Amateur structural alterations

This worked is already done, I just need to check if we have done the right thing. (Nothing has fallen down yet) it’s been a year or so as well.

so, we have an old Victorian build, 1920s, and we have renovated from top to bottom. I have just a couple of questions as we’ve done some ‘major’ work and I need peace of mind.

Firstly, we knocked down a wall separating our kitchen and dining room, the house joists ran parallel with the wall we knocked down, this wall sat in the middle of two joists, but it never reached the ceiling. Our bathroom upstairs is was 4 inches longer than the original wall we knocked through downstairs.

secondly, there was an odd floating old chimney stack in the kitchen when we brought it, it went all the way up the the loft, but without holding any timbers up on the roof. We removed a part of it in the kitchen (on good advice it was safe to do so) but we filled up the ‘void’ with lightweight breeze blocks. So, we then decided we wanted to take it out in the bathroom and asking chatting to my friends who in the building trade he said it would need to be removed in the loft as well, which is what we have done.

we left the bricks that were tied in to the exterior wall, in pretty much as good as condition as we found them. There is a void now running up through the bathroom into the loft.

So my question is, we decided to leave the void and have the bathroom plastered with boards, was I correct in doing so? And to both questions, is my house safe?

thanks for taking the time to read if you have.

If you've removed the chimney flue in the loft, what supports the chimney stack where it goes through the roof?

Strictly, you should have applied for Building Regulations approval as this is structural work; an inspector would have wanted to know how you proposed to support what's left of the chimney.

So you removed the chimney breast on the ground floor then you removed the c/breast in the bathroom & finally removed the c/breast in the loft - as above, if you still have a stack has any support been provided?
Did you take correct precautions to clean and blind the old flue line? (search on here for more info)

The "void" you mention - is the c/breast an external c/breast or are you referring to the back of the flue niche left in the wall after removing the surrounding c/breast brickwork?
Or you've only removed the face of the c/breast and left in place the sidewall cheeks?
Pics might help here?

Ref. the removal of a dividing wall that didn't support anything and finished below the ceiling level - what was supporting any opening behind this partition - the opening below the presumably rear elevation?

tony1851 said:

If you've removed the chimney flue in the loft, what supports the chimney stack where it goes through the roof?

Strictly, you should have applied for Building Regulations approval as this is structural work; an inspector would have wanted to know how you proposed to support what's left of the chimney.

Click to expand...

There is no chimney on the roof anymore.

we have a chimney in the middle of the house, ie, joining up with next doors chimney but the one we have taken away was apparently an old copper chimney?! Not sure if you’ve heard of that?

sorry, I’m a novice and have just listened to my father in law on this removal. I’ll post some pics now.
Thank you

tel765 said:

So you removed the chimney breast on the ground floor then you removed the c/breast in the bathroom & finally removed the c/breast in the loft - as above, if you still have a stack has any support been provided?
Did you take correct precautions to clean and blind the old flue line? (search on here for more info)

The "void" you mention - is the c/breast an external c/breast or are you referring to the back of the flue niche left in the wall after removing the surrounding c/breast brickwork?
Or you've only removed the face of the c/breast and left in place the sidewall cheeks?
Pics might help here?

Ref. the removal of a dividing wall that didn't support anything and finished below the ceiling level - what was supporting any opening behind this partition - the opening below the presumably rear elevation?

Click to expand...

Ref.

My father has done a lot of work on houses (his own house) and said it wasn’t load baring, so down it came.

Apologies for my novice chat, I’m just not very good at DIY so not sure what you mean with a few of your statements.

I’ll try and find some pictures of what we did.

If the chimney above the roof has already been removed, then no problem.

Mattsp1 said:

Ref.



Apologies for my novice chat, I’m just not very good at DIY so not sure what you mean with a few of your statements.

Click to expand...

No need to apologise to tel. he's the forum know it all and asks 20 questions all the time.- you have accurate advice from a senior poster - just compare how long he has been a member to when tel joined

tony1851 said:

If the chimney above the roof has already been removed, then no problem.

Click to expand...

Thank you,

What about the wall downstairs? Kitchen through to dining room? With it sitting in between but never go up to the joists?