Lintel replacement in Solihull
A crack climbing from the corner of a window, or a soldier course starting to dip, usually means the lintel is tired. We prop the opening, fit a new one and rebuild the brick to match.
- 18 years in the trade
- Free quotes
- Catnic and concrete lintels
- Bay window heads
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Send us the details on WhatsApp, or by email if you prefer. We reply with a price or a time to visit.
Prefer to talk? Call 07487 625926
When a window head starts to move
Every opening in a brick wall relies on something to hold up the courses above it. On Solihull semis and detached houses that is normally a concrete beam, a steel lintel or, on some older bays, a timber head hidden behind the brick. When that support weakens, the wall above tells you through cracks and dropped joints.
Pointing over the crack just covers the symptom while the cause carries on. Our lintel repair and replacement work takes the load off the opening, removes the failing beam and sets a new one with sound bearings at both ends. If the house has a cavity, we add a tray and weep vents so water drains outward again.
The rebuilt brickwork is pointed in a mix that sits quietly beside the old, and if the rest of the elevation is tired we can quote for repointing in Solihull too. For a step by step look at the job, read our guide to lintel replacement before you get in touch.
Lintel prices in Solihull
Priced by lintel length. Move the slider to match your opening and send it to us.
Each price covers the inside and outside lintel, propping, rebuilding the brickwork above and pointing to match. If only one side needs doing, it is half price. Openings under 1 metre or over 4 metres are priced from photos.
See every lintel price
| Lintel length | Inside and out | One side only |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 1.5 metres | £1,850 | £925 |
| 1.5 to 2 metres | £2,150 | £1,075 |
| 2 to 2.5 metres | £2,450 | £1,225 |
| 2.5 to 3 metres | £2,750 | £1,375 |
| 3 to 3.5 metres | £3,150 | £1,575 |
| 3.5 to 4 metres | £3,450 | £1,725 |
Why interwar and post-war heads give out
Interwar houses were often built with early steel or thin concrete lintels and generous bay windows. Steel from that period had little protection against rust, so after many wet winters the flange swells, lifts the brick course and opens a crack at the end of the head. Bay windows add their own strain because the load is carried over a wide, angled opening.
Post-war houses in the West Midlands more often have concrete lintels, some cast with a boot shape that shows a strip of concrete on the face. These can crack where the reinforcement inside has rusted, or settle where the bearing was short. A close look at the face and the ends of the lintel usually tells us which repair is right.
What a tired lintel looks like
- Diagonal crack from the top corner of a frame
- Soldier course over a window dropping
- Brown rust bleeding through the mortar
- Bay window head bowing outward
- Cracked concrete strip showing on the face
- Casement or door binding at the top
Our steps for a new lintel
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Share some photos
A picture of the crack and one of the whole window lets us judge the problem.
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Support the brickwork
Props and strong boys take the weight before the old head is disturbed.
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Bed the replacement
A new lintel goes in level, with cavity tray and weep vents if the wall needs them.
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Make good outside
Matching bricks go back, the joints are pointed and the props are taken away.
The opening before and after
Part of every lintel job
- Look at the crack and the bearing ends
- Acrow props set before work starts
- Failed lintel cut out
- Steel, Catnic or concrete replacement
- Tray and weeps fitted to cavity walls
- Soldier course or brick head rebuilt
- Mortar colour picked to suit the wall
- Site swept and props cleared
More lintel pages around Solihull
These towns close by have their own lintel repair pages.
Our services
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Brick repointing
Failing joints raked out and refilled in mortar matched to your brick.
Find out more -
Lime and mortar pointing
Breathable lime or matched mortar for Victorian, Edwardian and older homes.
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Lintel repair and replacement
Cracked or sagging window and door heads propped, replaced and rebuilt.
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Brickwork repairs
Spalled, cracked and loose bricks cut out and replaced to match.
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Bricklaying
Garden walls, boundary walls, piers and small brickwork builds.
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Not sure what you need?
Send a photo of the wall and we will tell you what it needs.
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Guides
Solihull lintel questions answered
My bay window has a crack above it. Is the lintel the problem?
Often it is. Bay heads carry a lot of brickwork over a wide opening, and a rusting steel or sagging timber head shows up as cracks at the corners of the bay. A clear photo of the outside and the frame is enough for us to give a first view.
What does a lintel replacement cost in Solihull?
Lintels are priced by length. Each band covers both the inner and outer lintel. A 1 to 1.5 metre lintel is £1,850 and the bands climb to £3,450 for over 3.5 up to 4 metres. An upstairs opening needing scaffold, a wide bay or extra cracked bricks around the head can move the price up, so we confirm it from your photos.
Can you replace a lintel without taking the window out?
On most semis and detached houses the frame stays put. We prop the wall above, take out the old lintel from the outside and rebuild around the frame, with any plaster at the head inside made good.
Is it worth fixing a short crack over a door?
A short, stable crack in the mortar may only need repointing. If it keeps growing, or the bricks over the door are dropping, the lintel is losing its grip and is better replaced before more of the wall moves.
Does lintel replacement need building control?
Because a lintel holds up part of the wall, swapping one can need building regulations approval. Ask your local building control before work begins, and we will build to whatever they specify.
Show us the cracked opening
WhatsApp a photo of the window or door and we will price your Solihull lintel for free.