Cornish Granite Inglenook Fireplace Restoration (with pics)

[BlueBeardUk]

Hi - We have a little cottage in Cornwall and we decided to chip back the horrid 1970s fire to see what was originally behind ... we were hoping to find a large granite inglenook and lintel and hoped a small wall was all that stood between us and a nice wood burner ... how wrong we were ...

Inglenook 1

• BlueBeardUk
• 29 Dec 2010
• 4

... sadly as you will see below, the large granite lintel was broken out when the 1970s fireplace was put in ...

Inglenook 2

• BlueBeardUk
• 29 Dec 2010
• 3

... and unfortunately it was primarily filled with concrete blocks laid side on all the way back (the little lintel in the last pic even had 6 reinforcement bars within it!) ...

Inglenook 3

• BlueBeardUk
• 4 Jan 2011
• 3

... our main concern was the structural integrity of what was above but we thought whoever did this must have built it with the top remaining sound, having not seen this before we were unsure how to proceed ... we carried on chipping it out anyway ...

Inglenook 4

• BlueBeardUk
• 14 Jan 2011
• 2

... thankfully we could then clearly see how the inglenook was constructed and how the inside was filled – all very stable ...

Inglenook 5

• BlueBeardUk
• 16 Jan 2011
• 2

... we finally found the sooty back wall !!! – the pic’s don’t do it justice ... the internal dimensions are roughly 1.1m deep (behind the lintel to the wall) x 1.2 m wide (inside -between the sides) ... just a little bit to go now to get it to floor level, then back off to the local reclamation yard to find a nice bit of slate for the hearth ...

The Lintel

• BlueBeardUk
• 4 Jan 2011
• 3

... We have found a Lintel with the right dimensions and colour granite to replace the original it’s just a little long ... So this is where we are now ...

 

[Terry7556]

that looks awesome, santa will well chuffed slipping in there

 

[BlueBeardUk]

Update...

So we finally cleared all the inside

inglenook 6

• BlueBeardUk
• 13 Feb 2011
• 1

Took out the old lintel ends

inglenook 7

• BlueBeardUk
• 13 Feb 2011
• 1

Constructed a lifting frame

inglenook 8

• BlueBeardUk
• 13 Feb 2011
• 1

Positioned new lintel

inglenook 9

• BlueBeardUk
• 13 Feb 2011
• 1

And this is where we are ...

inglenook 10

• BlueBeardUk
• 13 Feb 2011
• 1

... next up – slate hearth and wood burner

 

[RigidRaider]

Superb! I bet your hearts were in your mouths when you started taking that lot down! Isn't it nice to get everything back to basics though and properly restored.

What arrangements are you making for storing your wood? You need to build a well ventilated shelter in the next month or two and get some wood delivered ready for next winter. If it is not half seasoned already it will be touch and go.

On the stove, always err on the smaller size. You will burn it harder and it will burn cleaner as a result, you don't want to end up with an oversize stove smouldering away all day getting sooted up inside.

 

[BlueBeardUk]

Thank you – The hardest part was not knowing what remained above ... but yes it has been great to get everything back to basics.
Wood has been stored and we have purchased a Morso Squirrel which should be the ideal size and doesn’t require any extra air vents.

So here’s an update:

inglenook 11

• BlueBeardUk
• 28 Mar 2011
• 1

inglenook 12

• BlueBeardUk
• 28 Mar 2011
• 1

inglenook 13

• BlueBeardUk
• 28 Mar 2011
• 1

inglenook 14

• BlueBeardUk
• 28 Mar 2011
• 2

Last picture looked ok on the camera but looks like I will have to take another ...

Next up will be the stove

 

[Richard C]

Ahh yes I remember that one; what you’ve done is not for the feint hearted but it looks good & has turned out very well for you. Lets see the fire when it's installed

 

[Ibanez29]

wow well done very scary working with old builds. I had to find solid ground once for the harth; i'm not a tall man but I ended up shoulder hight with the floor before I found it.

 

[MarkWG]

That's a thing of beauty.

