Age and type of house
The old garage door opening has been bricked up and no lintel is visible over the infill. What load path above that infill was not confirmed?
The load path above the infill was not confirmed. The old garage door opening has been bricked up, and no lintel is visible over the infill. Something above that opening, a lintel, the original beam, or the new brickwork itself, is carrying the wall or the roof loads that cross it. The survey could not see which. Brick in the old hole shows an infill. It does not show that a lintel still spans, that the lintel was removed, or that the new masonry was built to carry load. The path of the load remains unconfirmed.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Infill brick is often built off a threshold and up to the underside of whatever was already there. If the old lintel is still in place, the new brick may be a panel under it. If the lintel has gone, the brick may be asked to do work it does not appear designed for. Neither account can be chosen while no lintel is visible and the head of the opening was not opened up. The survey has not certified the infill and has not searched the building-regulations file.
Ask the solicitor for any approval or structural note for the bricked-up opening, and ask an engineer if the loads above are anything more than a short panel. Do not assume a lintel is buried in the render because garage openings usually had one. The survey looked and could not see a lintel over the infill. The load path above it was not confirmed.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What loads sit above the old garage opening?
- Was any lintel visible over the infill, or none?
- Did you confirm a load path, or record that it was unseen?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the load path above the infill as unconfirmed.
- Ask the solicitor for any approval for the bricked-up opening.
- Ask an engineer if the wall above depends on a lintel you cannot see.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the infill brick matches, was the work done properly?
Matching brick is a colour and a bond on the face. It does not confirm the load path, and no lintel was visible over the infill. A neat panel can sit under a sound lintel or under nothing adequate. The survey did not choose. Appearance of the new brick is not the structural check.
Does a crack above the infill prove the lintel has failed?
A crack would be a condition at the head of the opening. It still would not, by itself, show the load path, and the survey’s point is that no lintel was visible so the path was not confirmed. Cause of any crack remains a further question. The unseen support is the limit already written down.