Brick work

[paulc]

I am considering buying an aluminium scaffolding tower. Any thoughts?

Well worth the investment if you are intending to work at any height. I purchased one late last year in order to do some work in a stairwell, but have been using it elsewhere in the house. I went for a Super DIY tower as it seemed to be a little more stable than the cheapest one - The cheap ones use bolts to secure the braces whilst the better ones use a quick lock system for faster assembly.

One thing to watch out for - They claim a working height of (for example) 5 metres, but the platform height is only 3 metres with an assumption that the user has a 2 metre reach.... You might want to take a look at one in person before deciding to buy as I did.

 

[Westholme]

I am considering buying an aluminium scaffolding tower. Any thoughts?

Well worth the investment if you are intending to work at any height. I purchased one late last year in order to do some work in a stairwell, but have been using it elsewhere in the house. I went for a Super DIY tower as it seemed to be a little more stable than the cheapest one - The cheap ones use bolts to secure the braces whilst the better ones use a quick lock system for faster assembly.

One thing to watch out for - They claim a working height of (for example) 5 metres, but the platform height is only 3 metres with an assumption that the user has a 2 metre reach.... You might want to take a look at one in person before deciding to buy as I did.

The brick work project was delayed by the need to construct a proper stone path for the scaffold tower and the winter but I'm back on it now. I bought a Super DIY 7 tower which I think is very good. I went for the tallest DIY model even though I might need the full height only once. The extra horizontal and diagonal braces would be useful at lower heights.

My house bricks are not what I thought they were and have no frogs. The type of brick I thought they were is probably just from the pavement wall. I tried a local reclamation yard for more bricks without success, but I know where there are some which are a perfect match - in the walls of my house!

I want to put a doorway in the external wall at the end of my kitchen (which will lead into a new lean-to extension) and re-use the removed bricks. I think the new lintel for this door would need to replace an existing wooden lintel for the original outside WC, as I doubt that a lintel on top of a lintel would be allowed.

I'd like to use an inverted-T steel lintel and do as much work myself as possible, but with no prior experience. Are questions about acro props, strongboys and lintels appropriate for this forum?

 

[88v8]

Are questions about acro props, strongboys and lintels appropriate for this forum?

Acrows...
The props were invented by Swiss-born William de Vigier, who came to London in 1935.
Vigier's company was named the Acrow Group, after his solicitor Mr A Crowe. He adopted this name as, like Kodak, it was an easily pronouncable neologism, with the additional advantage of appearing early in alphabetical lists.

Strongboys may be found in, ahh, various places, ummm

You could ask about lintels.

Ivor

 

[Westholme]

Are questions about acro props, strongboys and lintels appropriate for this forum?

Acrows...
The props were invented by Swiss-born William de Vigier, who came to London in 1935.
Vigier's company was named the Acrow Group, after his solicitor Mr A Crowe. He adopted this name as, like Kodak, it was an easily pronouncable neologism, with the additional advantage of appearing early in alphabetical lists.

Strongboys may be found in, ahh, various places, ummm

You could ask about lintels.

Ivor

Strongboys and acrow prop info at https://www.strongboy.co.uk/

Photos of the brick wall where I want a new doorway will follow in my next post.

 

[Westholme]

After uncovering various floors I have resumed preparatory work for a new doorway at the end of my kitchen. The original (and currently only) toilet takes up a corner of the kitchen about 3' wide by 5' long, with a half-brick wall between the two and access to the toilet from the outside only.

I want a new door leading from the kitchen to the outside right next to the existing toilet door so that the two will be separated by half a brick (4½"). I have removed the gypsum plaster (not original) inside the kitchen from the long side of the toilet wall and the end wall where the new doorway will be.

Below are some photos uploaded to http://tinypic.com. The relevant comments are underneath each photo, including a few questions. Please tell me if what I intend to do is not right.

