Chimney breast - cost to reinstate?

monkey_writer

We're buying a house. In one downstairs room the chimney breast has been taken out from halfway down to the floor. It has been propped up on pieces of wood.

We need to put it back to support the chimney.

We'd like to get a builder to take out the rest of the middle section of the chimney breast up to near the ceiling (to the same level as the top of the door) and rebuild the sides of the chimney breast back down to the floor - so that we have two columns supporting the ceiling.

We'd then like it plastered.

Could anyone take a rough guess as to how much this is likely to cost?

Cheers!

monkey_writer

hello, have I posted this in the wrong section?

nelly_2

1000?........

cattie

monkey_writer wrote:

hello, have I posted this in the wrong section?

Perhaps nobody knows the answer. This is one of those 'how long is a piece of string questions'.

It's best to get a couple of builders in to give you quotes.

monkey_writer

looks like you might be right! We'll have to get builders in for a quote - just trying to budget in the meantime...

Bossyboots

You don't need to reinstate the chimney breast to support the chimney. A builder can fit a special bracket which will do the job and this will cost you less than a rebuild.

Removing a chimney breast requires building regulations so if it was me, I would offer a reduced amount for the property to pay for getting the work up to standard and approved by the council.

monkey_writer

how much do you think a bracket would cost? What is this special bracket called?

monkey_writer

Ah ha! They are GALLOWS BRACKETS.

Would you all agree with this info below? any thoughts? :

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Use of gallows brackets

Where the chimney breast does not protrude from the wall by more than about a third of the thickness of the wall, the brickwork may in some circumstances be corbelled out or have gallows brackets installed. Where lime mortar has been used or the neighbour’s flues are in line with yours the use of gallows brackets would not be acceptable.

If advantage is to be taken of a neighbours chimney to allow use of gallows brackets, you are advised to have a written agreement with your neighbour to ensure that remedial works at your expense do not become necessary if they remove their chimney at a subsequent date.

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Can steel gallows brackets be used to support what's left of the chimney?

Gallows brackets are triangular frames made by welding sections of angle iron together. These brackets are bolted to the party wall, with a precast concrete lintel or steel plate acting as a beam, to support the chimney above. Whether the removal of chimney breasts and support of the residual stack by steel gallows brackets is satisfactory or not is dependent on a number of factors:

1. Is the proposal acceptable to other parties with an interest in the party wall to which the chimney is attached? This is a civil matter subject to the provisions of the Party Wall etc Act 1996. Guidance notes are available from the DETR (DETR Free Literature, PO Box 236, Wetherby, L23 7NB, Tel: 0870 1226236, Fax: 0870 1226237 or via the internet at: http://www.safety.odpm.gov.uk/bregs/walls.htm).
2. Have chimney breasts been removed in the property that shares the party wall in question? If so, the use of gallows brackets is unlikely to be adequate.
3. What is the thickness of the party wall between the chimney breasts? The party wall should be at least 215mm thick.
4. Is the brickwork in the party wall in good condition? If not, gallows brackets are unlikely to be adequate.
5. The amount of brickwork to be supported: There should be a greater mass of brickwork below roof level to that above roof level, otherwise the chimney could become unstable and overturn. On the other hand, if the mass of brickwork to be supported is too great, gallows brackets will not be adequate.
6. Is the brickwork of the chimney bonded into the party wall? If not, the chimney will need to be suitably propped until the new supports are in place. Health and Safety planning for the works are essential.

woodbutcher_2

I think only a structural engineer can answer that question satisfactorily and they aint cheap.Speaking as a builder,i wouldn't touch the job unless you had structural calculations done.You could speak to building control at the council but in my experience they will pass the buck and tell you to get calcs done.

monkey_writer

WoodButcher - thanks (the thanks button seems to be missing!) - if we were to instead knock out the centre portion of the stack up to near the ceiling (would involve moving the metal lintle) and rebuild two columns either side down to the ground - would we need structural calculations for this or would this be fairly straightforward?

Going from this, which is what it looks like now:


To something like this:

silvercar

Wow, looks great!

Can I butt in with a question on a similar topic?

House I'm looking to buy has had the chimney breast removed in the bedroom, but its still in place in the loft!

Apart from not putting my bed directly underneath what would it cost to put right?

Its a detached house so there is no party wall to worry about.