must be historic, how do you mean? It wasn't there before the new window was put in.

 

[veryconfused8888]

Woody my question is do I get new lintel fitted if this could negatively affect the work already done and would it be best to use another builder?

 

[wessex101]

The lintel has a crack in it on the far left hand side (not above the actual window). It is virtually impossible to see it on the photos but is clear when seen in real life.
I agree that the work looks really bad. I also feel uneasy about whether or not the bars were installed properly.
When you say that the crack under the window must be historic, how do you mean? It wasn't there before the new window was put in.

If the apparent crack in the lintel is not actually above the window opening it doesn't sound like the lintel needs to be replaced. Can you post a photo with a mark showing where the crack is?

With regard to historic movement, in your first post you said the engineer expressed an opinion that the crack was old (old = historic) which usually means it has moved in the past but is not moving anymore.

As for potential effects of replacing lintel on the brick stitching/reinforcement. That is complete nonsense, if the reinforcement bars have been installed correctly then replacing the lintel (if it is necessary) will have absolutely no effect on the brickwork above, assuming the lintel is installed correctly with temporary props if required.

I had a similar job where I suspected the contractor was not installing the bars correctly as I caught them trying to point in the bars with a trowel rather than using the grout guns. I asked them to cut out some bricks so I could check. The howls of protest from the site manager which ended in a complaint being lodged against me was just a smokescreen as they knew full well when the bricks were cut out it revealed no resin around the bars, just face pointing with mortar. The resin was very expensive and quite time consuming so they obviously thought they could save some time and money by not bothering with it. Builders ay! Don't ya just luv 'em. (Not all builders I hasten to add, there are some good guys out there)

 

[geraldthehamster]

It's a lot easier if you continue your existing thread rather than starting a new one and expecting people to find the old one. At least post a link to the existing thread

 

[veryconfused8888]

Thank you for your replies. I am posting a photo of the lintel. (This is before the new window was put in and the lintel half smeared with mortar as the crack cannot be seen clearly now). It is on the far left hand side of the lintel.
The crack under the window, which he called out to see this time, is new.
The crack above the window, which has been reinforced, had been there a while. They did use resin to install the bars-I watched them do it and checked afterwards, as well as taking photos- and then the next day they hand pointed over it.

 

[veryconfused8888]

THis is the photo I mentioned I would post

 

[Ian H]

Looks like the crack is past the lintel on my screen, like theres a big lump of mortar at the end of it.

 

[veryconfused8888]

If you enlarge the photo, you can see the crack in the lintel itself.

 

[wessex101]

That is the photo I looked at before. I do not think that is a crack in the lintel, it looks like that is the end of the lintel and they have filled the hole left where the brick was cut out with mortar, the crack is between the end of the lintel and the mortar. It has all been painted that delightful brown colour which makes it look like part of the lintel.

Now if you have had a structural engineer look at it and he says it is a crack in the lintel then far be it for me to argue, but how the hell would a lintel crack vertically a good 4 inches inside the bearing???? I suspect your engineer is an idiot.

It appears to be a very minor crack, probably due to some very slight movement in what looks like a fairly old cottage. I wouldn't worry about, just get the visible cracks raked out and repointed.

 

[veryconfused8888]

No, the crack is definitely in the lintel. I don't know how to answer your question about how could a lintel crack vertically 4 inches inside the bearing as I have almost no knowledge of building work. If you accept for the sake of argument that the crack is in the lintel, do you still think it is minor? (I often think that, when builders deal with female clients, they tell us anything because they think that we won't know anything anyway.)