1. http://oi67.tinypic.com/qste8j.jpg

Door to toilet, as viewed through the open door of a DIY coal store & workshop extension added in the 1970s. The brickwork visible was originally the outside of the solid 9" gable end wall shared with next door. The new doorway would be to left of the existing one. I have excavated most of the 1970s concrete floor of the coal store and the workshop is a separate area off to the left. Both will be replaced by a new lean-to workshop and back door. Only a few inches below the pea shingle is the drain, including a branch junction leading to the toilet, which I think does not have its original door. The toilet floor is about 2" higher than the ground floor elsewhere in the house.

2. http://oi65.tinypic.com/339rmnp.jpg

The toilet door is only just over 6' tall. The original lintel is wood, 9" deep and 3" high with 4½" bearings either side. As I doubt very much that Building Control would permit a new lintel to sit on top of an existing wooden lintel at one end, my plan is to remove this lintel and install a new inverted T steel lintel long enough to span both openings, with an intermediate bearing between the two. The steel lintel would be just over two bricks tall and therefore three courses of bricks would have to be removed and replaced, which I've labelled 1-3. I'm hoping that Building Control will accept a 4½" bearing at one end as steel lintels come in standard lengths and the most suitable is not quite long enough for 6" bearings at both ends.

3. http://oi66.tinypic.com/2gwbyfb.jpg

I intend to use two 9" x 3" x 4½" engineering bricks as bearings to fill the gaps left when the wooden lintel is removed. This will increase the height of the toilet doorway by one brick and the new kitchen doorway will be 23 bricks tall. As four brick courses measure 13½" the latter will be 23 * 3" + 24 * three-eighths" = 6' 6" tall.

Would reclaimed blue bricks be acceptable as bearings, I wonder? The bricks will be whitewashed afterwards. The bottom of the horizontal flange of the steel lintel would be same height as the bottom of brick course 3 and to allow for the flange thickness (not known at the moment) four courses of mortar would be very slightly less than normal. Does that sound correct? The vertical chalk lines on the left indicate the right edge of the new doorway. Every other brick between the doorways is a header and the rest will have to be cut.

 

[Westholme]

4. http://oi63.tinypic.com/10qiana.jpg

One spalled brick will need replacing by a half brick. The toilet doorway is 31" between bricks, the door is 27" wide and each post is 2" wide. The new doorway will be about 31" wide. I want to get rid of the existing toilet door and use reclaimed four panel doors, ideally matching. The hinges for the toilet and kitchen doors will be on the right and left, respectively. My 30" doors inside the house are in fact 29½" wide. Is there any chance of using a door that wide in the toilet opening, or should I stick to two 27" doors if I want matching ones?

5. http://oi64.tinypic.com/awdrpu.jpg

There are a lot of headers where the new kitchen doorway will be, which helps as this means the brickwork is same on the inside as the outside. To save some brick cutting, I intend to have the left edge of the doorway in line with the right edge of some stretchers, as shown by the chalk marks. As already mentioned, this makes the doorway about 31" wide. As the stretchers are not staggered symmetrically, the bricks I cut will not be half a brick long so I couldn't replace two with one header. Thus there will be an unavoidable mortar joint from top to bottom halfway through the wall on one side of the new opening, which the jambs could hide. The newspaper covers a ventilation brick.

6. http://oi63.tinypic.com/vpe0pj.jpg

One of the mortar joints doesn't line up with the others as shown in the middle of the photo above. I could possibly move the cut mark over to the left about ¾" but that would mean cutting every brick and the two whole engineering bricks I'd like to use as bearings. It would also mean the new kitchen opening would increase to 31¾" compared to 31" for the toilet.

 

[malcolm]

A plan drawing (sketch) might be useful. It sounds like the two doors will be very close together. In that case you would consider both as a single opening with a large span and size the lintel for that. The bearings required would vary depending on who you talk to. What's the wall supporting above? I can't give the answer but could have fun ridiculing a structural engineer requesting a 2m deep half brick wide foundation.

