How much to remove a feature fireplace?

Ultrasonic

Hi all,

When looking at houses to buy I find many with 'feature fireplaces' like this one:



The thing is that while the fireplaces may look pretty they are invariably exactly where I would want to be placing my TV and HiFi. Does anyone have any experience of having a feature fireplace removed, and be able to give me some idea of what it might cost to do so?

Thanks.

ACG

Rip it out, a few bricks - one of which might need to be a vented type brick, bit of plaster and paint - jobs a good'en?

I would say probably less than £100 if you know a plasterer maybe closer to £150 if you dont.

Looks like the flooring/carpet would need replacing though as there would be a big gap in the flooring where the bit that sticks out is - that would be more costly.

Ultrasonic

ACG wrote: »

Looks like the flooring/carpet would need replacing though as there would be a big gap in the flooring where the bit that sticks out is - that would be more costly.

Good point, but I'd be wanting to replace the laminate flooring with carpet anyway.

There was a point in the past when fitted carpets were considered a luxury. The current obsession with reverting to hard floors is a regrettable retrograde step in my book, although I realise many would disagree . I do wish house sellers would stop assuming everyone wants laminate floors though - I'm fed up with vendors telling me how they've spent lots of money on flooring I don't want!

fart

Depends how it's been put together, but for the one in the picture:

Removing everything will include disconnecting the gas supply, bricking up/boarding up + skimming (plastering) the wall, and may include matching up the flooring (depending on how it's been done) because i've seen the flooring butted up to the hearth but have also seen hearth sat on top of existing flooring.

Then the replastered wall will need repainting (probably have to do the whole wall to ensure it matched) and the skirting board would need a piece to slot in to match the existing, which would also need to be painted.

Removal can be done in an hour, but the gas should be done by someone who's qualified (no idea what this would cost). The bricking would be a day's work because you have to allow drying time for the grout. Boarding up means it could be patch plastered the same day but again allow at least a full day for drying time before it can be painted.

If i did it, minus materials i would want £150 a day minimum depending on where you are in the country. 3 day job because of drying times.

fart

ACG wrote: »

Rip it out, a few bricks - one of which might need to be a vented type brick, bit of plaster and paint - jobs a good'en?

I would say probably less than £100 if you know a plasterer maybe closer to £150 if you dont.

Looks like the flooring/carpet would need replacing though as there would be a big gap in the flooring where the bit that sticks out is - that would be more costly.

OP, if you do the removal and disposal yourself, get someone who's Corgi registered to turn off the gas and disconnect the fire, you can sell the fire and recoup some money maybe.

I'd advise bricking up instead of boarding, and bricked up stuff needs time to dry + needs to be floated up before it can be skimmed...this is two separate lots of drying. Plastering is a third lot of drying.

If you just want the bricking, floating and plastering doing, but not the painting or skirting, you're not gonna find anyone worth their salt (unless they're a mate) who's gonna do this for any less than about £3-400, unless things have changed since i was in the game.

You could always get the tools and do it yourself - it's nothing too challenging.

onlyroz

We got a local handiman to remove our fireplace, including dealing with the gas supply, for a few hundred.

Norma_Desmond

Just reassure me that the only type you'd remove would be like that one pictured and not old, beautiful ones.......?

seven-day-weekend

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

Just reassure me that the only type you'd remove would be like that one pictured and not old, beautiful ones.......?

Absolutely.

One of our clients removed a Victorian pine fire surround from their Art Deco house as it wan't in keeping

They bought an Art Deco one and we got the Victorian one for our Victorian house . Worked out fine.

But removing original features? Absolutely no way!

Ultrasonic

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

Just reassure me that the only type you'd remove would be like that one pictured and not old, beautiful ones.......?

I'm very unlikely to be buying a house with anything like that in it, so they should be safe .

Ultrasonic

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

But removing original features? Absolutely no way!

The fireplace above may well be an original feature, but as the house in question is only about 10 years old I trust I would be let off .

LEJC

just to throw another angle in...before you remove a souce of heating to the room check that there is a working radiator in the room and that it is adequate to give sufficient heat.