Brickwork behind Chimney Breast

[Mart_]

Hi all,

Planning on knocking out the living room chimney breast in the new year. Just wanted to run it past the pro's here first.

We will get an engineer in to survey prior but that will be in January, just want to plan various options before hand.

At the moment we have:

• Chimney breast in the living room (no breast upstairs)
  • Sounds hollow everywhere I tap
• Gas Fire in the living room which sits in the fire place
• I see no exit for the flue to the side of the house (detached)
  • So I think the flue runs up the chimney
• The chimney stack is on the outside of the house
• The house is about 25 yrs old

Having read various chimney breast removal threads and sites, ours seems a lot more straight forward. If the above is correct, would I be right to assume that its simply a case of:

• Get a gas certified engineer to cap off the gas
  • Remove gas fire
• knock out the hollow breast
  • re plaster the wall flush
• Get sign off from the council

Hopefully its straight forward. Thanks for reading.

 

[bobasd]

get written instructions from the SE for how to do what you propose - mention this requirement when you make the first heads-up call with a SE.
then use the instructions to notify your local BCO.

if you DIY the job then, if you want, come back here for further help.

 

[Mart_]

Hi, all me again.

A structural Engineer has turned up to have a look (well there was two of them). They said it doesn't look like its a structural change as the breast appears false. They looked in the two rooms above, the loft and the chimney stack outside (from the garden and at distance) … I offered them knocking bits of the breast out but they declined.

Off the back of them saying it doesn't look like being a structural change they said (when asked) that I shouldn't need to inform Building Control. Which saves a few shekels

So £250+VAT pending them producing their report.

Basically wanted to run all this by you guys …. here's what I plan to do on receipt of the report.

1. Get the gas capped and gas fire removed by a gas certified engineer.
2. Cover up the exit point to the outside chimney stack.
3. Strip back all the plasterboard myself
4. Remove the studwork myself
5. Employ local plasterer to board up and plaster the whole the wall and cove.

Grateful for input, if there's better ways of doing this, or anyone with experience/advice.

Here's a pic of the area, please ignore the previous owners taste in decor

Thanks

 

[tony1851]

If they say it's not a 'structural change', why are they making a report on it and charging you £250 + VAT for the privilage; even more odd because they say you don't need to get Building Control involved.
Seems like easy money to me?

 

[23vc]

Where’s the gas flue going then, if there’s no chimney breast in the room above?

 

[Mart_]

I've not paid anything yet so will withhold until we are happy/challenge.

If they say it's not a 'structural change', why are they making a report on it and charging you £250 + VAT for the privilage; even more odd because they say you don't need to get Building Control involved.
Seems like easy money to me?

 

[Mart_]

The chimney runs up along the outside of the whole house, which is the other side of the wall in the picture.

They said the flue would go out through the wall then up through the chimney. Would that sound about right?

Cheers

Where’s the gas flue going then, if there’s no chimney breast in the room above?

 

[23vc]

Ah ok didn’t realise you meant external chimney. Apart from the potential SE ripoff, your plan sounds about right.
You might need to put some support noggins in for the ceiling plasterboards so all board edges are supported

 

[Mart_]

Decided to have a nose and looks like breeze block to the joist level.

I'll update the SE's with the new information as I'd like them to come back out.


Anyway, does this sound about right even though the pics are limited.

The joists should span wall to wall across the entire room, however they also span across the front of the chimney breast (top of the breeze blocks) where the chimney breast is and then continue to the wall.

Q. As the joists spanning the breast go into the outer wall (like all the others) does this mean the breast is not supporting the joist? therefore removing the breeze blocks wouldn't be structural/wouldn't needs some steel support somewhere?

Thanks for looking!!

 

[bobasd]

OP,
why not post pics showing any external chimney breast (brick or metal), & any chimney stack.
go in the loft and look for a c/breast on the gable wall.
do you have fire places or c/breast's in any other part of the house?

dont go removing any part of your c/breast until we are certain its not supporting part of the first floor joists.
it could be a false, frame and block c/breast?

 

[Mart_]

OP,
why not post pics showing any external chimney breast (brick or metal), & any chimney stack.
go in the loft and look for a c/breast on the gable wall.
do you have fire places or c/breast's in any other part of the house?

Thanks bobasd.

No other c/breasts in the house.
No c/breast on the gable wall whilst looking in the loft.

Here are some pics....

 

[bobasd]

it should be safe to remove the false chimney breast in your lounge(?).
when thats removed you will expose a hole in the c/b rear wall thats the original fireplace.
you will also perhaps reveal if the c/b is or was supporting a patch of first floor joisting

maybe there will be sooty walls to the flue or a SS flue liner in the opening?
but post pics after the above is done.

if you have any doubts then get a builder in to have a look.

 

[Mart_]

you will also perhaps reveal if the c/b is or was supporting a patch of first floor joisting

Thanks bobasd.

If the above is the case, I assume that means it becomes structural, some type of support needs to be put in place and Building Control need to be informed?

Cheers

 

[bobasd]

there never was a traditional c/b, so no c/b has been removed.
unless the builder was nuts then the upper floor joists would have been installed before the faux c/b.

 

[Mart_]

Cheers bobasd.

Speaking to my neighbour this morning who has lived on this development since the houses were built. He even dug the original brochure out (early 90's) and there's 8 of the out of 60 odd houses the same style as ours.

If it adds anything, here's part of the floor plans for ours.

Thanks again.