Fireplace reinstatement - some advice needed please

[ben360]

Hi all, newbie here, first time reinstating a fireplace, finding lots of useful help and pictures on forums, just need some clarification before continuing much further......

I've got as far as can be seen in the pictures, just wondering how much further I should go with this before the house falls down!

I'm thinking it would be OK to remove the final rough layer of bricks to reveal the builder's opening, but what's stopping me from going ahead is the question of the lintel.

There are two thin metal bars that sit on the top of the rough bricks I want to remove. They seem to be supporting a fair bit above them as there is quite a distance until the brick arch.

Should I put in a second lintel to be absolutely sure all will be OK, or should I remove the rough bricks and replace them with a layer of new bricks thereby keeping the metal bars in place. The opening would be big enough if I did this.

I haven't yet decided 100% between a stove or an open fire, wanted to see exactly what I was dealing with first.

Also, looking up inside the fireplace, if I was to remove the final layer of bricks it looks as if a lot of the throat would come tumbling down too, is this wise as it helps the smoke to rise quicker doesn't it? Obviously not an issue if going the stove route, but might need rebuilding for an open fire?

Anyway, hope the above makes some sense, I'll just whack some pictures up and see if anyone can shed some light on it for me.

Thanks in advance for any help / advice. Ben

Untitled

• ben360
• 22 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• ben360
• 22 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• ben360
• 22 Feb 2015
• 1

Untitled

• ben360
• 22 Feb 2015
• 1

 

[ree]

Why not post a pic showing the outline you want for an open fire? Get dimensions for a stove opening from Mfr's specs.

The throating in the pic is not the original throating - i suspect that the original throating might still be in place at the arch height.

Typically, you would be best advised to remove all up to the arch. You could then build up, or whatever, to suit your requirements.

One thing, is that area above the metal lintels a panel of brick or is it a concrete lintel?

 

[ben360]

Hi Ree, thanks for the reply. Ideally I would like to extend the width by removing the last course of rough bricks, but in doing so it would appear I will have to remove everything up to the arch aswell as they seem to be supporting everything above up as high as the brick arch.

This may make the opening taller than I would have liked, not sure really. Need to think about where I go from here.

There is a slab of concrete that sits above the row of bricks that sits on the metal mini-lintel. It is a huge slab and sits directly underneath the brick arch.

The brick arch doesn't seem to be in very good condition, the plaster has eaten into it quite badly. So having it as a feature isn't going to be an option and it will need to be plastered over again.

 

[ree]

Knock off some more plaster at the bearing ends of the concrete lintel and post close up pics on here. Its difficult to tell what the concrete lintel is bearing on at the moment.
Why such a monster lintel was installed is a mystery unless it just happened to be handy?

The brick arch is fine and in great condition - there's no sign of slippage and the centre key brick is firmly in place.

Removing all up to the arch, and maybe then adjusting the brickwork (& metal lintels) is no big deal.

Go visit any neighbour's etc who have installed either stoves or open fires, and see what you like.

 

[stuart45]

Are you going through Building Control, HETAS or just DIY and not telling anyone apart from us?

 

[ben360]

Hi Stuart, if I install a stove it will be done by a HETAS engineer, if I install a lintel it will conform with building regs, anything else is just reinstatement of an existing fireplace so as far as I know I'm OK to crack on with it?

Ree, I will chip away from the edge of the lintel and see what's there, won't be for a few days now, like you say it is bloody huge which is what made me think the arch must be knackered otherwise why put it in there in the first place?

 

[ree]

There's no requirement to involve BCO with the lintel business.

 

[ben360]

OK, I've chipped away a bit more, not too much as have the neighbours to consider, but, I can see that the lintel is not resting on anything. I can get my trowel behind it and down the sides, it's just under 1.5" thick, will make a hell of a noise when it comes out!!! There's more bricks behind it.

 

[ben360]

it's all starting to make sense now, I can see the original throat behind the arch, all looks good. If I remove everything below the original throat and arch until I have got the original builders opening, I will be left with a space 18" deep, 37" wide and 50" tall in the middle.

It's a big fireplace for what is admittedly not a very large room, but if that's how it was when the house was built I guess it will look OK, probably better off with a woodburner to fill up the hole a bit better than a fire.

 

[maltaron]

I would recommend a multifuel burner in lieu of an open fire. They are far more efficient and much less messy. Multifuel over woodburner as you can allways get smokeless (or smokey, depends where you live) fuel but dry wood is expensive if you have to buy it. You hetas installer will recommend and probably deal with any modifications to the chimney arrangement (You may need a liner)

 

[ben360]

Thanks Malatron, I more than likely will go the multi fuel stove route.

Looking at the concrete lintel under the arch, I am wondering if it is actually a template they used to build the arch, because it fits perfectly underneath each brick of the arch. Also, as it isn't bearing any real load then it's not really acting as a lintel so must have had some other purpose?

 

[SFK]

Ben,
I have done the same as you and found very similar "three lintels".

In order of me exposing the lintels I had:
1) the newest as a line of bricks on a steel plate and a concrete liner to completely fill the space behind a gas fire insert.
2) Then an older line of bricks on a steel plate and a smaller brick lining in the fireplace suggesting a coal fire.
3) Then the original (which looks a lot like I can see yours being) with a curved section of bricks on a iron plate. Scratches on bricks suggest there was originally a cast iron cooking stove.

So to answer your question "lintels must have had some other purpose?", I felt that the extra lintels are only to take weight of new bricks which were added to make the fireplace smaller to fit different and new fires over time. I would guess that your concrete lintel is curved simply to 'fill the curved space and save that builder a bit of time and less mortar'. I had half bricks and rubble in the curved bit.

Your work looks great. Keep pulling out those bricks and lintels until you get back to the original.

SFK