Chimney breast

[elkilpat]

Hello, I am new to the forum. I will try to give as much detail as possible.

Just had a mortgage valuation done and a retention attached to it. It highlighted the fact that there was no chimney breast in the bedroom above the downstairs room where the chimney breast is. They have requested that we can prove sufficient support in the loft for the removed breast. Having looked in the loft, there has never been a chimney breast there apart from a section of about approx 2m wide where there looks like a single course of brick sticking out that runs up to the roof line. The people selling who we know don't ever recall there being a breast in the bedroom. The property is 1950's semi and the stack on the roof is long and narrow which has 6 pots/vents on it. breast in question is on a party wall. It also has a back boiler. Any ideas as to whether this is an original design or not?

 

[Cgas]

Have you got a front room & a back room (dining room or similar) do you have a fire in each room? Is the back boiler in use or is it disconnected? You must be able to see the chimney breast in the loft at least?

Edit; the room above where the BBU is, are u sure it doesn't pass through one of the walls that seperate the bedrooms ? a picture of the room where the BBU is in relation to the house and the rooms above & in the loft if possible would help.

 

[ree]

An odd survey - asking you to prove a possible structural matter? All the surveyor had to do was look into the loft.


Why not post some pics on here:
1. of the roof stack with the 6 pots (are there any other stacks?)
2. of the "c/breast" in the loft
3. of the bedroom wall below the c/breast in the loft
4. of the ground floor c/breast

What do you know of the neighbour's c/breast? Has any of it been removed - any of it from ground floor to stack?

Briefly, what did the retention say, and how much was it for?

 

[elkilpat]

Firstly, I would like to say thank you for replying to my post, it is much appreciated. I will get to the property at the weekend and take some pictures and post them. The retention is for £2000.

Cheers

Eddie

 

[elkilpat]

These are the pics that i took today, having spoke to a builder, he says that this is the chimney breast upstairs in the two rooms and loft. They are built into the party walls of the two properties and being a 1950's house, they were not designed for coal fires, hence the narrow breast. The only reason the breast is bigger in the room below is because of the back boiler. Make any sense?

 

[endecotp]

That is clearly the chimney in the loft.

Is the wall between the two upstairs rooms directly above the downstairs wall?

It looks to me as if the left bedroom clearly has a chimney - there is even a vent! In the right bedroom, it's possible that the entire back wall is chimney though there is no vent.

Maybe you need to do some measurements to prove what lies above what. Or poke something through the bedroom ceiling and see where it comes out in the loft.

It does sound as if the surveyor is confused. You could ask them to clarify what their complaint is.

 

[elkilpat]

Thanks for the reply endecotp, yes there is a wall directly below the separating wall in the bedroom and although it is not that evident from the pictures, the blue wall with the old airing cupboard has the same wall as the front room, by that I mean the wall sits back further in the cupboard.

Cheers

Eddie

 

[endecotp]

In that case, I really don't know what they're complaining about. What precisely does the surveyor's report say?

 

[elkilpat]

"Confirm suitable support is provided for chimney breast within the
roofspace. The breast within the rear bedroom has been removed".

 

[endecotp]

In photo 0709, move that wardrobe and measure from the doorway down either side of the wall. Presumably you'll find that both sides are the same, proving that the back wall of the right bedroom is the chimney.

 

[Cgas]

Looks like a standard Bermuda 552, Honestly don't know how the surveyor got to that conclusion? Did he even look in the loft? The coloured bricks are the breast you can clearly see left & right is the party wall behind. Looks fine to me.
Only other thing to do is knock a neighbour and ask if they mind you having a look.

 

[Cgas]

Don't need to move the wardrobe, measure before the vent where the wall dips further back, to the opposite wall, measure after the vent and measure in the right hand side bedroom.

 

[elkilpat]

Thanks very much guys for your input. I'll take the info and photos to the mortgage valuation team and see if i can get rid of this retention on the mortgage. Once again thanks for your speedy replies.

Eddie