Making fireplace hole bigger

[jack8]

Hello,

New old house I just bought. In the dining room the fireplace has obviously been taken out and just a hole is there. I plan to put a victorian cast iron all in one combination fireplace in there. For decorative purposes more than anything, so will be used occasionally maybe. I bought a fireplace and the hole is just too low for the bit at the back to fit into.

I did an investigation. At the upper height of the current opening there is a metal bar horizontally across the top of the hole. This is about 60cm high. Then there are bricks going upwards and I THINK I can feel by putting my hand up inside that there is some kind of lintel or arch further up the chimney maybe about 1.5 feet higher up but I cant confirm this without taking the plaster off the chimney upwards.

Am I right in thinking that the bar has been put in there simply to support the few rows on bricks that have more recently been put in to make the fireplace opening lower? And I can safely take the bar out and knock a row (think that will be enough) of bricks out without any probnlem? Should I try to refit the bar after taking the row or two of bricks out?

Sorry for long explanation any help appreicated.

The house is built around 1900.

Thanks

 

[big-all]

may be safer to put a new lintel in above the old propping up as required

have you had the chimnie checked to see if its up to the job may cost not a lot or thousands to get back in use

have you done basic checks like look for the breast in the room above and see if the stack and pots are there above on the roof!!

 

[jack8]

I haven;t done a lot of checks as I;m pretty much a novice so don't really know what to look for. There has been a fire there in the past as there is one of them open grates there already with ash build up.

What do you mean by putting a new lintel above the old? Do you mean putting the metal bar higher when I remove it? Is that best?

The chimney and pots look ok from the ground. There was a recent survey which didnt identify a problem. In the first floor room above there is an open fireplace - separate flue.