chimney

Hi, We've had our chimney breast opening widened (probably a brick wider than the builders opening) and the lintel replaced with a stronger one and moved higher up at the front. Some of the brickwork needed to be cut out. Is our chimney flue and the second/third row of bricks supported by the...

I have a cast iron fireplace installed and wanted to put a gas fire insert (one of the coal ones) into the bottom where the real coal would have sat and had a couple of questions. An old 1950's fire was taken out, and I have cut away some of the brick and filler to allow this cast iron (coa...

Hi My neighbour's roof tiles got damaged due to the bricks came off from shared chimney. The bricks came off from the neighbour's side of the chimney. As a precaution, the builder repointed the chimney and removed other bricks with a chance of future damage. Who is responsible to pay for the...

Hi, can anyone confirm whether the black stuff in the photos is mould? I think it may be mould but perhaps covered in dust, so I’m not sure. The photos are from an old disused fireplace that is now simply a hole in my bedroom wall with a breeze coming through it. I’m on the top floor with two...

Hey, Took the fireplace out and got left with what looks like a neat builders opening. Can this opening be extended if I add a new wider lintel? Extending only by 10cm each side. Can the gather/bricks inside be removed? What if sides of chimney breast are hollow? Seems like they might...

Hello community, wondering if someone could help. I have two chimney breasts in my flat. There are no fireplaces underneath but 4 chimneys point to them on the roof. When it rains, they were leaking and the walls were getting wet. So we had the entire roof redone, which was rather battered, the...

Hi, every time it rains we get water dripping into our fire place, no damp in the bedroom by the chimney just seems to be dripping down the flue into the fireplace. When its heavy rain its larger and more consistent drips than when its light rain. We got hold a roofer that was recommend by a...

Hello everyone, I have spent the last few days reading lots of posts on constructional hearths for solid fuel stoves but very little reference to gas fires. The background: I have bought an 1890's victorian semi which was unoccupied for 16 months and previously rented out. The property...

I recently noticed a crack in a wall which is under our chimney stack. I can't tell if this wall is supposed to be supporting the stack or not, but right now it isn't. The wall sits on a wooden lintel which half rests on the brick for the stack and the other half across ceiling joists (I think...

Hello, I've noted a number of hairline cracks appearing on plaster on a wall that shares a chimney with our neighbour. Most of these appeared after we had the walls replastered: but recently there are some more cracks that have appeared on the first floor. These are relatively long (1/2 the...

Hi , Can any one throw any insight/help into this please.See attached pics for more. House is approx 150yr old. Working ‘open’ coal fire in living room. Bedroom directly above that. Then the attic directly above that (which also goes part way over 2 nd bedroom) & has original stairs to access...

Hello, I think I've read most of the chimney related threads on here but want to make sure the assumptions I've made on my own chimney are sound. Bought a house six months ago and got it all replastered before we moved in. It was a job that needed doing and although it wasn't the number 1...

I'm intending to remove a chimney (installation date unknown). I know that the inner chinmney is asbestos cement tubes and that the outer shell of the chimney is a rusty steel. However,, the insullation between the two walls is not something that I feel able to identify. It looks like fibre...

Hi We have pulled up an old carpet with the plan to restore the old floorboards. However, we discovered a concrete hearth (approx 2 inch thick). It is already cracked and it moves when a crowbar is placed under it. We would like to remove and cover the space with floorboards. However, there is a...

Hi, In the last year we moved into a 1960s semi detached. The house has a chimney stack which is no longer in use but, from what I can see, has no vents. Over winter, we had some issues with condensation, one of which was on the chimney stack itself (see pictures, darker discolouring due to a...

Hi, in my 1930's house both upstairs bedrooms used to have fire places. In both of the rooms there are vents just above the skirting board covering the old fire places. The vents are white plastic and about 30 x 30cm and can be opened. I am refurbishing the rooms and wondering if can block...

Afternoon guys, I am opening up an old chimney breast that was blocked up years ago. The reason is twofold - ventilation (it wasnt vented!) And decoration. The new opening will be 400mm wide x 600mm high which is smaller than the original so I'm only knocking out 'infill bricks' and not any of...

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Hi, I know old fireplace/hearth questions are talked about on here a lot but i don't think this question has been answered, or if it has, not comprehensively. I have taken out the concrete hearth of an old disused fireplace, in preparation to re-lay the original t&g flooring throughout the...

So, we have 3 chimney breasts that are blocked off and are on the party wall - they are all papered over and I presume plasterboard/wood or similar has been used to block the gap. These are not vented at the bottom, which I thought had to happen. (Please note that I'd prefer not to have a vent...