Subsidence, settlement and heave
The lintel over a widened kitchen opening looks dropped and was not exposed. Has the bearing been measured?
No. The bearing has not been measured. The lintel over a widened kitchen opening looks dropped and was not exposed, so the ends, the bearings and the amount of wall still supporting them were not seen. A dropped head can mean the lintel has rotated, the bearings have crushed, or the eye is reading a sloping soffit. The survey recorded the appearance. It has not measured how far each end sits into the masonry, and it has not decided the opening is failing or that it is adequate.
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?
Widening an opening moves the place where the wall above needs support. The bearing is the length of lintel that sits on that remaining masonry. If it is short, the end can crack the pier or drop. None of that length was uncovered here, so a guess from the face of the plaster would be fiction. The survey also did not check what the lintel is made of. Appearance of a dip is the finding. Support at the ends is the unknown.
If the opening matters to you or to a lender, instruct someone to expose the bearings and measure them, and keep that note apart from this report. Tell the lender the lintel looks dropped and the bearing was not measured. Do not describe the beam as undersized, and do not describe it as sound. The survey has not seen the ends it would need to see before either sentence could be true.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Were the lintel bearings exposed and measured?
- Is the dipped appearance being reported as a failed lintel?
- Has the material of the lintel been identified?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the bearing as unmeasured.
- Instruct an exposure of the ends if the opening must be proved.
- Do not tell a lender the lintel is undersized or sound.
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
Does a widened opening always lack a proper bearing?
No. Widening raises the question. It does not answer it. Many opened walls have adequate bearings, and some do not. This survey did not expose the ends and did not measure them, so this opening is in neither group yet. The dip is recorded. The support is not. Leave the adequacy undecided.
Can the plaster line be used as the measurement?
No. Plaster hides the end of the lintel and can slope for reasons of its own. The survey has already said the lintel was not exposed, so no bearing length was taken. A tape on the plaster face would not be that measurement. Wait for the ends to be uncovered before anyone states a length.