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Lintel bearing requirement
Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.47 PM
Hi We have created an opening for a 1.6m French door. The builder has used 2 x 1.8m concrete lintels for the outside double wall however the bearing is only 100mm either side. He says this is totally fine as they're only concrete lintel. Can you advise please of the building regs requirement and if this will be sufficient
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3 Answers
Matthew Jackson
Rating: 5 out of 5
100mm for openings up to/including 1000mm
150mm for openings up to/including 3000mm
200mm for openings over 3000mm
I would refer to manufacturers specification, that's most probably what building regs would advise.
100mm maybe fine but in my experience it is a 3rd less than the minimum bond required unless the manufacturers spec is different to the lintels I use.
Regards, Matthew Jackson
Answered23 April 2019
2
Ikem Design Ltd
Rating: 5 out of 5
Hello,
There are two aspects to consider.
The first is the bearing required for the lintel to achieve the required strength. This will normally be specified by the manufacturer in the brochure - typically 100mm to 200mm minimum bearing.
The second crucial aspect that is normally overlooked is the bearing required for the supporting wall to carry the load adequately. Depending on the load and length of the wall, the bearing required could be anything from 100mm to the full length of the supporting wall. This dimension can only be verified by structural calculations.
If the correct bearing is not specified or built, the supporting wall and/or adjoining walls could crack or fail with time.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Kevin
Answered23 April 2019
2
CA&D Architects
Rating: 5 out of 5
100 is fine but check the foundation of the supporting wall and don't forget the padstones.
Answered19 July 2019
0