Is the structure of my brick arch compromised?

K

Kindy

New Member
Please can I have some advice. Builder has removed some bricks to accommodate wrongly measured (by him) glass door and panel. You can see in the photos what it used to look like. He says that the structure is not compromised especially since it is not holding a second story. He is proposing to build up some of the bricks to the start of the window frame - about 6cm of the 12cm removed.
Is that sufficient to maintain the integrity of the building? It's an old cow shed probably 1900s.
It will be a home office. I am a single female so I'm concerned that I he's forcing me to believe that there won't be an issue.
 

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Not ideal but I would say slightly compromised but probably strong enough. Not a good look though. He should have ditched the side section and ordered another at the correct size. Well within your right to ask for it to be corrected and not paid for until you are completely satisfied.
 
Doubt you have structural issues, but what you should be asking, is 'what has been done acceptable'.
What conversation took place before the brickwork was cut.
Why the piece of timber down the side.
The bodger did it for his convenience rather than get the panel remade to the correct size.
You should not accept the massacre of brickwork, don't pay & ask for the brickwork to be reinstated to its original.
 
As above not likely top be any cause for concern from a structural integrity perspective but it looks utter crud. Why didn't he just re-order the correct size sidelight (presumably the main doorset is separate)?

Did he ask your permission before cutting the brickwork out?
 
As a couple of asked - no he did not ask before removing the original bricks. The conversation prior - I told him not to fit the panel if it was too wide.
Thanks for confirming structure is ok, that helps.
 
It looks rubbish, it's his mistake in measurement, and as it looks like the arch was a solid 9 inch brickwork taking the weight of the roof, transferring the load to the skewback which has now lost some of it's bearing, so I'd say it has lost some of it's structural integrity.
You have to ask whether Building Control would pass something like that. I definitely wouldn't accept that work.
 
That looks terrible, this is your home this idiot has butchered, you are rightly outraged by this. Do not pay this bodger until he has re instated the brickwork as original, he will need to source replacement bricks and match the mortar. Do not allow him to continue until this has been corrected and you have the window YOU want in the original hole. If you need to go to court, you will win, this guy is not a builder, I would not trust him to dig foundations. Building control would not pass this work as the structure is compromised.
 
Bob Rathbone said:
That looks terrible, this is your home this idiot has butchered, you are rightly outraged by this.
Building control would not pass this work as the structure is compromised.
I would not trust him to dig foundations.
Click to expand...

I would not trust him to hold a tape measure. Curb appeal has now gone, he should have held his hands up and had the window re made as it was his mistake.:mad::eek:
 
The brickwork each side of the door under the arch appear to have been built at a later date, before any recent work. It probably had a heavy duty wooden frame helping with support.
 
Normally with cow sheds they just had the doors hung from the jambs and nothing apart from the arch brickwork over the top. The brickwork looks like typical 9 inch work with the arch taking the weight of the roof.
When it was converted they've filled in each side of the new frame.
 
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