Hi there,
I got the keys to my new flat two days ago and yesterday went up into the attic to see what was up there.
The flat is a converted edwardian terraced house, so have been expecting the usual problems associated with a house of this age.
When we got up in the roof we noticed that quite alot of the bricks in the chimney breast are disintergrating. If you touch them they just turn to sand. More worryingly when we went to test the flame effect gas fire in the sitting room we noticed that there was brick dust all over it, which i hovered up. I put my hand up the back of the fireplace and there was a huge mound of brick dust, about 5 or 6 cm deep. I don't know if this is from gradual build up, where the fire place hasn't been used for several months, or if it has been caused by some sort of disturbance (there was a new TV ariel fitted on the roof the day before we moved in)
Should i be very worried about this? I'd like to know what kind of options I have to deal with this, if there are cheaper options i can do to stop this from getting any worse, and what the long term solution may be?
I am worried that if I ask a builder to come and look at it I will get ripped off, that he will tell me thats its more serious than it actually is..
I'm a bit scared of opening a can of worms if you know what i mean?
I got the keys to my new flat two days ago and yesterday went up into the attic to see what was up there.
The flat is a converted edwardian terraced house, so have been expecting the usual problems associated with a house of this age.
When we got up in the roof we noticed that quite alot of the bricks in the chimney breast are disintergrating. If you touch them they just turn to sand. More worryingly when we went to test the flame effect gas fire in the sitting room we noticed that there was brick dust all over it, which i hovered up. I put my hand up the back of the fireplace and there was a huge mound of brick dust, about 5 or 6 cm deep. I don't know if this is from gradual build up, where the fire place hasn't been used for several months, or if it has been caused by some sort of disturbance (there was a new TV ariel fitted on the roof the day before we moved in)
Should i be very worried about this? I'd like to know what kind of options I have to deal with this, if there are cheaper options i can do to stop this from getting any worse, and what the long term solution may be?
I am worried that if I ask a builder to come and look at it I will get ripped off, that he will tell me thats its more serious than it actually is..
I'm a bit scared of opening a can of worms if you know what i mean?
.....Just post in Plumbing+ heating and see what they say 
