Rotten Timber Lintel Replacement, Bournemouth

The problem

A landlord came to us about a timber lintel that had decayed so badly it had effectively snapped, causing a visible sag in the window line. On site we found the lintel spanned across both openings supporting the floor above — more significant than the external presentation suggested.

The cause

Timber rots from the inside out, often invisibly until the damage is extensive. By the time the sag was visible externally, the timber had lost enough structural integrity that it was no longer genuinely supporting the load above.

What we did

1. Temporary support. The floor above was temporarily supported before any work on the lintel began — essential given the lintel was carrying the floor load across both openings.
2. Lintel removal. The decayed timber lintel was removed entirely.
3. Concrete lintel installation. A new concrete lintel was installed. The surrounding brickwork was made good to match.
4. Plastering. Plastering was included in the scope and completed as part of the same visit.

The result

Completed over 2 days by two people, including plastering. The job was more involved than the visible sag suggested — a lintel spanning two openings and supporting a floor above is a more significant structural element than a simple window lintel, and the temporary support work before removal reflected that.