 

[Westholme]

The new lintel would support just the solid wall and window for upstairs, as the joists are supported by other walls. I might be able to shift the new door half a brick further to the left, so there would be a 9" square pillar as the intermediate support and make the new doorway exactly the same width as the toilet.

 

[Westholme]

Shifting the door over to create a 9" square intermediate pillar would be awkward and mean a lot more work. The lintel I'm considering using is a Stressline SL200 'T' 1950 and I think carrying the weight won't be a problem, especially with three bearings, but I'll ask their technical department to make sure. I've modified photo 3 so that you can see what I want to do.

3. Before http://oi66.tinypic.com/2gwbyfb.jpg

3. After http://oi64.tinypic.com/bfj7sn.jpg

The door openings are brown, the engineering bricks are grey and the bottom of the lintel is yellow.

 

[88v8]

Hmmm.

For some reason I just see 'Image'

Which makes it tricky.

Not just your post, it happens in some other threads. But I can still see the earlier pics you posted.

There are some forums where all the pics are visible, and some where they often aren't - PH for example.
The internet is a wondrous thing.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

I can't imagine the capacity of the lintel being a problem as long as it is correctly specified, especially if it is specified for the full double width and then you add in the central support pillar.

However, you mention the central pillar being 9x9 inches but it looks less than that in the photo/sketch, more like half a brick wide. While this might not be a problem in principle, in practice it will be a fairly weak pillar until the new door is fitted. I’m thinking ‘weak’ in terms of sideways movement when being subjected to any banging and cutting and drilling when fitting the new door frame etc. But if it really is 9x9, ie a full brick wide, then this will be less of an issue.

 

[Westholme]

Hmmm.

For some reason I just see 'Image'

Which makes it tricky.

Not just your post, it happens in some other threads. But I can still see the earlier pics you posted.

There are some forums where all the pics are visible, and some where they often aren't - PH for example.
The internet is a wondrous thing.

Ivor

The images might appear if you refresh/reload the page, but in case they don't I've added links to all the photos.

 

[Westholme]

I can't imagine the capacity of the lintel being a problem as long as it is correctly specified, especially if it is specified for the full double width and then you add in the central support pillar.

However, you mention the central pillar being 9x9 inches but it looks less than that in the photo/sketch, more like half a brick wide. While this might not be a problem in principle, in practice it will be a fairly weak pillar until the new door is fitted. I’m thinking ‘weak’ in terms of sideways movement when being subjected to any banging and cutting and drilling when fitting the new door frame etc. But if it really is 9x9, ie a full brick wide, then this will be less of an issue.

I did mention a central pillar 9" square as an option, but it's one I want to avoid if possible. The half brick 'pillar' between the doors you can see at http://oi64.tinypic.com/bfj7sn.jpg is actually a half brick wall from floor to ceiling that extends 5' into the kitchen, with a 3' return at the end. The two doors will not be hung from this wall and some of the upstairs floor joists rest on top of it, I guess, but it's not needed to support the floor as the 'outside' toilet has been removed next door.

 

[88v8]

Mmm, can see them now.

Presuming the lintel will carry the full span, the fact that the centre is sitting on the end of a half-brick wall is structurally unimportant, but it does help as regards the bearing, because then the bearing is shared three ways.

Don't see any problem with reclaimed imperial engineering bricks as bearings.

So, if I've understood correctly, the toilet door is in a 9" wall? Thus, the half-brick bearings at either end, are one end of a whole brick at right angles? Which is better than the stub end of a 4.5" wall.

However, if you or BC would feel more comfortable with a longer bearing - 6" is preferred - I'm sure you could get a longer lintel cut to size. 9" angle grinder.....

As regards the wonky perpends down the sides of the frame, you could cover them with an architrave. In the centre, the architrave could be one piece spanning both frames. You could make a bit of a feature, like a door case.

