Opening up a fireplace - A nasty surprise.

[dominoman]

I want to open up the fireplace in our lounge and install an lovely old Victorian open-fire.

Yesterday I opened it up, expecting to find the builder's opening, but instead I found a much more recent hole in the wall type opening. Now I don't know what to do next?

This is it before:

And this is it after opening. It was bricked up with breeze blocks.

I was half-hoping to find a nice hidden hearth in there, but it looks like the renovation gang have gone overboard in the past. There is even a gas pipe coming in from the side.

What should I do now? The base appears to be solid so I don't know if I should keep going?

 

[maltaron]

I would suggest that you remove the plaster from the wall above the opening. You should then find either a concrete lintel or a brick arch at the top of the builders opening. Of course I am assuming that the house is old enough to have an original fireplace, not a modern property with just a gas fire.

 

[ree]

Exactly as maltaron says.

You could also: Remove the front skirting and set the surround against the c/breast.

Centre and mark the dimensions of the fire opening on the face of the c/breast

Carefully open up to the dimension marks - go down to FFL. You might find only in-fill inside an original opening, and as maltaron says, an arch.

This all depends as mentioned above on the age of the property?

The gas pipe looks to be redundant but it needs testing, removing and disconnecting as near to the meter as possible.

There's a bunch more variables eg ref hearth and flue and HETAS. But why not see how you go on with the above?

Or you could call in a HETAS for an informed opinion.

 

[dominoman]

Thanks.

There is a brick arch lintel all the way across just above where the current opening is. I can see it from inside.

If i keep removing plaster and skirting and hacking away (below the current opening I will hopefully find something that looks like the old constructional hearth? The house is 1912, so it would have been used as an open fire originally.

 

[dominoman]

Sorry - two more questions?

- What's FFL (ree)?
- Do I need to remove the plaster above the fire (to see the lintel bricks)?

I basically want to get as much as possible done before I call around the HETAS guy, so then he knows what he is quoting for.

 

[ree]

You should find the old hearth(s). There's a back and a front hearth. But they could have been removed.

First, open up to the required dimensions, and then see what you've got?

The front hearth would project approx 300mm out from the c/breast - below your laminate.

Yes chip the plaster off and the arch will soon be revealed - dont go walloping the plaster or bricks.

FFL finished floor level

 

[maltaron]

FFL=Finished floor kevel
Ree typed faster

 

[dominoman]

Thanks. Still going down. It's solid bricks put together with a concrete mix harder than diamond! This will take a while. I've gone back to the brick and still can't find where the gas comes from.

 

[ree]

Then leave the gas pipe for now.

At some later time look under the floor, if thats possible, & search for the gas pipe there.

If you have an SDS chuck up a chisel and it will nibble away the hard material.

The right hand return wall is showing what look like damp stains? The lower right of the c/breast also.
What about the left hand return wall and the c/breast cheeks - any staining?

 

[dominoman]

Thanks! Good spot re the damp. The left hand side has had damp in the past, but then the chimney had no air vents of any kind so it may have just been condensation.

I've carried on chipping away and can now see the arch properly. It seems to be in fairly good condition. What do you think?

There is a brick above the arch that is loose and fell out. Should I just cement this back in and carry on?

Going downwards is hard work. It's all solid bricks and cement. Slowly getting there though.

 

[dominoman]

To get through the hard cement and bricks in the base I'm thinking to use an angle grinder. Is that a bad idea?

 

[maltaron]

Just a thought about the pipe, it looks as if there is a patch vertically above it. It could be the return pipe with the flow above long gone from an old back boiler.

 

[dominoman]

More progress. Still need to go another twelve inches down yet.

Its slow work, but getting it done two hours every evening after work.

 

[dominoman]

Help! Two days later and after spending my whole evenings hacking away with a cold chisel, lump hammer and occasionally a angle grinder I am hardly getting anywhere.

The cement and bricks Base of the old gas fire is so solid.

Are there any tips?

Are there any tools I could hire tomorrow that would help? Or do I just keep going by hand?

 

[Dopeydaz]

You can hire a kango. Will have that out in no time!