Removal of chimney breasts without building reg

kittycao0705

Hi all, I know this question is pretty daft as I should have thought about it beforehand but was so stressed with my life last year(new baby and change of job etc). We basically recruited some type of cowboy builders which we removed our house chimney breast from downstairs all the way to loft. We did this without seeking for building control. We are in the process of selling the house and my brain is finally working-how the hell I did not challenge them this back then. I know sometimes indemnity insurance covers it but that usually apples for things which were done years ago so the house at least stands after years and the insurance is more like a icing on the cake to cover if there is anything wrong.

Obviously I'll have to let the buyer know the situation and they may panic... Is there anything I can do at this stage so it would not affect my sale? Eg getting council to come and check now?(is that pointless as everything is sealed anyway)

Please help!

G_M

kittycao0705 wrote: »

.......we removed our house chimney breast from downstairs all the way to loft. We did this without seeking for building control.

.....I know sometimes indemnity insurance covers it

Please help!

Indemnity insurance protects against the costs resulting from the council enforcing Building regs.

It will NOT protect against the costs resulting from the roof falling in because the support is not adequate.

At the very least, get a structural engineer to expose the works (remove plaster etc etc), take a good look, and give you a report saying the work was done properly/safely.

Or not as the case may be.

Better still, apply for retrospective BR certification.

kittycao0705

G_M wrote: »

Indemnity insurance protects against the costs resulting from the council enforcing Building regs.

It will NOT protect against the costs resulting from the roof falling in because the support is not adequate.

At the very least, get a structural engineer to expose the works (remove plaster etc etc), take a good look, and give you a report saying the work was done properly/safely.

Or not as the case may be.

Better still, apply for retrospective BR certification.

Omg!!! Thanks for your reply... I just cannot believe my own stupidity... How much money approximately will it cost to get a structural engineering to come to remove the the plaster etc? That'll create a lot of mess in the house I would imagine too.. Oh dear. Want to lull myself now. Lesson learned - never trust builders again! Always need to do dual diligence myself!

ess0two

Get in the loft, you should be able to see some sort of support in there.

sidefx

Can I ask why you wanted them to remove the chimney breast?

Sorry I do not have any practical advice, I am just curious.

jimbog

ess0two wrote: »

Get in the loft, you should be able to see some sort of support in there.

Something like this is promising:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-gallows-brackets-galvanised-hot-dipped-50-x-490mm-pk2/86261

Doozergirl

jimbog wrote: »

Something like this is promising:
http://www.screwfix.com/p/sabrefix-gallows-brackets-galvanised-hot-dipped-50-x-490mm-pk2/86261

Unlikely to pass building regs these days.

OP just needs to get a structural engineer and take their advice.

SailorSam

We had a guy in doing some plastering about 20yrs ago and mentioned in-passing that we wanted the chimney breast removed in one of the bedrooms. He said he could do it but needed to go out for a steel lintel to put up in the loft. It was only last year when i was laying extra insulation that i noticed, the lintel isn't actually doing anything. It's just sitting there.
That's one of the jobs on my to-do list for this Summer. If it's not collapsed in all these years i hope a few more weeks wont make a difference.
Not sure i could find the guys phone number but even if i did what are the chances he'd come back. Can't remember him saying anything about Building Regulations.

kittycao0705

I removed the chimney breast to free up more room.

kittycao0705

I guess if you removed the chimney breast twenty years ago without a building reg it's more forgivable then my case... After all it did not collapse all these years which is kind of a testament of it's original work I guess?? Plus there was no building reg back then probably...

I only got mine done last year... My estate agency tell me not to worry as they have a similar case and the buyer is getting a builder to check and it should not affect the sale of the house... But if I'm a buyer surely I would want a full investigation arranged by seller before proceeding???errr...

Davesnave

kittycao0705 wrote: »

My estate agency tell me not to worry as they have a similar case and the buyer is getting a builder to check and it should not affect the sale of the house... But if I'm a buyer surely I would want a full investigation arranged by seller before proceeding???errr...

Yes, as a buyer, I'd want an engineer's report as a minimum, not an assurance from a builder I don't even know.

With a report, I'd know exactly how serious the problem is and what would be required to put it right. If I liked the house enough, it probably wouldn't be a deal breaker, but I'd want the work reflected in the price.

However, everyone is different, and the revelation of structural deficiencies will, almost certainly, put some right off.