Lintel replacement

[pamelia54]

My house is ca. 1850 9" solid brick. I have exposed beneath rendering a rotten lintel above a ground floor double doorway outside wall. The lintel is approx 5ftx6"x3" and must be replaced. I have read your project using needles etc: http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/forming_openings_through_walls.htm which would not be my choice due to access if there is another option.
Question:Is it possible to prop the rotten lintel along its length inside the house whilst removing the other half i.e 5ftx3"x3"? In principle to replace the 6" lintel with 2x3" lengths?
If I am forced to fit needles do props exist which support from one side only? Cantilever sounds promising. To prop inside the house would mean cutting through the ceiling and lifting the freshly renovated floor and dry lined wall upstairs.

[Perry525]

Take a careful look at the wall.
If the wall is not load bearing, then draw a couple of lines at 45 degrees from the top corners of the opening inwards to where they cross, these are the bricks that may fall on your head if and when you remove the existing lintel.
Of course you could start at the top of the triangle and carefully remove each of the at risk bricks until you have nothing left to fall on your head.
Then fit the new lintel and replace the removed bricks.
Job done.

[bd3cc]

Strongboys?

[pamelia54]

Thanks but this is an external wall and is load bearing. Above is a bedroom window and then the rafters for the roof.

[Perry525]

The next thing is, do the floor joists of the upstairs floor fit into this wall?
Or into another wall at right angles to this wall?
Staying with the triangle, at what point does it meet?
Is it is below the upstairs floor, or above?

[bd3cc]

The joists run at right angles to the floorboards, if youve not got floorboards but chipboard, the long side should run along the joist top.
If your joists do run into this wall, I would suggest 3 acros, under a plank internally supporting them. Additionally this will support the internal skin
"Strongboys " are a cantilever system that fit on the top of normal acros.
You will need to drill 4" wide slots from the outside,drill through a mortar coarse, into the ceiling void, so no apparent damage.
Both acros and stongboys will be avilable at you local hire shop.

[pamelia54]

Thanks bdcc and Perry525 the strongboy and Acros from my local tool hire is the way I`ll go, 8 quid the week. Just for info I have floorboards and they do not run into this wall but a right angle internal wall about a metre away. Again thanks for your advice.