Westholme
Member
- Messages
- 120
- Location
- Gloucestershire
I'd like to brick up the bottom of this doorway and convert it into a window. House wall is solid 9" thick with lime mortar originally.
There are no foundations below most of doorway so I intend to install a pre-stressed concrete lintel, shown in white above and below.
I plan to remove header bricks shown with red or yellow dot below. Red ones will be replaced by lintel and yellow one by two stretchers later on.
The red bricks directly below the blue bricks on edge are temporary with mud as mortar. Originally there was only a little rubble and earth supporting the blue bricks, apart from a couple of inches of foundation either side.
I have bought and cut the lintel. Bearings are 6.5" on left and 8.5" on right. Lintel is less than 3" tall and mortar will be half an inch thick all round. Only 120 cubic inches or 2 litres of mortar are required for the lintel.
I have never done any bricklaying and any advice will be welcome. I plan to install lintel ASAP and leave it a week or so before starting bricking up. Some questions:
1. What tools should I buy? Could I get away without finger trowels for lintel?
2. I have a bag of Hanson Hydrated Lime and Wickes Sharp Sand ("for rendering and floor screeding"). Are these suitable for mortaring the lintel? If not what should I get?
3. Would I need a different mortar mix for bricks below and above ground floor level? Note that ultimate external ground level will be about an inch above top of lintel.
There are no foundations below most of doorway so I intend to install a pre-stressed concrete lintel, shown in white above and below.
I plan to remove header bricks shown with red or yellow dot below. Red ones will be replaced by lintel and yellow one by two stretchers later on.
The red bricks directly below the blue bricks on edge are temporary with mud as mortar. Originally there was only a little rubble and earth supporting the blue bricks, apart from a couple of inches of foundation either side.
I have bought and cut the lintel. Bearings are 6.5" on left and 8.5" on right. Lintel is less than 3" tall and mortar will be half an inch thick all round. Only 120 cubic inches or 2 litres of mortar are required for the lintel.
I have never done any bricklaying and any advice will be welcome. I plan to install lintel ASAP and leave it a week or so before starting bricking up. Some questions:
1. What tools should I buy? Could I get away without finger trowels for lintel?
2. I have a bag of Hanson Hydrated Lime and Wickes Sharp Sand ("for rendering and floor screeding"). Are these suitable for mortaring the lintel? If not what should I get?
3. Would I need a different mortar mix for bricks below and above ground floor level? Note that ultimate external ground level will be about an inch above top of lintel.