Age and type of house
Is a soldier course of bricks over a window proof that a steel lintel is there?
No. A soldier course is bricks stood on end as a face. The support may be a steel, a concrete lintel, a timber, or nothing adequate hidden behind the bricks. A home survey sees the face and any crack or dip. It does not see through the brick, and a neat soldier course is not a calculation under Approved Document A.
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?
The defect, if there is one, is the dip, the crack and the opening, not the pattern of the bricks. Many twentieth-century windows have a steel behind a soldier course, and the steel can rust and expand, cracking the bricks. The survey can suspect that from the pattern. It cannot measure the steel. RICS surveys do not expose lintels as standard.
Replacing a window without checking the support can leave the bricks resting on the frame. Ask the surveyor whether they saw movement or only the decorative course. There is no RICS price for a new steel. Do not assume every soldier course is failing because this page explained the word.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Is there movement, or only a soldier course?
- Could you see the actual lintel?
- Are you recommending exposure before the windows are replaced?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not replace the window and hope the bricks stay up.
- If there is no crack and no dip, do not invent a lintel project.
- If there is rust staining and a crack, ask a builder to expose before they quote.
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
Is a stone arch the same as a soldier course?
No. An arch is a different support. The survey should name what it saw.
Does render over the head hide the lintel?
Yes. The survey should say if the head was covered. Covered is not proved.