Chimney Breast Advice needed!

[YorkshireMarsh86]

Hi,

I was looking for a little advice, I have started removing all the plaster from my chimney breast and opening it up to fit a wood burning stove. It appears that there are 2 lintels 1 small one and 1 larger one. I was wondering firstly why there would be 2? and whether I would be able to remove the bricks and smaller lintel leaving just the larger lintel? It looks as though only 2 sets of red brick hold up the large lintel. Also to note the lintel doesn't quite go all the way to the left hand side and looks to be supported by a bit of broken red brick.

Any advice would be a great help.

Untitled

• YorkshireMarsh86
• 19 Aug 2013
• 1

Thanks
James

 

[dann09]

The upper lintel is the original lintel, supported by 9" of brickwork on either side.

Before doing anything else: remove the "broken red brick", and make a good solid pad/support to the dodgy left hand side brickwork below the lintel bearing.

Then remove the lower, perhaps very heavy, lintel and its infill brickwork. Keep it, dont skip it, its good stone for a garden project, say.

Hopefully, you can make a feature of the upper lintel?