Size of door... 27" is non-standard of course. Normal internal door was 6'6" x 2'6" (six six two six). But if you change it, you are erasing a bit of the house's history. Otoh, it seems you have to change the height anyway. It's an aesthetic matter, you're not listed, your call.

Ivor

 

[Westholme]

Size of door... 27" is non-standard of course. Normal internal door was 6'6" x 2'6" (six six two six). But if you change it, you are erasing a bit of the house's history. Otoh, it seems you have to change the height anyway. It's an aesthetic matter, you're not listed, your call.

Ivor

A rule of thumb is that a door is four feet taller than its width, thus 6' 6" x 2' 6" (78" x 30") for a typical internal door or 6' 8" x 2' 8" (80" x 32") for an external one.

I bought a reclaimed and stripped 78" x 30" four panel Victorian door last weekend for my new doorway. I have to decide on the exact opening width for it. The existing toilet door is 27" wide and the opening 31" and if I go for the same width of doorposts the new opening would be 34" wide.

I have an original 27" door upstairs but it is only 6' tall and the door specialist told me that 72" x 27" was the standard size for this width and it is very difficult to find Victorian 78" x 27" doors. An alternative is to get a door with wide stiles and narrow it - not an appealing option.

 

[88v8]

Or...
You clearly like things done properly, and I suspect that anything half-baked will irk you, so these chaps could easily make one the right size, with mouldings and architrave to match others in the house.
http://www.beardevansjoinery.co.uk/home

They've made me six windows and are making an oak door.

They're also making a staircase for a C17 cottage up the lane.

The quality will remain when the cost is forgotten.

Ivor

 

[Westholme]

Or...
You clearly like things done properly, and I suspect that anything half-baked will irk you, so these chaps could easily make one the right size, with mouldings and architrave to match others in the house.
http://www.beardevansjoinery.co.uk/home

Thanks, I will bear this company in mind.

 

[Westholme]

Here are plan views of the new doorway I want to open up (at top left). An existing external door will be bricked up and an internal one moved (to the dining room on the right), but they are not relevant at the moment. The yellow shows the outline of the old and new lintels. The existing one is wood and must have a 1" cutout at one end due to the cavity wall. New lintel will rest on bricks in three places, one brick higher than old lintel. Door posts are brown and bricks are red (party wall at top). WC takes up roughly 5' x 3' corner of the kitchen. Scale is 1 pixel = ¼".

Kitchen plan existing http://oi64.tinypic.com/ir6xiv.png

Kitchen plan option 1 http://oi66.tinypic.com/5xu17b.png

Kitchen plan option 2 http://oi66.tinypic.com/nn43y8.png

New steel lintel is 8" wide, the central support is 9" x 4¼" in option 1 and 9" x 9" in option 2. There are 2' deep worktops and cupboards either side of the cooker along the top and a 2' deep kitchen unit between the external door and the toilet wall at the bottom.

The existing WC opening is 31" wide between bricks with 2" posts either side and 27" door. New opening will be 34" wide with 2" posts and 30" door. Distance between top wall and top of new opening is 24" in option 1 but only about 19" in option 2.

I'd be interested to know which option people here think is better and why.

 

[ElectronicFur]

Hmmm.

For some reason I just see 'Image'

Which makes it tricky.

Not just your post, it happens in some other threads. But I can still see the earlier pics you posted.

There are some forums where all the pics are visible, and some where they often aren't - PH for example.
The internet is a wondrous thing.

Ivor

FYI I ran into this issue recently. It was down to my new broadband provider. Even though I have their content control switched off, it appears the broadband still runs through their content control system, but just with no rules. That meant it was still injecting their own security certificates for some sites like tinypic and imgur. That results in browsers not displaying the inline image, as the security certificates then don't match the original sites.

I'm with Vodafone. I ended up fixing this problem by changing the DNS server in their router setup, so that it doesn't use their DNS servers, but Google's instead (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4)

Bit annoyed that Vodafone do this, as it's really a form of man in the middle attack, and unethical that they mess with secure connections in this way.