Knocking out a bricked up fireplace

[Gerrydelasel]

There's bound to be an RSJ hidden in there, as the floor joists must be being supported by something, since they obviously run perpendicular to the fireplace.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Looking at the kitchen picture, the setback of the cooker etc, looks to be about 600mm, i.e. a lot deeper then a chimney breast would stick out. The upstairs room picture seems to show the opposite, the chimney breast only sticking out 160mm.
So if the wall is flat on the other side, then one would expect the chimney breast would be the same depth top and bottom. Also in the kitchen picture, the far corner of the recess seems to terminate going the wrong way, if it was the side wall of the original breast then it would run backwards to the original party wall, but it runs side ways. Is the kitchen window sitting in a bay?
Frank

 

[LyndseyP]

Hi, we've now knocked one out, but the doesn't seem to a bottom to it!

We've cleaned it out to probably 10inches below floor level and stil haven't found a bottom/back hearth to it :S

Any ideas? Should we worry?

 

[JohnD]

Is it on the ground floor?

What do you intend to do with the fireplace?

Is it builders rubble that you are digging out?

 

[LyndseyP]

Hiya,

No it's on the first floor. It was full of dust and rubble, old smashed tiles/bricks etc.

We aren't intending to use it as a fire, but will be putting a cast iron fire surround in.

 

[JohnD]

there would have been a fireback and hearth put in, I would have expected some iron or concrete for it to stand on, it must all have been removed. The concrete slab would probably have reached into the room about 18" and been tiled so there was no wooden floor for hot coals to fall onto and burn the house down.

If you dig more, you will reach the flue from the downstairs fireplace, which probably curves sideways and runs to one side of the first floor opening. You don't need to take the rubble out. You can put a safe in there if you want.

 

[LyndseyP]

There's a concrete hearth in the room that I was just expecting to go backward into the fireplace.

So would you suggest just putting some rubble back in and creating a bit of a false bottom with some wood or something given that we don't plan to set any fires in it?

 

[JohnD]

I've never had to do what you describe. If you are going to put a fireplace in, you can't be sure that nobody will ever light a fire in it, so I would go for non-combustible infill and a concrete slab. A paving stone might do.

 

[LyndseyP]

We aren't ever planning to sell, but you never know so good point! Might just use the bricks that we've taken out to fill back in then.