Steel BeamInstallers
Brickwork propped above a window while a cracked lintel is replaced

Lintel replacement · Stroud

Lintel replacement in Stroud

Lintel replacement for homes in GL5, GL6, designed by a structural engineer.

  • Itemised written quote
  • Beam sized by a structural engineer
  • Covering Stroud and nearby

Free survey in Stroud

Tell us about the lintel replacement job in Stroud.

Please enter your name.
Please enter a UK phone number.
Please enter a valid email.
Please enter a UK postcode.
Please tell us a little about the job.
  • Free survey visit
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled
  • Fixed written price once scope is agreed
  • England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI

Lintel replacement in Stroud: how it works

If you live in Stroud, lintel replacement can usually be planned and priced after a single survey visit. Stroud is around 8.2 miles from Gloucester, and we cover both. We cover GL5 and GL6, and we fix the price in writing once the layout and scope are agreed.

We survey the opening, arrange the engineer's specification and building control, prop the wall, swap the lintel and rebuild the masonry and plaster around it. Your quote is written and itemised, and it covers matching the bricks and mortar as closely as the existing wall allows.

What to expect

  • Cables for outside lights, burglar alarms and doorbells often run just above window and door heads. These are noted at the survey and made safe by an electrician before the brickwork is opened up, then reinstated afterwards.
  • Replacing a structural lintel is generally treated as building work, so approval is in place before it starts. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that means building control, and in Scotland a building warrant is needed before structural work begins.
  • Bricks taken down are cleaned and reused where possible, and any shortfall is made up with reclaimed or close-matching bricks. Mortar is mixed to suit the colour and strength of the existing wall, which in older homes often means a lime mortar.
  • Windows and doors can often stay in place during a lintel replacement, keeping the house secure and weathertight. Where a frame has been carrying sagging brickwork for some time, it may need adjusting or replacing once the new lintel takes the load.
  • Many Victorian and Edwardian houses have a timber lintel hidden behind a decorative brick arch or on the inner face of the wall. Damp from leaking gutters or failed pointing can rot it unseen until the brickwork above starts to drop.

Four stages, one team

  1. Look and measure

    We check the wall, the span you want and what the wall is carrying, and photograph anything the engineer needs to see.

  2. Design and price

    Calculations come back from the engineer and we confirm your fixed written price, line by line.

  3. Building control

    We submit a building notice or full plans application to the local council's building control team, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.

  4. Fit, inspect, finish

    The work is propped and the steel installed and packed tight. After inspection the opening is boxed, plastered and left clean.

What does lintel replacement cost in Stroud?

As a guide, budget £410–£1,240 per lintel including VAT for lintel replacement in Stroud, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for prices in the South West (+3%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Lintel replacement£410–£1,240 per lintelPropping, removing the old lintel, new lintel set on beds and brickwork made good
Rear wall opening for bi-fold or sliding doors£2,600–£7,200External wall opened up to about 5 m with steel, propping, cavity tray and making good (doors supplied separately)
Steel beam replacement£2,050–£5,650Propping, removing the failed beam, new steel on proper bearings, approval and making good
Structural calculations for a beam£260–£770Site measure or photos, beam and padstone design and calculations for building control

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for prices in the South West (+3%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Building rules for Stroud

Structural openings in English homes need building regulations approval before work starts. The local council's building control team can deal with it, or you can use a registered building control approver. Either way the steel is inspected before it is covered, and a completion certificate is issued at the end. Keep it safe for when you sell.

If the beam bears into a wall you share with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, and a party structure notice must be served at least two months before that work starts. We arrange this through a party wall surveyor.

Building rules in England

Lintel replacement near Stroud

Questions about lintel replacement in Stroud

Can you work on older or listed homes in Stroud?

Yes. Older homes often have lime mortar, timber lintels or shallow footings, which the engineer allows for. Listed buildings need listed building consent for internal structural changes as well as building regulations approval, and that must be in place first.

Do you also work near Stroud?

Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Gloucester, Cirencester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.

Can a lintel be replaced without removing the window?

Often, yes. The brickwork above is propped, the old lintel is taken out and the new one fitted while the frame stays in place under protection. If the frame has been carrying weight because the old lintel sagged, it may need easing or adjusting once the new lintel is in.

How long does lintel replacement take?

Most single openings take one to two working days on site, covering propping, removing the old lintel, fitting the new one and rebuilding the brickwork. Upper-floor lintels needing scaffolding, wide bay windows, and jobs where bricks must be sourced to match can all take longer.

Do I need scaffolding to replace a lintel?

For ground-floor windows and doors, usually not, as props and a stable platform from the ground are enough. First-floor and higher openings normally need scaffolding or a tower so the brickwork can be rebuilt safely, and that cost appears as its own line in the quote.

What happens at the survey visit in Stroud?

We look at the wall, the floor and ceiling either side and what sits above, measure the opening you want, and note cables, pipes and access for the steel. It usually takes under an hour and there is no charge.

Planning to take a wall out?

Book a free survey visit. You get an itemised written quote covering calculations, building control, steel and making good.