Huge hole in brickwork - how to fill?

[BRgirl87]

Hi,

We recently removed a broken power shower, and discovered behind it a massive hole in the brickwork.

It's around 2ft x 1ft and about 20cm deep, I'm hoping for advice on how to fill it in / cover it up to fit a new shower.

We've thought about putting wooden boards up and tiling over them to match the rest of the bathroom, but that seems like a bit of a shoddy way to do it.

We also thought about using expanding foam and then boarding it up, but my partner is worried about the foam being flammable.

Is there any way to fill a hole of this size simply/effectively for someone with little DIY experience or is it a job for a professional?

Thanks for reading.

 

[Burnerman]

One way is to get hold of a thermalite building block (light weight, soft and made from compressed ash) and roughly cut it to size with a hacksaw or similar, then fix it into the hole with some sand and cement mix (available from diy sheds as a ready mixed powder).
It's best to keep the block nicely wet as it will absorb lots of moisture.
Once set, some plaster in a tub can be used to coat over the top.
John

 

[foxhole]

Agree with John , though use a jack saw for cutting thermalite blocks.

 

[BRgirl87]

Thank you so much for the replies, I didn't even know Thermalite blocks existed.

Really appreciate the advice - thanks!