Video summary
The video documents a window fitting project where the primary focus is addressing potential structural issues with existing lintels rather than simply replacing them for cosmetic reasons. The narrator begins by inspecting several locations, noting that while some lintels are in perfect condition, others suffer from trapped moisture due to poor installation practices like missing weep vents and sealed joints. This trapped water causes rust on the metal components behind the brickwork. Consequently, the team decides to remove specific lintels to replace them with new ones, ensuring a proper cavity tray system is installed to allow drainage and prevent future damp issues. The process involves carefully cutting out old brickwork, removing existing fascias and gutters where necessary, and installing new angle iron supports before blocking up the gaps with breeze blocks.
A significant portion of the work involves dealing with asymmetrical openings and planning for a future render that will not be applied for at least a year. In one instance, the team replaces an entire lintel to create a symmetrical appearance, even though the original structure was slightly off-center, demonstrating their commitment to high standards despite the added complexity. For another section above a bathroom en-suite, they install a new lintel first so that the window can be fitted immediately, allowing interior work to proceed without delay. The narrator emphasizes that while some existing lintels are structurally sound, replacing them provides peace of mind for the customer before the building is rendered, ensuring there are no forgotten defects once the exterior finish is complete.
The video concludes with the team tidying up the site after a day of demolition and partial reconstruction, leaving temporary fixes in place to weatherproof the openings until the scaffolding can be removed and further work completed. They discuss salvaging old window frames for potential reuse while carefully managing the removal of doors that are being taken out entirely. The final state of some areas is intentionally left rough with fascias reattached just to cover gaps, as the ultimate goal is a full renovation including roof replacement. The narrator wraps up by thanking viewers and encouraging them to subscribe, highlighting that every job undertaken is necessary to ensure the long-term integrity of the property without incurring unnecessary costs for repairs that are not strictly needed.
Read the full video transcript
A couple of tubes of clear silicone.
Doesn't look very clear, does it?
Right.
Put a bit short for the width, but we'll
manage.
I'm going to start taking this apart
this afternoon.
We just need to get all this tidied up
and
as usual skip froze, leave the job
actually spotless. You haven't got glass
in the window.
That's a lintel done.
That panel done, that lintel and that
panel.
There you go.
So, we're moving around the back now.
Got two 3-m angle irons. One for here,
one for here.
This is a straightforward swap.
So,
take as much fascia board off as I can,
but we'll leave the gutters in place,
hopefully.
And then um
take the brickwork out, lintel in, no
tray, no vents, just lintel in, block
back over
in breeze block.
Try and keep some brick if we can
patching.
And then this one.
Let's go back so you can see it all.
Now, I go like that and pan up,
you can see
they're exactly the same size, but
they don't line up.
So, what we're doing with this one is
cutting out this side in line with that
inside and out.
New lintel across
and then blocking up this side.
So, basically moving that over.
Let me see, it's about
1 and 1/2 bricks.
About 300 300 300 bit.
So that it's all symmetrical.
Even though that one's not symmetrical.
Got 4 and 1/2 3 and 1/2.
It won't be symmetrical and match.
Yeah, it's a weird one that.
It looks It looks in the middle, but
it's not.
By 1/2 a brick.
But anyway, we have got all the boot
lintels to swap as well.
That's going to be fun.
Not.
We'll see.
Yeah, so
this is the one to do this next and then
this to do it when Alex is back,
obviously. And that's
And we've got Malcolm coming to scaffold
this one
to do the lintel above the bathroom en
suite.
Cuz that's the first job to do on the
inside is the en suite bathroom. So
once the
lintel's done, the window can be done
and then they can crack on with the
inside.
So, there you go.
I'm all sorted now. I'm going to clean
clean me
me dirty tools and get me demolition
tools and make make start on this.
>> [snorts]
>> Right.
Finally cracking.
Just gone 3:00. So,
just doing a little exploratory
multi-tool job.
It's um
plastic over timber.
So
we've got
we've got a 220 220 upstand, so we need
at least three courses out. And handily
enough, there's only three courses
there.
So, basically
we'll cut the brickwork with the saw
there.
Same on the other side. We'll have to
take the downpipe off that side.
And then just basically chop that
section out.
Try and clean some up if we can.
And
the top will just be a sawzall job all
the way straight across.
Straight through the fascia board, both
layers. Just go straight through the top
brickwork like that.
Hoping there's no wires in the way.
Yeah, the gutters the gutters in the um
Yeah, the gutter gutter brackets can
stay on. So, we're not disturbing them,
which is excellent. means
don't want to take all this off.
That's that's saved a lot of work.
So, um
what I aim to do today is get all this
fascia board off.
Get the brickwork cut out.
And see what see what it's like for time
then.
If I'm not uh
if it's rocking on a bit, I'll need to
be working tonight and then take it down
tomorrow.
And then there's one of these trims that
I can't stand.
The trim
seals there.
Seals across there.
So, any chance of water getting out on
that bed between the lintel and the
brickwork is zero. So, it basically
seals the water in.
Seals the water onto the lintel.
Although
there's not much water getting on that.
It's just bad practice generally.
This this lintel might be fine, but the
customer just wants a piece of mind. Get
it changed before it gets rendered and
then it's like forgotten about and not
worried about.
