Video summary
The video documents a challenging renovation project focused on replacing dodgy window lintels and addressing structural issues within a stairwell area. The work begins with the removal of existing glass and frames to prepare for the installation of new concrete lintels, a task that requires careful scaffolding setup due to the difficult geometry of the stairwells. The team utilizes thermalite blocks, which can be easily chopped with a saw, to create custom openings and fill gaps without disturbing the surrounding brickwork. This method proves particularly useful when dealing with large, pre-existing concrete lintels that span across both walls of a cavity, as removing them entirely would be too risky; instead, the team builds up around them while managing potential cold bridges in the middle of the landing.
A significant portion of the process involves intricate masonry work to ensure the new structure is level and secure before the final window installation. The builders use screw ties and tie wires to connect the new blockwork to the existing frame, effectively sealing gaps and providing temporary support until the new windows are fitted. They encounter some complications with the positioning of certain components, such as temporary packers that indicate flexing in the structure, which they address by adding silicone seals. Despite these hurdles, including a particularly treacherous 1500 concrete lintel on a stairwell, the team manages to integrate the new blocks seamlessly, bonding them into place to restore strength and stability to the area.
The project concludes with the successful integration of the new blockwork and cavity trays, allowing the team to focus on tidying up and finishing the exterior courses. Although some original elements like the large concrete lintel must remain in place due to safety concerns regarding height and structural integrity, the modifications ensure the building is weather-tight and structurally sound. The builders express relief that the difficult section is complete, noting that while there will be minor imperfections like cold bridges, they are located in areas where they will not significantly impact the overall performance of the house. With the main structural repairs finished, the focus shifts to final detailing and preparing for the next phase of the renovation.
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Happy Independence Day if you're
watching in America.
>> Well, if you asked me this morning, I
wouldn't have said that would have gone
in that easy.
Happy Independence Day if you're
watching in America, 4th of July. I
mean, it's not You'll be in bed at the
moment cuz it's uh just after 8:00 a.m.
in England, 5 hours ahead. So, that's
what we got up to. Just [bell] see the
uh timbers cut off up there. It's all
ready to come out. It's all prepped,
ready for lintils. So, we need to get
inside. As you can see, Alex put the
ladder up there. Get get some kind of
contraption set up to stand on. Get the
glass out first. There he is.
Um, glass out. Cut the frame out, lintle
in, and then we can build everything up
then. It's a
block work on the inside obviously up to
the existing lint which will be there.
And that's finished then on the inside.
And then the outside will carry on all
the way up to the top eventually. We're
going to get probably another two
courses up above the window today.
That's the plan. So, we'll take you
inside and see what's going on.
Hey,
hey,
[music] hey.
Number
n.
There you go.
You're going to have seen us making
right share that on the time lapse. Oh,
it's a lot cooler now.
That's the bit I was worried about.
So,
[snorts]
not the best, but decorates them now.
Um
stairwells are very hard to scaffold and
work on. So this isn't too bad for us.
It works out just right. Planks off the
top off the top floor across onto the
window sill and then a ladder for a
little cl across. There's not going to
be a lot of work going on on this. This
is mainly just for fettling and getting
the glass out and stuff. Uh taking the
pockets out for the lintils and
inserting the lintil which is going to
be a 1500 concrete. So,
next job is rattler mate for the uh got
two grabbers.
So, whack these out.
Probably uh
yeah, there's no there is no silicon.
They just trimmed it. So, whack these
out. Frame out.
Cut the frame out just there. Well, in
line with the brick work with that.
Jobs are good. And as you can see, we're
all ready to go outside.
>> [snorts]
>> Nice and cool today.
Nice breeze. Judging by the trees here,
it's always breezy cuz all the trees are
growing lean to the left.
So, yeah, it's enough waffle. Let's get
you set up.
Push the back in.
They're ready to cut into the pockets.
Not butching them. Got me blade, haven't
we?
>> Yeah.
>> I'll get out that we can hit back in
again.
Okay, now
Next
Natasha.
>> [music]
>> N
hey.
Hey. Hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
Heat. Heat.
[music]
Heat. Heat. N.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. [music]
Heat. [music]
>> [music]
>> Occasionally I will endorse thermalites
because you can just chop them up with a
saw.
Makes our job a lot easier.
So have to break mix on lintil in. Might
even get this built up from this side.
Just work that work that way.
Work together
cavity opened up cuz it's now wall.
Just a bit to take off the top. That's
that's a proper big concrete lint that
goes across there. So we're just going
to build up the front of that. I'm not
going to try and take it out and move it
cuz it it covers both both skins.
Another weird invention. And I'll just
chop out the mortar out of there. I
don't want to disturb the brick work.
Just leave it so there's a
a gap basically. Stop the cold bridge.
Right. Go and get a bucket. Right. Great
time over. Got that bruise in. We we cut
that down on
Thursday when we realized. So that's
ready to go in now. It's been measured.
It's been checked.
Uh we have got a hold. I need to patch
this at the back here.
We got something to sit on.
He's uh patching up. So we've got a full
seating. We'll find that end. I'll just
go and get a small mix on. I don't need
a massive mix for this. I think I might
get the uh the drill
just to drill those
the cavity out there
and get this hoovered out so it's ready
to bed on. And then it's um angle line
on the on the outside with the cavity
tray in it.
So, um, yeah, I think we'll, um,
I think we'll do the block work and
we'll stick the cavity tray rather than
try and build it in.
All our gauge is going to be out.
Yeah. To get the to get the cage
straight to go past the L. We have to
take another load of block work out to
get above it. So, and that's solid
concrete. This uh Yeah, we'll sort
something out.
