My house is a 1921 brick semi. I have a window that I would like to change to a door. The rough opening is wide enough however the height is too short. I will need to remove the exterior cement window sill and 2 full layers of brick below it. This will leave 2 layers of brick before the brick arch above my basement window.
Do I have to install a new steel baseplate when I remove the brick? Can I removed the brick without causing structural problems. Please help!.
Thanks
If by steel base plate you mean lintel, the answer is probably yes. But what you really need is one of these three.
you need to add a sill to tie the sides together and support the weight of things going through the doorway.
you would need to adhere to building codes and likely need a structural engineer to specify and a skilled mason to install.
I don’t understand the question. You have an arch or lintel above the window supporting everything above it. You should be able to blithely rip out anything below it including the wall between the bottom of the window and floor.
If the top of the door needs to be higher than the top of the existing window, then you need to install a new lintel or something. It can be done, but not near as easily as knocking the wall out below the window.
I think I understand. There’s two windows? A basement and a main floor window separated by a few rows of brick. Right?
Both windows should already have a steel lintel above them. You or a contractor needs to double check after you pull the wood trim. The L shaped steel will be obvious. Scrape a bit with a pocket knife to get some paint off to make sure.
replacing the main window with a door shouldn’t be a problem. I would at least check with an experienced contractor first.
Lintels transfer the weight from one side of the window to the other and support the brick. The wood framing on each side of the window transfer the point loads to the foundation. That way there’s no weight pressing on that window. That’s why windows can be removed and replaced without the walls coming down. Or, a door can be put in. That’s a very common reno change on houses.
Removing the brick can be tricky. Double Brick is common these days. There’s concrete block on the inside and finish brick on the outside. It takes experience to do this kind of work.
handy wall diagram.
Found an illustration of a lintel.
http://www.atspeed.co.uk/ig_lintel_single_wall.html
as others said earlier. You really need a qualified mason to cut out your brick and make certain the lintel is in place. This isn’t a quick weekend job at all.