Lintel Replacement in Hobart and The Huon Valley
Helicrete can replace your lintels and cavity flashings.
The most common need for lintel replacement is from corrosion. Similar for the need for cavity wall tie replacement, when either element has its protective coating damaged then corrosion can take place. This can result in the steel expanding from 7-12 it's sectional area. With most of Australia's populated regions being in close proximity to the coast this only exacerbates the corrosion to occur faster. As the embedded steel corrodes it begins lifting and cracking of masonry or concrete above and below.
When this damage occurs to concrete it is often referred to as concrete cancer/concrete spalling.
Lintel replacement and lintel repairs in Hobart and the Huon Valley.
We can remove the existing lintel and install a new one, with flashings above if required. We will where possible save as many of the original bricks and re-use them, and where necessary find a match for any that are damaged to give as close to an invisible repair as possible
Lintel Replacement
In the images above you can see a property in Chatswood, NSW. Whilst undergoing major renovations it was obvious that something was wrong with the decorative moldings above the windows. They were cracked and at the point of needing rehabilitation sooner rather than later. The architect overseeing the work for the owner builder asked us what could be done to repair the two bay windows. Helicrete consulted with the in house engineer, and in turn the UK engineer's from Helifix, who devised a repair method which would provide strength and stability to the masonry above the two windows. This was achieved by Helicrete utilising a combination of standard repair methods from Helifix.
- First we erected our own scaffolding to each of the bay windows.
- The wall was marked up where the Helifix repair products were to be installed.
- Resin fixed cavity wall ties (ResiTies) were installed within the zone of the beams, to provide lateral restraint and resist the wall wanting to bow or buckle.
- The internal brickwork had HeliBeams installed above the windows at the same time as the exterior works, to resist any movement and future cracking from occuring.
- The decorative round centre section was removed along with the horizontal sections. These were retained to have new moulds copied from.
- Slots/Chases were made within the bed joints of the brickwork which 3 x 6mm Helibars were installed. This created a masonry beam and acted like a lintel, to hold the brickwork above the windows.
- At 600mm centres along the rake of the roof, HD BowTies were installed through the cavity brickwork and into the internal rafters of the roof. This repair method utilises the existing roof rafters to provide lateral restraint to the upper portion of the gable walls.
- This process was repeated for the other bay window on the side elevation of the house.
- With the gable walls now braced and supported we were able to start to start removing the rest of the decorative mouldings to uncover the lintel beneath them. This turned out to be an RSJ (Rolled Steel Joist) now more commonly known as a UB (Universal Beam). The steel beam had stirrups spaced along its length and the concrete encasing it, poured in situ. The problem being the concrete provided little cover to the steel, was of poor quality and honeycombed. This had allowed moisture to penetrate the concrete and in turn the steel had corroded, expanded and cracked the decorative moulds in front.
- With new Stainless Steel angle Lintels ordered, we proceeded to remove the old RSJ's.
- We installed the new lintels and brickwork above up to the underside of the existing brickwork.
- The architect had the new decorative mouldings match the existing made out of light weight concrete. These were installed by Helicrete and the original lead flashings saved and set back into position.
- Job completed for both windows including the scaffold being erected and removed, taking only two weeks.
- The brickwork was later painted over as part of the renovation works, and the repair was 100% invisible.