Fireplace Project

We are converting out fireplace and could do with a bit of advice from someone who has experience in working with these things.

Ok here is how the fireplace was when we purchased the house.


We took the front sandstone face off and added some tiles and a surround.


We then purchased a log burner which was large in size compared to our previous stove (we have a bigger room now with an open staircase)
The stove does not have the required clearance to be inset so we went for the T-Piece from the back.

The issue is this - we feel on its legs the stove is too high and our opinion is that the hearth is higher then what we want, after looking around we managed to find some pictures of what we are hoping we can achieve.

Something Like This


Or This


Anyhow I decided to take up the hearth first.




Then I decided to take the left hand stack of bricks out.


This is where we are currently stumped a little - or maybe worried is the word I need to use.


I want to take the right hand stack of bricks down but am a little concerned about the upper chimney/flue - I have a pic below and just wanted some advice if anyone would be kind enough to pass over any info.

My thoughts are that the left hand side will come down the same and that the flue/chimney will remain in place - how often do these things collapse?



If anyone is interested I can update our progress on this.

Another question I have is this.
We are wanting to plaster around the bricks and sandstone to get a nice flat finish which we can paint (like in the 2 pics of what we are aiming to achieve)

I understand that normal plaster will not be able to handle the heat from the stove.

Do I need to look into this stuff they use in Italy on outside stoves that cook pizza?

It is about £30 a tub - or are there other things I can use?

Always Learning, I would forget about the Victas for now. If I'm reading this right on the left hand side you've taken away part of the chimney breast and it's now just ½ brick thick, supporting the whole stack above, and you want to do this on the right hand side too?

In the first picture you have posted there is a timber beam at the top of the photo projecting about a foot in front of the chimney breast, is this supporting anything above it? You need to clarify the structural arrangement but regardless I wouldn't want to be taking that right hand side down to ½ brick thick unless it is non-supporting. IIRC you are meant to have 2**mm + *mm clearance thick masonry for stoves it's somewhere in Approved Doc J - I'm sure, unless I'm imagining it.

Check it out yourself:-

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADJ_2010.pdf

hotrod thanks for the reply.

Hopefully these pics below will help more.




The left/right side are sandstone blocks with a sandstone lintel on top of them, the front of the blocks are 16cm wide - and go back 42cm - each side is one large piece of sandstone block approx 4ft 2 inch high.

I would guess that the huge beam above the fireplace is supporting some of the upstairs.

Here is another pic.


The sandstone blocks holding up the large beam on the right hand side are approx 23cm thick, the left side of the beam goes into the wall.

Does it still seem dodgy removing the right hand stack of bricks in the chimney?

Thanks again for any help.

I took out the right hand stack of bricks and here is what I currently have.


The top underneath area looks like this.
(This is the Right Hand Underside)

I am unsure of how to finish off this underside - I know we will need a register plate at some point - any ideas of what is usually done with these things when they are opened up like this?


The next thing for me is to finish the base from where I ripped the hearth out.

I am hoping I can add in cement and float it off to the same level as the floor, also adding in a brick and some cement at the bottom of the wall and adding / building up some bricks to the right hand side to tie it in.

Here is a closer look of how it is.


If I do the above and then get some slabs (say oakdale or something like that as an example) would these be fine to lay down as a new hearth inside and in front of the chimney?

(This is the Left Hand Underside)


I think I might have to call out a builder for some advice - Just reading up on some regulations from another post I am concerned that I might not be able to sort out the underneath part of this fireplace/chimney.

I can get brackets made up at work if needed and I have some basic building experience from a year long placement on a YTS Scheme many years ago.

I was hoping to use angle beading & plaster the left/right inside and outside of the fireplace legs (with the right heat proof material) and get a shelf type mantel at the front.

Now I am sure at all with the front and under area - if anyone has any advice I could sure use it, I think I maybe started something which I can't finish.

The weather caused me a load of grief, and I could not get supplies for several weeks due to snow and been on the wrong shift patterns.

Anyhow I was all set to do a screed of sand/cement/lime and a finish of lime putty & silver sand until the builders yard talked me into using fermacell board which was approx £55 plus vat for two 8 by 4 sheets.

I also purchased a tub of heat resistant plaster for around £22 plus vat.

Here are some pics so far.


The board was a bit of a nightmare to cut using the blunt saw I had, I decided to fix the boards with screws and rawl plugs and the underside I added a frame in to screw the boards to.



The heat resistant plaster IMO was dreadful stuff, it says that it could be polished up after an hour - the back part is still a bit tacky 4 hours later.

The main issue I had was the mix kept turning sloppy on the hawk every time I attempted to get it on the trowel, I have plastered quite a bit and have used sloppy mixes before but this stuff turned runny after appearing to be firm on the spot board - Its awful.



That's where I am at right now, I have to plaster the under side and around the hole leading to the flue.

Oddly the flue is to the right hand side so I have to purchase 2 bends to get to the top outlet on the fire, I also need to add in a hearth (I think we will just purchase some slabs and lay them)

If I were to do this again I would have gone with the sand/lime cement option instead of the boards.

I will post a pic when the project is finished (looking forward to been warm again)

We managed to get the fire working and are now warm at last.



We just need to paint the front now.
As you can see there is a crack where the two boards meet - I wish I had got them delivered but due to the bad weather I had to use my own vehicle and have them cut down to fit in the back.

We are happy with the way it turned out although it is nothing like the 2 pics we posted for how we wanted it to be.

One other thing is the Heat Resistant Plaster, when I did the underside of the fireplace I mixed it by hand and had it really firm, it went on a lot easier and I had virtually no mess - I would definetly recommend it been a stiffer mix then what you are used to using.