Takes balls of steel to play granite jenga with a house hovering over you.

 

[misterhill]

That looks fantastic, excellent work. We have a very similar fireplace in need of a bit of tlc - I wondered if you could spare a bit of time to advise? i have recently taken out a raised concrete construction that was about two feet off the ground and looked really ugly.... I'm at ground level now and have hit soil, I was wondering how you built up the hearth. Also i noticed you had painted the inside, the back of ours is very sooty, what kind of sealant did you use? Really grateful for any advice, cheers, Stuart - St Just, Cornwall

 

[Richard C]

As this comes up so often, I’ve put together this generic post.

You can DIY an open fire or stove install but you need to understand the Building Regs (which changed in October 2010), submit a Building Notice & pay a fee. Your LABC will inspect &, assuming everything is OK, issue a compliance certificate; the BI may want to witness smoke & spillage tests. No compliance certificate may lead to difficulties when you come to sell your property; if you cannot produce a compliance certificate in the event of a problem, your insurance company may invalidate your policy & reject any claim.

Lots of archive threads on this & some things you need to watch out for, read the links but not all may be relevant or apply to you;

http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/stove_building_regulations.html
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/opening_up_your_fireplace.pdf
http://www.woodburnerwarehouse.co.uk/building_regualtions_for_stoves.phtml
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010.pdf
http://www.hetas.co.uk/public/certificates.html
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/pdfs/buidling_regs_consumer leaflet.pdf
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=183614
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=211524
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=242738
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=224751
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1855590#1855590

& some more sobering reading just in case you think it’s all a load of old tosh:
http://www.solidfuel.co.uk/main_pages/news.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...wood-burning-stove-leaks-carbon-monoxide.html
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/warning_over_heaters_after_norfolk_couple_s_death_1_811099
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ouple-dead-arms-sofa-overcome-coal-fumes.html

Also get at least 3 quotes from local independent HETAS installers:
http://www.hetas.co.uk/nearest_member

You might be pleasantly surprised & you should ask yourself if you really want all the hassle & risk getting it wrong; climbing onto the roof with an 8M stainless steel snake on your back is not for the feint hearted!

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Read more: //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=267604&highlight=#ixzz1I6jlicut

 

[BlueBeardUk]

Thank you and sorry it has been a while … where to start? …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

Well since the last pic we’ve done quite a lot … having realised what was under the hearth and how thin the floor slab had been we have completely renewed and insulated the slab and in doing so made another little discovery …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

This little beauty was hidden behind layers of artex and plaster in the kitchen … So we couldn’t resist exposing it further …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

I assume the apparent wooden plugged drill holes may have held the front of a small Cornish range? … not worth keeping the plaster around it so decided to start fresh …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

… and due to its depth and position in the now dining area, were now planning to convert it to hold a decent wine rack! … job done! Now back to the inglenook

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

Richard you will be happy to know that we have our metal plaque and certificate for our little stove … and it kept us very warm throughout winter …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

Due to the inglenooks depth we have taken to storing wood behind the stove … we have been assured there is more than enough room not to have to worry about combustion and it helps to keep the wood nicely seasoned …

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 11 Mar 2012
• 1

The last pic (sorry again a little blurry) shows the little fire in relation to the inglenook … were now putting down the oak floor …

Thank you for your comments misterhill – I’d be happy to pass on the little I know … as for the soot – we used a couple of coats of ‘Polycell One Coat Stain Stop’ http://www.polycell.co.uk/products/polycell_one_coat_stain_stop.jsp ... But saying that it could probably do with another … good luck !

 

[Richard C]

Nice job wel done

 

[BlueBeardUk]

Untitled

• BlueBeardUk
• 19 Feb 2013
• 1

 

[SittingBull]

That looks great! Well done! How far back from the rear of the stove are the logs?

 

[BlueBeardUk]

Hi - They are roughly 300mm back from the stove but the stove also has a heat deflector (came with the stove) to its rear ... the logs have been there for a year and haven't shown any sign of combusting