Can't get prepped. Yeah.
[music]
Hey. Hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
[music]
Heat.
[music]
Heat.
>> [music]
>> Well, if
>> you asked me this morning, I wouldn't
have said that would have gone in that
easy.
>> This morning, Alex, I just want to go
back to bed. I felt really bad after
yesterday. We had a 12 hour a 12-hour
day of stay on on an easy looking steel
as I thought we were going to have an
early dart on that. We got home at 8:00.
But anyway, back to today. We're both
really dreading this bit, but um that
was a dream, wasn't it?
>> Well, look at it. It's a 1500 concrete
lentil on a stway. It's about as like
treacherous as you could make it. The
thing that made it all different for us
here was um thermalite blocks. Just
being able to chop it chop the thing
out. That made a massive difference.
>> If you seen if you seen there, it's back
to fiber lights there.
>> They're not fiber lights. They're 7
Newton concrete then.
>> Oh, are they concrete?
>> Yeah. And above.
So, this is a really good idea this
because it's um giving all this strength
back. There's the lintil which stretches
across the cavity onto the outside.
That's the only thing that's stopping it
falling, I think.
And then you've got well just hacked out
there and just thrown the fiberite
blocks, thermalite blocks and then those
put in which are leaves. But all this is
irrelevant now cuz all this is getting
blocked up. Got our pieces cut for
across here and then tray on top of that
and yeah cooking on gas.
Amazing. So we just get ourselves
organized now and work between the two
sides together.
>> After these pieces go in, you're going
to need your ladders, aren't you?
throughout there.
>> Yeah, cuz we can't really continue till
the train is in, which
>> we need we need someone on both sides
now. You can you can spread and butter
the blocks now. You can put them in and
plumb and everything.
>> I'll um I'll get the set up for you.
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, I'm going to get these
there's the cuts there to go across here
to bring us back into course with the
block work. And as I said, we've got our
screw ties to go in and we've got one
tie wire. One tie wire. So,
one tie wire is going to get us here.
And then we'll probably just use two of
the screw ties and build them in just
straight in. Like
I know it's not supposed to be used like
that, but we'll put the plug on and just
build them in like that.
We need two instead of go buy a whole
pack of tie wires for one tie wire.
No point. No one got a garage full of
them. So, we'll we'll make do for today,
right? Uh, let's put you somewhere on
time lapse. Put it out there when Alex
gets up there and we'll get this lot in
>> [music]
>> Hello. I'm outside now.
Alex just got that course across for me,
which you would have seen on time lapse.
Now, um need a screw tie in that end.
Tie all that into that corner. See a
wall coming off there. And then um
we could do with getting this front in
now and getting the cavity training
built in.
Have to just rig that bit out there.
Yeah.
Come and back
roller damp.
20 t wires. 30 quid.
Which one
>> all together? Oh,
>> it's 9 quid. The 20 towers is 9 quid
and 450 damp. So, um, what's happening
now? You putting that screw tie in.
>> Screw ties in, isn't it?
>> No. Where?
>> Supposed to put it on top.
Stick another one in cuz there's not
much to tie into underneath there. Okay.
>> Yeah, another screw tie in there. And
then we can get this [laughter] we'll
get this front then. Just get this
scaffold organized a bit first.
[music]
helps remove the camera. There you go.
Instead of breaking this in with bricks,
put the half in and block bond it. So
the blocks actually bonded in this first
section.
Nice straight proper nice strong job.
And then we've got this to go under here
drilled screw to the frame. So it's
going to act as a seal till the new
window is put in. And it's going to be a
prop for the lintil as well.
There you go.
You got the battery.
>> Have I got it?
>> Yeah. See, I need them.
Can you reach over this?
Where do we hold it in place?
Just push down
and do it.
Everything's wrong, is it?
Um,
we have chopped up the window, haven't
we? It's definitely is getting changed.
>> Yeah.
Show friends
are a bit fat.
The water's a bit dry.
Okay.
supposed to be at the bottom of an
it should be sat on, shouldn't it?
>> E.
>> Yeah, that means it's flexing, isn't it?
That's temporary packer in there.
I have to put a bit a bit of silk across
that as well. Yeah, it's temporary.
[cough and clears throat]
>> [music]
>> Star
up.
[music]
It won't stop.
[music]
It was
[music]
11. Heat. Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Hey. [music]
[music] Hey. Hey.
>> [music]
>> You want
[music]
you
star
you. [music]
You are
you.
>> [music]
>> You know,
you know, [music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Hey, [music]
hey, hey.
[music]
>> [music]
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>> Hey,
[music]
hey, hey.
>> [music]
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>> Hey, hey, hey.
[music]
>> [music]
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>> Ah,
[music]
ah.
>> [music]
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>> a
>> [music]
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>> Ah,
[music]
heat.
Heat. Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
>> Heat.
Heat.
[music]
>> [music]
>> Heat. Heat.
[music]
Heat. Heat.
[music]
Heat. Heat.
Did you raise your one? I have to edit
that out. There you go. Tied in. Screw
tie in. Another full course. Then
another cut across the top. I'd love to
take this out, but look at the state of
it. We're not really at a good height
for propping things. It's already dodgy
on the back. So, this is staying in.
It's going to be unfortunate cold
bridge, but it's going to be in the
middle of the landing. So, it's not
going to make any difference to the
house.
So, yeah, get that in after after
dinner. Once that's in all pointed up, I
can concentrate on this side. And now I
can concentrate on tidying that lot up.
>> [music]
[music]