Guide To Lintels
When replacing windows and doors, almost everything is clear and predictable upfront, except one thing: lintels. They’re the only potential hidden cost because they sit inside the structure of your home, and their condition can’t always be confirmed until the old frame is removed.
What’s a Lintel?
A lintel is a structural support that sits above your window or door opening. Its job is simple but vital:
✔ It carries the weight of the wall, brickwork or masonry above
✔ It prevents that weight from pressing directly onto the frame
✔ It ensures the opening remains stable and safe long‑term
Most modern homes have proper lintels, but some older properties rely on the original timber window frame itself to take the load — something that is no longer considered adequate.
When we remove an old window, we're also removing whatever support that old frame may have been providing. If the opening doesn’t have a proper lintel — or the existing one has failed, the surrounding brickwork can begin to sag, crack or put pressure on the new frame.
A new window cannot be safely installed under a structural load. That’s why lintels are the only potential hidden cost in a window project:
they’re concealed behind brickwork and often impossible to diagnose with certainty until the old frame is out.
Steel Lintels
Brick Lintels
Timber Lintels
Stone / Concrete Lintels
Examples
Repairing Lintels
Being a business that prides ourselves on zero hidden fees, there’s nothing worse than when we begin an installation and find problems that customers never knew they had. However we can help you find a suitable tradesperson or work with a contractor of your choice to resolve the issue.
Thankfully the vast majority of issues are picked up on our in-depth survey, but we will offer open communication with our customers to find a solution. We never treat such work as an upsell or part of our core offering.
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