So the only p/b is dot & dabbed in the fire opening?
Was any plaster hacked back to brickwork or skirting boards removed?
Has the stove and/or vent been fitted yet?
Did you have this particular flue swept?
What about the other flues including the one in the room above?
Has the chimney stack been checked for water tightness, and the correct terminals?
The lack of a membrane below the new hearth isn't good - but, for the moment, concentrate on the other issues.
Hi Ree,
That is correct, because the brickwork didn't look amazing we opted for them to use plasterboard on the 3 sides which they dot and dabbed on.
The inside of the fireplace was bare brick, when the previous occupants had it sealed up, whoever did it didn't put a vent in and there was a lot of dirt and soot and brick behind it which obviously retained moisture.
We removed a bit of skirting from the front but have since disposed of it.
The stove hasn't been fitted yet as this is holding us up from painting it.
Flue was swept twice before they installed the liner. I'm not sure if they could or would have swept the flue above, the opening that would have been in the above room has been sealed up so don't know if it could have been accessed from below.
Chimney stack should be fine as we had the flashing sorted when we moved in, which was 5 years ago.
The dark patches are all at the bottom of the plaster and the plasterboard rests on the concrete base I poured in. When I was opening up the fireplace the bottom of it had tiles in the bottom which was uneven and a lot were broken. Underneath them was a lot of dirt, when I dug down for the base there was what appeared to be some kind of old cement base as there were clumps of crumbly yellow stuff so I'm guessing it perished due to water/moisture which is why I'm thinking the base as opposed to the walls.
The fireplace was open for about 6 weeks or so before they came in to start so it had a good bit of time to dry out, and the front brickwork which was plastered with normal plaster has dried ok with both sides showing no signs of salt deposits or damp.