Chimney Breast Removal

[markmdt]

Hi everyone.

I am planning to undertake my most ambitious project to date - the removal of a chimney breast from roof to ground floor. I am pretty well prepared for a hard messy job, and think I have a good understanding of everything concerned - except one thing.

At the moment the floor / ceiling joists are connected to the chimney breast. Do I have to replace the whole joists with longer versions, or is there another way of adding to or extending them and providing the required support?

The chimney is on an outside wall, with no complications of neighbours etc, so this is the only complication (I think!)

Many thanks in advance

 

[noseall]

are the actually connected into the breast or simply trimmed around it?

 

[markmdt]

Thanks for your quick reply

The joists actually rest on the bricks of the chimney structure. The outer wall of the chimney is wider on the lower floor, and it is this outer wall that the joists rest.

 

[noseall]

is leaving the ground floor section of the chimney breast not an option?

 

[markmdt]

No, it all has to come down. If anything, the ground floor is the bit most important to remove.

 

[APE]

At the moment the floor / ceiling joists are connected to the chimney breast. Do I have to replace the whole joists with longer versions, or is there another way of adding to or extending them and providing the required support?

I will be undertaking the exact same job next year and have asked a few builders on various building sites i have visited with my job. ~The general response seems to be that if you seat new joists into the outside wall and overlap them far enough with the old joists and tie the together with plenty of coach bolts then that should be adequate.

Although please don't take my word as gospel as I don't confess to be an expert

 

[oilman]

I look after oil heating which has a great future according to oftec. Well oil and gas has NO long term future, and you will be glad of a chimney when the cost of oil rockets. The time is not that far off, and there is little alternative in the way of fuel. Leave your chimney standing and have an option.

 

[markmdt]

I will be undertaking the exact same job next year and have asked a few builders on various building sites i have visited with my job. ~The general response seems to be that if you seat new joists into the outside wall and overlap them far enough with the old joists and tie the together with plenty of coach bolts then that should be adequate.

Although please don't take my word as gospel as I don't confess to be an expert [/quote]

Never heard that one, but suppose it could work.

Did they say overlap by how much etc?

 

[APE]

Did they say overlap by how much etc?

Sorry no. I haven't got into the finer details yet, but i will be visiting one of the aforementioned sites this week so I will ask the question.

 

[Bylough]

I removed mine long ago- and had to replace it sometime later- I couldn't stand the unfeatured look of the room downstairs. Also I considered this thing about future costs and convenience of a 'burn anything' setup.
I have done other things also which would not pass regs today- even if the alteration was fine or even superstrong in my view. Use an rsj or such if you must.
That's what I'm thinking.
Hope this helps

 

[Sherwood]

When I took my chimney breasts out the floor joists were fitted to a frame around the chimney breast. This wasn't even fastened to the chimney breast.
I suggest that you could run a short joist (the width of the chimney breast) across the end of the now too short joists and then fill the gap to the wall from this with shorter joists (the depth of the chimney breast)

Whilst on the subject I have just had to add an extra joist across the room as I noticed that the previous owner had built an interior breeze block wall across the bedroom floor with no extra support!