GARAGE DOOR LINTEL REPAIR
Do You Have Cracks Over Your Garage Door?
If you have a sagging garage door or have found yourself searching for how to repair a sagging garage door lintel or why your garage door trim is sagging, our team is here to help with our Huntsville garage door lintel repair and lift services. Over time, many homes will have problems with their garage door sagging or even the brickwork above the door cracking and having problems. In the past, the only solution was to rebuild the entire garage door area but now there is a specialized repair system in place that can add strength to the garage door lintel and prevent future sagging and problems. This is the LintelLift System which was designed, patented, and built by our team.
Sagging Garage Door Header Lift System
The patented Lintel Lift System is designed to perfectly align with different areas on your garage door and support the weight of your home for many years to come. Garage doors and lintel are generally constructed in standard sizes, in which the Lintel Lift System can easily fit. However, it can also be custom-designed to fit a wide range of garage door openings. Here in Huntsville, cracked brick above your garage can be a common problem. We offer people in the Huntsville area garage door repair and lintel repairs that will bring new life to the curb appeal of your home.
Kennedy and Sons is an authorized dealer of the Lintel Lift System and we have the experience needed to properly install your system. We use sturdy steel lintel in our replacements, which strengthen the garage door and prevent the need for future repairs. Our system is covered by a multi-year warranty, so you can rest assured that your replacement is built to last.
Kennedy and Sons Structural Solutions Structural Solutions now holds the only patent in America for structural garage lintel repair!
3 STEP HOME WARRANTY BURDEN RELIEF PLAN
- At first on-site meeting with customer: Make the call, sign the “Kennedy and Sons LintelLift 3-STEP Burden Relief Plan and Contingency Contract ” and be introduced to the experienced Kennedy and Sons Home Warranty claim staff to be your advocate and we take it from there!
- On-site / Off-site meeting: Kennedy and Sons trained Home Warranty Claim Advocate records your Home Warranty policy information or searches appropriate public records to find this information for you. We then communicate on your behalf to set up the required Home Warranty engineering inspection and pay all up-front required fees* (up to $500). We then handle all the paperwork and required onsite meetings to guarantee that you get the maximum amount of allowable coverage. *provided homeowner is pre-approved for GreenSky Financing at time of contingency contract signing
- After Warranty Engineer Consultation: When the warranty company accepts your claim, the Kennedy and Sons team goes to work for you by installing the nation’s ONLY patented LintelLift repair system at no out of pocket cost to you! Easy-Peasy. In the event your Home Warranty company fails to take responsibility or if no home warranty coverage is applicable then NO PROBLEM. Kennedy and Sons will accept the pre-approved agreed upon financing option just the same. You, the homeowner, will always have the final say. Should you for any reason decide not to restore your garage lintel’s structural integrity, then simply sign a safety release wavier, refund to us the out of pocket expenses of the required Home Warranty engineering and/or inspection agent (up to $500) and monitor your lintel closely knowing that the problem is literally hanging over your head!
THE INSTALLATION PROCESS
Installation of the Lintel Lift System typically lasts one day and begins with the inspection and reinforcement of the current garage lintel. This is a necessary step to prevent future damage or collapse while the system is installed. Masonry and mortar may need to be removed as well in order to repair the brickwork to its original position. Garage door openers will also need to be removed so the installers can have access to the wood framing.
The Lintel Lift system requires the use of side columns to provide support and transfer the engineered load to the home’s foundation. Minimal concrete at the base of the columns may need to be removed to ensure that the system is aligned and level. We then install the Lintel Lift columns, which are securely fastened to the foundation and frame of the house.
At this point, we’re ready to install the new steel lintel replacement above the structural steel columns. Jack screws are installed on both structural columns and provide the lift and support needed to bring the sagging and damaged bricks back to the original location.
Warning Signs
Please look at the images below for some of the warning signs of a sagging lintel. These include stair-step cracks in the brickwork and gaps above the lintel where it is starting to bow.
Lintel Repair Result
We provide the people of Huntsville garage door lintel repair which includes a special lintel header that is pre stressed to handle the loads of your home’s brickwork and flat trip pieces for the sides and top.
The Repair Process
View photos of our Huntsville garage door lintel repair process. Click a photo below to view it at a larger size.
Old Way vs. New Way
OLD WAY: Notice the intrusion of the homeowner’s garage contents for the week duration or longer of the job.
OLD WAY: Notice the unsafe, unengineered temporary brick support installed by an unsupervised, and inexperienced structural support masonry crew.
OLD WAY: Notice the unsafe falling brick wall due to unsafe bracing by an unsupervised crew.
OLD WAY: Notice the inadequate and unsafe installation of the temporary brick support that failed.
Con: HIGH liability for the homeowner and the home warranty company and VERY dangerous for the homeowner and workers! Look at the dangerous support they installed that is failing, causing a stair step crack in the brick! Should there be a catastrophic failure resulting in a worker, the homeowner would be sued. Also, the scaffolding to remove and replace the brick completely blocks any use of the garage door.
LintelLift Pro: No brick removal for repair so liability practically eliminated!
Con: This job is scheduled to take 5-7 days start to finish depending on weather. The garage door must be left open for the work duration which could result in property theft or security breach of the home. Its entry is also blocked with scaffolding. Heavy demolition equipment is needed for the work, resulting in blocked driveway and potential damage, wear/tear, and black marks to the drive and parking area.
LintelLift Pro: Four hour install with no equipment needed for repair. Since LintelLift adds an engendered exoskeleton of support to the exterior clad there is no need for machinery or scaffolding, so the garage door does not have to be open or blocked from use.
Con: New brick and mortar will never match sun faded brick and mortar leaving a very noticeable repair that will last for the duration of the home’s life.
LintelLift Pro: NO brick removal required for install. The trim kits finished look adds a very fashionable, upgraded look to the homes curb appeal.
Con: Not engineered. In many cases there is no engineering behind a rip-down/replace method.
LintelLift Pro: LintelLift is the ONLY engineered and patented repair system that takes into consideration the weight load to be carried and adds to the existing 300lbs capacity lintel system an additional 1200-1400 pounds of support (more if required). This means increased safety, less liability, and higher resale of the home.
Con: No warranty to most brick repairs. A structural warranty is not a common practice for most masonry companies, leaving no warranty protection against future failures. In fact, since most of these type of repairs simply re-use the old, undersized lintel, future failure is certain.
LintelLift Pro: With Kennedy’s 76 years of business backing a lifetime, TRANSFERABLE warranty on structural repairs, homeowners can rest assured with a peace of mind that they made the right, logical, and practical decision.
Post construction with sagging existing lintel and cracked brick and mortar:
The LintelLift is pre-engineered to lift a straight plane. Heavier lifts are also available upon special order. The columns on the sides are designed with lift bolts that are adjusted to contact the ends of the angle iron with matching machined pivot points. This allows the column to be stood up one end at a time and fastened to the existing wood door frames. Once both columns are vertical with the LintelLift under the sagging existing lintel, and outside the brick wall, the bolts are tightened, lifting the load while removing the camber. Once straightened, the sagging lintel and brick is now lifted and stabilized against potential future settlement. At this point, the raw iron will be covered with a vinyl kit specially made for fit. Contact Kennedy and Sons Structural Solutions if you are in need of a Huntsville garage door lintel repair and lift specialist.