Yeah, I'm going to get the uh get the
sawzall out now. Change my toolkit.
Don't need that
need after two cuts. Don't need the
brick Don't need the uh yeah.
I might use that.
But uh yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
>> [bell]
>> There we go.
I was wanting to laugh.
Right.
Let's get this off. Let's get a trial
and get the
reciprocating saw.
I'm supposed to time lapse that then.
Yeah, you got the flat trim here
underneath.
And the square trim like that underneath
that.
That then the flat and basically those
two
they just ripped off and then
a couple of tubes of clear silicone.
Doesn't look very clear, does it?
A couple of tubes worth along the front.
Basically sealing any damp in
as you can see.
It's starting to rust the lintel
which shouldn't rust
cuz it can't breathe. It can't get all
the water out.
So,
don't seal between the lintel and the
bricks. Don't seal there.
The fact there's no vents doesn't help
either, but
it just shows that there is moisture in
there and it's trapped.
Right.
There we go.
I've cut that bit out.
I think I filmed that. So, now that's
ready to just go whiz
with the sawzall, reciprocating saw,
whatever you use.
And probably use the
the wood blade on that.
So, we're
going to get the gear for that now.
>> [music]
[music]
>> What do you want, pal?
You should have told me.
Anyway.
There we go.
Big old lintel there.
We'll get that stripped out tomorrow.
Put up a fight, that pretty fascia
board.
So,
yeah, packing up now.
Heading home.
Back with reinforcements tomorrow. Back
with me dossier.
So, um
yeah, we'll get the rest of this
stripped out tomorrow and have a look at
it then. So, we'll catch you in the
morning.
Right, excuse the wind.
I was just knocking a little mix up for
me.
Yeah, he's back.
Um
now, we need to
seal up here
or put a bit of trim on. Probably seal
it, really clear.
We're going to fill in the weep vents
with
something, we're not sure what yet, just
to keep any critters out.
Cuz, um
the big extension we did in Burscough,
it's being rendered.
And they basically just took all the
weep vents out and rendered over them
all.
Which is understandable, you don't
really
there's not really any water in the
cavity when it's rendered.
I would just put them in as an option.
And then we need to, um
seal up under the under here or up the
sides of the window.
Basically, cuz cuz the render won't be
getting done for it
12 months minimum. Maybe a year after.
A lot of other work to be done first.
So, we just need as the customer says,
just wants it winter proofing.
So, um just need to get up there as well
to the top then just put something
across the top of that block work.
Oh, yeah, fill the vents up again.
So, um
yesterday
I opened this up
and found the proper
cavity tray lintel
which is in perfectly condition.
So, I've I've I've advised the customer
he wants to just renew everything so
everything is
So, basically 100% for when it's
rendered. But, there's nothing wrong
with that.
For us to get that lintel line in there
now,
we'd need to chop the front of that
lintel off or take the whole thing out,
which just makes a load of extra work,
which doesn't need doing. So, we're just
going to brick that back up and put the
fascia board back on it.
Like, just to seal it for now.
And then we're on to this,
which isn't just I said yesterday about
it being moved.
It's not been It's been moved over, but
it's also getting bricked up. It's going
to be a window.
So, we're getting rid of the doors
completely.
So, um they're probably sellable or
salvageable, so I have to be careful how
we take them out.
Um so, first things first is get this
brick back up.
And then we can drop the scaffolds and
get it moved.
>> [music]
>> Perfect.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Thank you, Paralyzed.
>> [music]
[music]
>> There you go.
She needs to point underneath there.
She's spotted that then.
Like I say, it's all getting rendered.
No point making putting it back all
pretty.
We just need to get all these this
timber that I've hacked off is get it
all back into place.
Just basically so keep the weather out
and keep the insects out.
It's not going to be pretty, but
it's this roof's being replaced
eventually as well.
So, it's a shame that, but
I never do a job if it doesn't need
doing. There's no all the extra cost to
replacing that lintel when there really
isn't anything wrong with it.
It was it's in really good condition.
So, we've done the exploratory hole and
decided against it.
Uh
yeah, I'm just going to try and get all
this timber back in position. It's like
a jigsaw with no no um
instructions.
>> You learning?
Facing you?
>> Mhm.
No headaches?
I thought you'd have headaches after all
the head banging.
>> I've got a neck ache after sleeping
funny.
I'm at that age.
>> [laughter]
>> Mhm.
Paralyzed. [music]
>> [music]
[music]
>> Thank you, paralyzed.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Thank you, paralyzed.
>> [music]
[music]
>> Right.
Well, that's ugly.
Right, weather proof.
Yeah, we patched it back.
We've just put block back in
and put the fascia board on for now just
to cover that gap.
There's no no way to get in that. Just
looks bloody horrible.
So, this is next now.
>> [cough and clears throat]
>> And then the video just ends quite
abruptly. So, this is your your stock
signing out for a little bit.
So, thank you very much for watching. If
you enjoyed, be sure to give us a thumbs
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we appreciate all the interaction we
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This has been Brick House with Stephen
and Alex on our
ongoing
big project, and we'll see you in the
next one.
>> [music]
[music]