Hi guys, can anyone advise me on which type of lintel I should use to put a double door way through a supporting wall? Should it be the pre stressed concrete type or a steel one? Cheers
if you are just making a standard opening say 60" or so wide then a concrete lintel should be fine. If it is a single skin internal wall i would use a 6" x 4" concrete lintel on end (so it is 6" high). If the opening is on an external wall you will require two linmtels one for each skin. for anything wider than 60" then a structural engineer should be consulted to check and you will probably require a steel RSJ support. hope this helps
Thanks for the reply. It is an internal wall so should get away with the size that you suggested? Should Building Control be informed as its a structural alteration? And just out of interest what is the standard opening for a double door if there is such a thing as a standard size? Cheers
It depends on your local building control but to be on the safe side yes i would inform them. Although no planning permission is required there are still regulations that need to be adhered too. Are you planning on putting aset of doors in the opening or is it just to make an openplan layout?
Initially just an opening without a door so no casing or door frame. But would like to put a door in at a later date.
I would recommend you provision for that now so allow 60"'s for two 2'6" doors and 3"'s for the door lining. This is about 1/2" oversize however it will give you a little bit of play to ensure the lining is set in plum. So in total an opening of 63" width by 80" height will allow for your door's, lining and floor covering. You should also allow for between 4" and 6" load bearing either side of the concrete lintel. Does this help?
Yep brilliant thanks very much. I am assuming that you still stand by your previous post on the lintel size? Cheers