Can we do this ourselves? Fireplace and BT phone box

wiggly

Hi everyone

In our house there are 2 jobs we're not sure if we can do them ourselves or whether we need to pay someone else to (and how specialist they need to be)

Firstly, the fireplace in the dining room. Its a 1930's/40's tiled fireplace and its blooming ugly! We wanted a fire in their (replace the surround etc) but the chimney needs lining and thats going to be too much, so I'd like to take the current surround out (can post a photo if it helps) and board the hole over for now and just paint it. Can we do this ourselves? Is the surround likely to be load bearing etc?

Secondly, the BT phone box (where you plug your phone in). It comes through our living room wall and straight into this box, but its in the middle of the wall (why would anyone put it there?) and it looks stupid. I'd like to move it down a foot and across 4". Can we do this or do we need to speak to BT and if so how much is it likely to cost?

Many thanks for reading this We'd like to do as much as possible ourselves, its our first house and money is a little tight!

wiggly x

baldelectrician

The BT box is their responsability

They usually charge an arm and half a leg for 30 mins work (cost aroung £130 + VAT)

Bargain (NOT)

Phone them for a price.

wiggly

how much :eek:

irnbru_2

wiggly wrote: »

Can we do this or do we need to speak to BT and if so how much is it likely to cost?

If it's the master socket, it's BT's responsability.

Would moving it require a longer length of cable?

akaddcmp

hi op


both the jobs can be done by yourself, i myself have done both those jobs alone and have also had friends who have done them alone.

everyones houses are different therefore you may need to think abit on how to do it but trust me, its doable.

fireplaces are not loadbearing, you can take the fireplace out but dont be chiping away at the chimney as this is loadbearing!

wiggly

irnbru wrote: »

If it's the master socket, it's BT's responsability.

Would moving it require a longer length of cable?

yes its the first socket in the house, the phone cable comes straight in through the wall to the socket

it would need about 16" longer cable at the most

economiser

I moved mine. In fact I rewired it all from the BT junction box (not master socket). It was a very old and complicated installation and I just wanted to simplify it. Never realised there was an issue about doing this oneself. Anyway it was a few years ago and works OK.

tomstickland

BT boxes aren't exactly rocket science. If you have any basic wiring ability then you should just move it and splice some extra cable in. If you're lucky it might have enough spare cable anyway, depending on where it comes from.

I'd brick the fireplace up and pay a plasterer to finish it off. Otherwise fill it in with wood and plasterboard and then have it skimmed.

ForkHandles_2

Hi,

Officially only a BT engineer can move the master socket but like tomstickland says it easy to do it yourself although bear in mind that if you cause any damage to their equipment (very very unlikely) then I believe it will be open wallet surgery.

I moved mine and it was simple.

FH

iamcornholio

Only BT can touch the master socket - you can move/add all others

You can take out the surround and block up the opening no problem.

However, if a chimney is to be unused, then you should cap the top off and fit a vent at the bottom and the top of the flue. If the flue is not ventilated, then either rain or condensation will form in the flue and react with the old soot and cause an acidic solution which will then attack the cement in the mortar. This can also cause browm stains to leech through the plaster/wallpaper on the chimney breast.

wiggly

well, the fireplace was sealed up before with an old fire, gaffer taped air tight to the hole (which was disconnected) so its been closed a while now. I assumed we'd need to leave a vent/hole at the bottom and I assume the chimney is already closed as it hadn't been used in years (we've been there 3 years and it had been disconnected long before we moved in - we did rent, and then we bought it)

how would I know if the chimney was closed at the top?

its such a shame we can't use the fireplace though, is re-lining a flue/chimney expensive?