I get a lot of these emails now, people sending me messages asking me for advice. However I got one the other day in which they asked me to post to you guys to get your thoughts on the matter at hand. So here is Andy, wanting to get some advice on a dispute he is currently having:
I have a dispute currently going on with builder of an extension, without
going in to too much detail unless you wish me to,
I have been told it is standard practice to install a window or door up to
a lintel?
Currently the door is fitted on top of DPC but it transpires I was suppose
to pack the underneath of the patio doors with timber, and install up to
the lintel. I was not told this at the time of installation despite the
builder watching me pug the sill on. I have now been told that the finish
floor level is too high for the doors to open and have been asked to re-fit
the doors to the lintel.
Do you have honest any comments on this?
I am pleased to have found your blog on the net and I’m quite happy for you
to post this for further comments.
Best regards
Andy
If there are any fitters currently reading this, I think your advice would be best served on this one. I personally always thought that a door should be fitted up to a lintel. But there might be something I’m misreading or missing out on, so I’m not going to say too much on this for fear of getting it wrong and looking like even more of an idiot that I already am! ;-)
All comments welcome in the section below.
Never use wood as packers. If they get wet, they will rot and go soft.
Any reason why Andy was fitting the doors and not the builder? On new builds you have the luxury of stepping the brickwork down at a door to accommodate cill and leave a high threshold so maybe builder should done this. How much higher does the door need to go clear the floor?
I think it’s a case of the left hand not talking the right hand.
I don`t understand , what “fitting up to the lintel” means.
First who surveyed the job?
The Cill should sit on the DPC (packed 5mm off ) and be 5mm below the lintel!
If it needed raising up (internally) they should of put a larger threshold on the bottom of the door.
Not packing it up with wood ( which will rot )
The main problem I see is communication, between the fitter and the builder :-(
I`d charge the builder a day rate to sort it !!
Doesn’t sound’ made to measure’ to me. off the shelf unit. I would hope it would fits well between the lintel and DPC line without gaps, other than the required expansion gap, the surveyor and then the fitter should also checked inside and out for ground clearance before fitting.
Hi I’m Andy, first of all thanks for the replies and in trying to answer some of the queries perhaps I should tell the whole saga. I was asked to fit a set of patio doors for a client who is having an extension built a family friend builder. The builder, the client and myself initially agreed the size of the opening to match a set of patio doors in the existing house, I was asked how much clearence I wanted and replied 5mm all round. No worries so far, next I was informed that the builder was ready for… Read more »
Fit to lintel, don’t use wood packers and were pos speak to builder
Got to agree with Andy here. Without any specific instructions its what I would have done.
Is it worth doing it foc? Could this builder become a good repeat customer or have bridges already been burned here, Tough decision to make.