How to Price Lintel Replacement: Labour, Materials and Margin Guide

Quick Answer: Lintel replacement in the UK prices at £450-£900 for a single domestic window lintel, £900-£1,800 for a wider opening or a cavity-wall lintel, and £2,000-£6,000+ where the wall must be propped and rebuilt or where a structural engineer's design is required. The cost is dominated not by the lintel itself (£40-£250) but by propping, brick removal and reinstatement, and making good. Any opening over ~1.2m, or any load-bearing wall, needs an engineer's calculation — never guess a section size.

Summary

Lintel replacement spans a huge range — from a quick swap of a corroded steel lintel over a window where the brickwork above is sound, to a major operation involving acrow props, a rebuilt arch, and a structural engineer's calculation for a steel beam. The lintel is rarely the expensive part. The cost lives in the propping, the careful removal and rebuilding of the masonry over the opening, and the making-good of plaster, render, and finishes.

The most common driver of lintel work in UK housing is corrosion of mid-20th-century steel lintels — particularly the galvanised "Catnic"-type lintels and pre-1980 mild steel, which rust and expand ("oxide jacking"), cracking the brickwork above. The second is failed timber lintels in older properties, and the third is forming or widening openings (where a new, larger lintel is installed). Each has a different risk profile and a different price.

This guide separates diagnosis, structural design, propping, the lintel itself, brick/masonry works, and making good. It covers the cavity-wall complication, when an engineer is mandatory, and the building-control angle. For related structural and masonry work see cavity wall tie replacement pricing guide, external render pricing guide and damp proofing pricing guide.

Key Facts

Lintel and material costs

Labour and ancillary costs

Regulatory and standards

Quick Reference Table

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Scenario Span Engineer Needed Typical Cost
Corroded steel lintel, sound brickwork above ≤1.2m Usually no £450-£900
Cavity wall lintel swap 1.2-1.8m Often advisable £800-£1,500
Wide opening / bay 1.8-3.0m Yes £1,500-£3,500
Forming new opening varies Yes (Part A) £2,000-£6,000
Failed lintel + masonry rebuild varies Yes £2,500-£7,000+
Steel beam (knock-through) 3m+ Yes £3,000-£10,000+

Add building control (£150-£400) for any load-bearing work, and an engineer's fee (£250-£600) for anything over ~1.2m or where loads change.

Detailed Guidance

Diagnose before quoting

Establish three things on survey: (1) why the lintel is failing — corrosion, overloading, timber decay, or thermal/movement cracking; (2) what loads the lintel carries — a ground-floor opening under two storeys plus roof is very different from a single-storey gable window; and (3) the wall construction — solid masonry, cavity, or rendered blockwork, each changing the method.

Corroded steel ("oxide jacking") shows as horizontal cracking in the bed joint above the opening and rust staining. A sagging or cracked lintel with no corrosion suggests overloading or original under-design — that needs an engineer. Never quote a fixed price before you know the loads and the wall type.

When a structural engineer is mandatory

Get an engineer for: any opening over roughly 1.2m; any load-bearing wall; any change in opening width; any sign of the original lintel being under-designed (sagging, cracked under load); and anything where you would otherwise be guessing the section size. The engineer issues a calculation and specifies the lintel/beam, the bearing length, and padstones. This calculation is what building control wants to see. Skipping it on a load-bearing opening is dangerous and uninsurable — budget £250-£600 and treat it as non-negotiable.

Building control

Replacing a lintel like-for-like where it is not changing the structural arrangement may not require a building control application, but forming or widening an opening, or any work to a load-bearing element, is notifiable under Building Regulations Part A. Use a building control application (full plans or building notice) with the engineer's calculations. Budget £150-£400. The completion certificate matters for resale — advise the customer accordingly.

Propping — the critical safety step

Before the old lintel comes out, the load above must be supported. For a domestic window this is typically acrow props with a Strongboy attachment (a bracket that fits into a raked-out bed joint, supporting the masonry above without obstructing the opening). For wider or more heavily loaded openings, needles and props, or a proprietary propping system, are used. Propping is cheap to hire (£40-£90) but skipping or under-propping it is the cause of every lintel-replacement collapse. Allow proper drying/curing time before striking props on any new bedded lintel or beam.

Cavity walls — don't forget the tray and ties

A cavity-wall lintel does two jobs: carries the load and bridges the cavity to throw water out via a DPC tray and weep vents. When replacing a cavity lintel you must reinstate the cavity tray and weep holes, or water will track across the cavity and cause internal damp over the opening. Re-tie the inner and outer leaves either side. This detailing (£30-£80 in materials, plus labour) is routinely forgotten by general builders and causes damp call-backs.

Brickwork removal, reinstatement and making good

The masonry above and at the bearings is carefully removed, the new lintel set on padstones or a minimum bearing (typically 150mm each end for standard cavity lintels), and the brickwork rebuilt — toothing in to match bond and using a brick to match the existing where it shows externally. Matching old brick and mortar colour on a visible elevation is skilled work and a common source of customer dissatisfaction; quote it carefully. Internal making good (plaster reveal, redecoration) and external (render or pointing) are separate lines — £150-£350 internal, £25-£50/m² render.

Hidden costs and risk

The five most-missed lines: (1) discovery of further corrosion in adjacent lintels once one is opened up; (2) DPC tray reinstatement in cavity walls; (3) brick matching on visible elevations (sourcing reclaimed brick); (4) temporary weather protection if the opening is exposed overnight; (5) scaffold or access for upper-floor or gable openings (£300-£900). Apply a risk premium on rendered walls (you can't see the brickwork condition until you hack off) and on any property where the original construction is unknown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I always need a structural engineer to replace a lintel?

Not for a genuine like-for-like swap of a small (≤1.2m) lintel where the brickwork above is sound and loads are unchanged — an experienced builder can match the existing specification. But for any wider opening, any load-bearing wall, any sign the original was under-designed, or any change in opening size, an engineer's calculation is essential and usually required by building control. When in doubt, get the calculation; it is cheap relative to a failure.

How do I know if a lintel has failed?

Common signs: horizontal cracking in the mortar bed joint directly above a window or door (classic corroded-steel oxide jacking); a visible sag or downward bow in the lintel; cracking radiating from the corners of the opening; rust staining on the brickwork; and doors or windows that have dropped out of square. A visible sag with no corrosion is more serious — it suggests overloading and needs an engineer urgently.

Can a lintel be replaced without taking the wall down?

Yes — that is the normal method. The load above is supported on props (often with a Strongboy), the old lintel is cut out, the new one installed on proper bearings, and the brickwork made good around it. The wall is never fully demolished for a standard lintel replacement. Full rebuild is only needed where the masonry above has already failed badly.

Why does a cavity-wall lintel cost more than a solid-wall one?

A cavity lintel must carry the load and manage water — it incorporates a DPC tray, weep vents, and ties across the cavity. The detailing is more involved, the lintels are more specialised (and more expensive), and forgetting the tray causes damp. Solid-wall lintels are structurally simpler but may still need an engineer for span and load.

Regulations & Standards