Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire
Lintel replacement in Aylesbury
Bay windows on older houses around Aylesbury often hide a timber lintel behind the face brickwork. When that timber rots, the bay brickwork drops and cracks, and replacing it properly means supporting the wall above throughout the job.
Guide price from£840per opening inc VAT
- Postcodes
- HP19, HP20, HP21
- Population
- about 75,000
- Area
- Buckinghamshire
- Pricing region
- South East
Why does the ground in Buckinghamshire matter for lintel replacement?
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire: about 75,000 residents across postcode districts HP19, HP20, HP21. Nearby, we also cover Leighton Buzzard (10 miles), Berkhamsted (11 miles) and Chesham (12 miles).
Buckinghamshire is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Housing stock in Buckinghamshire: Market-town terraces, 1930s semis in the south, and large late-20th-century estates in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.
How we usually approach lintel replacement
Replacement with a cavity tray
A damp-proof membrane is laid over the new lintel with stop ends and weep holes, so water running down the cavity is directed out rather than into the house. Many older lintels were installed without one, which is often why they failed.
Best for: Cavity walls with damp above windows
Like-for-like replacement
The failed lintel comes out and one of suitable type and size is bedded on mortar with adequate bearing at each end. Bricks above are relaid to match the original bond and the joints are pointed to blend with the surrounding wall.
Best for: Standard windows and doors with a single failed lintel
What happens during lintel replacement, step by step?
Inspect the opening
We look at the crack pattern, the type of lintel and what sits above it. Pictures of both faces of the window, plus any visible lintel edge, help us judge it before visiting.
Specify the replacement
We confirm the lintel type, length and bearing needed. For wide openings, bays or walls with unusual loads, an engineer may specify it, and where the repair needs an engineer’s design or sign-off we can arrange one.
Remove and replace
Brickwork is carefully taken out above the lintel, the old lintel removed and the new one bedded level on full bearings. A cavity tray goes in where relevant, then the brickwork above is relaid.
What to look for before calling about lintel replacement
- A diagonal crack climbing away from a window head
- Window or door frames that have started to bind or distort
- Soft, crumbly timber visible behind the brick face over a bay
Lintel replacement prices in Aylesbury
Prices in Aylesbury are worked out on South East rates. They include VAT and are a starting point: access, the extent of the damage and whether an engineer or building control is involved all move the figure.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Standard window or door opening | £840 – £2,800 | per opening |
| Wide or bay openingest. | £2,250 – £5,050 | per opening |
| Making good inside and outest. | £170 – £670 | per opening |
Rules for lintel replacement in England
In England, underpinning and other work that alters or strengthens a wall or foundation is building work under the Building Regulations (Part A, structure), so building control approves and inspects it. Like-for-like repairs often are not, and we tell you which applies before a price is agreed. Work to a party wall, or excavation close to a neighbour’s foundations, can also need a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Questions about lintel replacement in Aylesbury
What is the price of lintel replacement in Aylesbury?
Guide prices for lintel replacement in Aylesbury start from about £840 per opening, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you carry out lintel replacement in Aylesbury?
We do. Aylesbury and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Leighton Buzzard and Berkhamsted. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Does the ground around Aylesbury cause cracking?
The Chilterns are chalk with clay-with-flints on the tops, while the Vale of Aylesbury and Milton Keynes sit on Gault, Kimmeridge and Oxford Clays and glacial till. The vale clays are prone to seasonal shrinkage near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Do I need building regulations approval to replace a lintel?
In England and Wales, replacing a lintel is structural work and building control will usually need to approve it. Rules differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland. We deal with building control where the work needs it, and include the cost in the quote.
What does needling a wall mean?
Needling means passing short steel members through holes cut in the wall just above the opening and supporting them on props on both sides. The needles take the weight of the wall above, so the old lintel can be removed safely without any brickwork dropping.
More repairs we carry out in Aylesbury
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Bowing wall repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Crack stitching
Lintel replacement near Aylesbury
If rust is showing above the windows of your Aylesbury home, photograph it close up and we will tell you whether replacement is due.