removing 'feature' wall /

tBagpuss_2

I'm currently house hunting and predictably, here are features I don't like in some of the properties I'm looking at.

One has internal 'feature' walls/fireplace surround (similar to pic.3, here )

In the house I am looking at, the walls either side of the fireplace are about 18 inches tall and about 12" wide - one side had a gap in it (presumably originally for a video recorder).

I can't see that the wall is likely to be structural in any way (it's clearly much more recent that the house itself)

I think they are ugly and also waste space but I'm not sure how difficult it would be to remove them. (For 'difficult' read: 'expensive, to get a competent person in' I have no DIY skills.) I can see that I would obviously need to get the walls re-plastered afterwards, and replace carpets as the existing ones won't go to the wall if the extra wall/shelf is removed, but I am not sure who difficult i is liekly to be to remove.

(Currently, there is an old and very unattractive gas fire in the fire place. I would probably be aiming to replace this either with a newer fire or with a log burner, depending on cost and practiclity.

has anyone got experience of removing this sort of feature, and what sort of ball-park figures I might be looking at if I went ahead?

I appreciate it's very vague, a the moment I'm at the point of considering whether to make an offer on the house, and I don't know whether this is something where I'd be looking at £500 or £5,000!

System

the "stone" bits are usually just stuck on rather than forming an integral part of the wall - you can usually remove them with a bar/hammer and some muscles!
if you were paying someone to do it and redecorate you would probably be looking at something like two days (max) for one guy

Jaynne

As above the removing is pretty easy DIY skills or no. Start off with a bar and hammer working up to a sledge hammer if needed. Its a handymans job or a builder if you need. Done carefully you will probably not damage the plaster on the wall too much but it will almost certainly need skimming.

You need the gas fire removed before this which is about an hour or so to do but fitting the new one will be a couple of hours assuming that the flue etc are all suitable and its not a complicated job.

I would guess then
£100-200 for the removal and disposal of the bricks
£200 for skimming the plasterwork
£300-400 for removal and fitting of new fire

+ carpets + the fire itself + paint for the wall.

TBagpuss

That' really helpful, thank you.

rustyboy21

The stove in the stone fireplace is actually electric. The stone fireplace won't really take a lot to take it out ( as already said above)

However the fire in the dining room, is also running the CH system. It has a back boiler behind it. If you want to get rid of the fire, you will also have to get rid of the boiler and fit a new boiler elsewhere in the house.

Bear this in mind, when putting an offer in.

TBagpuss

Thanks - the picture was just to give an idea, it's not actually the property I'm thinking of buying (although that one will need a new boiler!)