# Supporting brick while enlarging a garage opening



## AtlRemodeling (Jan 23, 2008)

I need some help on this one. I have a customer that has a sagging garage door header. Apparently no one calculated a point load on the garage door header from a beam on the second floor. As part of the repairs, the customer wants to enlarge the opening to accommodate an 8' door instead of the existing 7' door. 

I have attached a cad of the wall (my camera battery died and gas is too high to drive over just for a picture). Anyway, here my question. Is there anyway to support the brick above the opening while I remove the existing lintel, beam and 1' of brick? The house is 8-10 years old and short of removing brick on the entire side, I do not want it to appeared "patched". We are doing a stucco border around both garage doors when we finish the opening so I have a little bit of leeway for the first 12" of brick surrounding the door.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Point of clarification: The garage door that is sagging is the double door (16') and we are enlarging the opening from 7' high to 8' high. The beam is undersized and the lintel is warped due to the sagging beam therefore, both will be replaced. I can brace the lintel and remove/replace the beam from inside the garage. Is there anyway to then remove 1' of brick and insert a new lintel?


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

both the lintel and header will now be to short, by the time you remove both, the only thing you will have left is sheathing and brick, the brick must go. imo


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## Kaiser (Jan 22, 2008)

I'm no Mason but I'm thinking the brick should have a Angle Iron lentel above the door now. You will need to replaced it. So a 6' X 4' X 5/16" angle iron run 12" past the R.O. should be plenty to hold up the brick while you do the removal of the brick below. (Of course I'm not an Engineer either so you want to consult the local codes.) Cut the Mortar line out at the new height and slide the new angle iron in before you remove anything.

That's my 2 cents I'm sure some Masons will chime in. Good Luck


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## artisanstone (Nov 27, 2007)

It can be done a number of ways. Heck the house movers move whole chimneys along with the house! It will come down to "is it worth it".


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## send_it_all (Apr 10, 2007)

genecarp said:


> both the lintel and header will now be to short, by the time you remove both, the only thing you will have left is sheathing and brick, the brick must go. imo


I think he raising the height of the door opening...not the width.


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## bobcaygeonjon (Aug 30, 2007)

Yes it can be done by knocking out bricks at about 2' intervals, passing a prop with an attachable "foot" through 
But honestly it is a lot of work and will always look like a patch job. It really would be easier to take out the Bwk above and re - build. With some carefull toothing and mortar match it will look a lot better.


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## wellbuilthome (Feb 5, 2008)

It is much faster to use a air hammer and remove the brick. You could clean the bricks and put them back up. If the door is not getting wider you mite try to cut in a new header and remove the old header after. If there are lots of brick ties the brick mit hang off the framing. I removed 50 ' of block work on a ranch and left all the brick hanging above . It was nasty but it worked.


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## CJKarl (Nov 21, 2006)

bobcaygeonjon said:


> Yes it can be done by knocking out bricks at about 2' intervals, passing a prop with an attachable "foot" through
> But honestly it is a lot of work and will always look like a patch job. It really would be easier to take out the Bwk above and re - build. With some carefull toothing and mortar match it will look a lot better.



I've also sawed out a long horizontal joint, placed a 3X4 angle in the curf and braced it from below.


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