Should chimney breasts be removed

Owain_Moneysaver

Chimney breast (and fireplace) in living rooms, alcoves each side nice for shelves / tv unit.

In bedrooms however a chimney breast can be very awkward restricting placement of the bed and removing it can allow a whole wall of fitted wardrobes.

Building Control permission is required for removing a chimney breast and if the job isn't done properly you run the risk of tons of masonry landing on your head.

Mankysteve

removing The breast in a house can increase useable space in bedroom as well as giving more space overall. The previous owners of my parents house had them removed it makes such a difference compared to neighbouring houses, but as others have said the cost is high and it wouldn't expect you make anythign back by haveing it done. I would do it for my own use rather than to add value to a property.

Not to mention party wall agreements.

Gaara

I am currently in the process of having one of our two large chimney stacks removed. There were issues picked up with both on the survey and the one that is going was leaning slightly and cracked. I suppose there was the potential for this to put some people off buying the property but it didn't affect my decision.

Ebe_Scrooge

For what it's worth - we live in an estate of newish houses ( approx 3 - 5 years old ), they were all built with no chimney breasts ( no mains gas in the village, so everyone has oil-fired boilers ). But there are a large number of our neighbours who have had chimney breasts put in, presumably at quite significant cost, because they want an open fire. I know the arguments that an open fire is a hassle, is messy and doesn't actually give out much heat comparatively, but it would appear that people still do like them .......

Make of that what you will :-)

paddy's_mum

I wouldn't, simply because the chimney is often the strongest part of the house. It is a highly important part of the structure as a whole.

You have only to look at photographs of towns hit by bombs during the Blitz to see that often the only part of a property left standing was the chimney, and I believe that visible demonstration of strength says it all really.

pimento

Depends whether the house is period or not. Our Victorian terrace looked great with the fireplaces, but our current 1970s house looks great without.

One of my pet hates is fake Adam fire places in modern houses.

dizziblonde

I'm torn on ours - the house we rented had them removed and it did seem to make more space and free us up more regarding furniture arrangements, but the alcoves either side of them don't half make life handy for things like wardrobes and my corner desk to slot neatly into the room. I guess I like having the option there to reinstate the fires if I ever want to (we've got a gas one in the lounge but all the others have long-since been removed) - plus I don't like having all traces of its history removed from a house (I'm soppy like that).

lagaaa

I have just had an alcove put into where my firebreast was...adds a bit more storage and gets rid of a waste of space if chimney can't be used...was still not a cheap job - about £700 - but I think more straightforward than getting rid of it completeyl. Still haven't decided what I am going to do with the alcove mind but that is another story..

Aries

If the chimney Breast is attached to your Neighbour's beware!!!!!
I have had a problem with this. I bought a Living flame gas fire as a focal point, but the Corgi man did a test and said that he couldn't fit it.
It seems that when my Neighbour's removed their Chimney Breast, mortar must of got dislodged allowing fumes to pass through.

loracan1

Chimney breast/fireplace; nice in a living room, waste of space in a dining room and frankly, a pain in the bum in a bedroom.