Plan and execute lintel replacement over a masonry wall opening, including temporary shoring and coordination of new steel lintel sizing

Steps

1. Inspect the failed lintel (rusted/corroded steel with resulting brick spalling above, deflected or cracked masonry lintel, or a wood lintel showing rot) and assess the extent of masonry displaced or damaged above the opening
2. Have a structural engineer size the replacement steel lintel (angle or plate) for the specific span, wall thickness, and loading rather than matching the failed lintel's size by assumption, since undersized original lintels are a common reason for the original failure
3. Install temporary shoring (needle beams, adjustable jacks, or a shoring frame) to support the masonry above the opening before removing the failed lintel, sized and placed per a shoring plan appropriate to the wall's actual load path
4. Remove the deteriorated lintel and clean out the bearing pockets, checking for hidden masonry damage from long-term water intrusion (a very common companion problem to corroded steel lintels, since rusting steel expands and cracks the surrounding brick)
5. Set the new lintel with adequate bearing length at each end per the engineer's specification, and rebuild any removed/damaged masonry above with mortar and brick matched to the surrounding wall
6. Remove shoring only after the new lintel is fully set and, if masonry was rebuilt above it, after that masonry has cured sufficiently to carry load, per the engineer's or shoring plan's release criteria