Do i have to have a raised hearth & best way to make opening smaller

[wilco88]

Hi all. Two question. Many thanks for your help in advance. See attached photos.

1.

I have scoured the building regulations (scotland) and cannot find anything saying that a hearth must be raised (in relation to surrounding floor). Yes it must be distinct etc but does it have to be raised?? I have been told by various people that it does. You can see that it is currently flush.

2. See attached photos.

What is the best/easiest/quickest way to make the builders opening here smaller. I want to make it the same size as the inside edge of the cardboard you see in the photo.
I was planning on building up the sides with brick and mortar and then adding a concrete lintel above. Or steel?
There is already a proper load bearing lintel above the top cardboard section so the lintel i install is basically a false lintel.

Is there an easier way than i propose?

Also what is the best way to render the resulting brick faces (left and right)? Thistle bonding coat followed by a skim?

Or hardi board directly on to brick and painted?

Many thanks for your help.

 

[lostinthelight]

Hi all. Two question. Many thanks for your help in advance. See attached photos.

1.

I have scoured the building regulations (scotland) and cannot find anything saying that a hearth must be raised (in relation to surrounding floor). Yes it must be distinct etc but does it have to be raised?? I have been told by various people that it does. You can see that it is currently flush.

2. See attached photos.

What is the best/easiest/quickest way to make the builders opening here smaller. I want to make it the same size as the inside edge of the cardboard you see in the photo.
I was planning on building up the sides with brick and mortar and then adding a concrete lintel above. Or steel?
There is already a proper load bearing lintel above the top cardboard section so the lintel i install is basically a false lintel.

Is there an easier way than i propose?

Also what is the best way to render the resulting brick faces (left and right)? Thistle bonding coat followed by a skim?

Or hardi board directly on to brick and painted?

Many thanks for your help.

There needs to be a barrier to rolling a carpet or rug over it

 

[wilco88]

There needs to be a barrier to rolling a carpet or rug over it

Is it a building regs requirement?

 

[clifford1]

If you simply have a raised hearth then it will make the carpet more vulnerable to stuff falling out of the fire. It would be more logical to have a slightly sunken hearth.
Or the traditional fender to catch rolling coals, logs or embers.

 

[bsr]

English building regs J3.41 say:
The edges of hearths should be marked to provide a warning to the building occupants and to discourage
combustible floor finishes such as carpet from being laid too close to the appliance. A way of achieving this would be to provide a change in level.

So it's not mandatory but if you don't do it, it's up to you to say how you're preventing someone from laying a rug on it.

One of these would do the trick:
https://www.gratefireplaceaccessori...-fireplace-fender-48-to-60-three-pieces-black

The Scottish Regs don't even say that so it looks like you're ok:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/b...ppliances-relationship-combustible-materials/

 

[Tigercubrider]

Plenty of older houses had a tiled area at the same finished height as the floorboards.
They then used fenders to surround the area.
It depends if you’re having a real fire.
A smaller safe area could be used by using a fender surround. I don’t know the rules but I remember a friend’s house had a sort of chain curtain that hung from the lintel.

you could just have a slab of stone an inch or two thick laid over the area.
Or create a period/ modern tiled area.