Removing outer skin brickwork

[leylandbobby]

Firstly I would like to say hi to everybody and thanks for the huge amount of help that I have gleaned from this site as a lurker.
However the time has come for my first post. I have tried my best to find existing posts and can't so here goes.
I wish to put back the aperture for UPVc french doors that once existed but has been bricked up again 1yr before I moved in 3 yrs ago. There is a good quality catnic lintel in situ and is well within the desired requisite.
The inner skin is breeze block and not a problem, what I need is help in taking the outer skin down.
The brickwork above is well enough supported but that still leaves quite a hefty chunk of brickwork below the lintel, approx 2m x 1500. Trawling the internet I find that there is very limited info on the task but the preferred method for removing brickwork it seems is to use a stihl saw, however there is not enough information surrounding the task for me to confidently take it on.
Hopefully this is where you fellah's come in.

Any and all advice is welcome, thanks in advance.

 

[garyo]

saws create a lot of dust and mess. I'd prefer to use a lump hammer to knock the bricks out one by one, and then you'll also end up with a prettier reveal if you turn the half bricks around to clean up the corner.

Is the existing outer brickwork stitched in to the existing brickwork, or do you have two vertical lines of mortar/perps?

Is the outer of the house rendered, or bare brickwork?

 

[leylandbobby]

Hi Garyo, thanks for your reply. The outside wall is bare brick and the brickwork is stitched in.
I am very much a semi competent DIY'er and as such although the turned bricks sound like a lovely idea, I doubt that my bricklaying skills would pull off the final look.

Also, and I hope that this isn't a dumb question, but would cutting as opposed to the lump hammer method not be less disruptive to the remaining brickwork, or would it be simply unaffected.

Thanks again, Dave.

 

[gday2uk]

It should also be tied in to the inner skin so would probably be easier to take it down with hammer and chisel (unless you take the inner skin out first).
Best to get the final measurements of the door frame that's going in before attempting any demolition as you don't want to make the hole too big or small

 

[leylandbobby]

Hi gday2uk, thanks for your response. Yes the right size thing was where the idea for cutting the upright edges first came from. How would I get finished edges to the brickwork using the hammer method, and as I am working alone and at weekends only, what do you think my chances are of getting it watertight again before the week starts again, I reckon 3 or 4 hours to get the doors in but I've never removed brickwork before and for that reason it's hard to guestimate, especially the upright edges.
Cheers, Dave.

 

[stuart45]

Can you stick a few photos on.

 

[leylandbobby]

Hi Stuart45, I'll go take some and be back in a jiffy. Thanks, Dave.

 

[Chukka63]

when i form new openings or extend existing ones and the customer is happy with the cut edge of brick showing(toothing out and rebuilding the reveals properly is time consumer and often stick out like a sore thumb with nice new mortar)i mark the wall and very carefully cut a nice straight/true flat face joint.then remove the bricks.fit the frame.you can either silicone the corner joint of frame/brickwork or use some trim.simple.

 

[leylandbobby]

Hi Chukka63, thank you very much for your response.

....mark the wall and very carefully cut a nice straight/true flat face joint

What with? and any tips on using the suggested tool.

...Remove the bricks....using what method? is there no danger of the cut section falling on you,

regards, Dave.

p.s. pics coming in a few mins...

 

[leylandbobby]

Here are some pics....

View media item 17792
View media item 17793
View media item 17794
View media item 17795
View media item 17796
View media item 17797
The wall must have housed windows too but looking at the grey wooden supports over them I'm not sure how that will have worked.
I'm also confused by the odd brickwork shown on the exterior shot.

 

[gday2uk]

The odd brickwork is the newer brickwork reinstated after the old door(s) taken out. This has been 'toothed in'.
Watch the bearing on each end of that lintel - doesn't look much if you are going to take all the lighter newer blockwork away.

 

[Chukka63]

....mark the wall and very carefully cut a nice straight/true flat face joint

What with? and any tips on using the suggested tool.

A DISC CUTTER,I NORMALLY START FROM THE BOTTOM,REMEMBER IM USE TO USING A DISC CUTTER PRETTY WELL.

...Remove the bricks....using what method? is there no danger of the cut section falling on you,

HAMMER AND CHISEL,KANGO
START AT THE TOP AND WORK DOWN

im assuming youre cutting a minimum of 150mm inside the ends of the lintels and that both walls has a lintel.

the grey timber is in place of a steel lintel i reckon and had a small/single window in that aperture.

 

[Chukka63]

the grey timber is 1 course lower than the steel lintel and if you look at the external brickwork you can see that runs true with the courses.

dont forget you will need to close down the cavity on the inside leaf if its a cavity wall and dont forget some DPC.150mm if youre using 100mm blocks as per "norm".

 

[leylandbobby]

I wonder why they did that...still it's good news for me about the steel lintel as I would like the option to put windows in too.
Thanks for that Chukka63

 

[leylandbobby]

Yes, the lintel is 2700 and the french doors are 1500. I am told that the lintel is a catnic and spans both skins.

Just to clarify did you say that the window has a steel lintel over it too one course higher than the wood one. Cheers, Dave.