removing chimney breast - floor plan attached

happypie

i am planning to get chimney breast removed from my 3 bed semi Victorian c.100 years old house.
there are 2 big chimney breasts, and used to be 4 fire places but now only 2 remains. 2 fireplaces from 1st floor bedrooms are already covered. you can see in this floor plan -


https://ibb.co/h5XzZ9

i want to keep just one fireplace in front living room and remove other one. in addition, would really prefer if both breasts can be removed completely and replaced with just a wall, if it doesn't damage house structurally.
btw fireplaces are dummy ones and breast are closed if i am using right terminology.
no neighbor involved as chimney stack is in middle of property and not shared with anyone.

i spoke to a structural engineer and he says send me photos and i will provide you drawings. i asked him if he doesn't need to visit property and see it and he says no.

i am very confused, how can he draw designs if he doesn't view property, how he would know if its a load bearing wall etc.

is this normal practice?

thanks.

-taff

If I'm reading this right you want to remove the chimeny breast from the living room too? If I have and you want to keep the fireplace, that's not goingto be possible.

Doozergirl

I expect to see structural on site so I wouldn't accrpt drawings from someone who couldn't be bothered to check for themselves.

But the walls will almost certainly be load bearing. I don't think there's a question of that.

happypie

-taff wrote: »

If I'm reading this right you want to remove the chimeny breast from the living room too? If I have and you want to keep the fireplace, that's not goingto be possible.

i mean the fireplace is dummy one and it doesn't really require that whole area. i hope i am making sense?
want to keep fireplace in living room just for the sake of it. for some character and focal point, wouldn't keep TV in that room.

happypie

Doozergirl wrote: »

I expect to see structural on site so I wouldn't accrpt drawings from someone who couldn't be bothered to check for themselves.

But the walls will almost certainly be load bearing. I don't think there's a question of that.

thanks. i also thought so.
i will look for another engineer.
so in that case can i still remove some of it? or not at all? any idea?

Doozergirl

You can do nearly anything. That's why yoy need a structural engineer