Removal of chimney breast and reboarding of ceilings

aj9648

Had this quote for removal of chimney breasts in 2 rooms, steels in, removal of lath ceilings x 2 and plasterboard, plaster of walls where chimney breasts were. In north west - quote of £5k - thoughts?


*Removal of existing chimney breast (x2)
*All steel work -supplied & fit
*Dot & dab /all plaster work to chimney breast area x2
*ceiling plaster board removed x2 rooms
*New boarded ceiling dot& dab/ skim x2 rooms
*Double socket added to both rooms
*All materials & labour

FreeBear

aj9648 wrote: »

*ceiling plaster board removed x2 rooms
*New boarded ceiling dot& dab/ skim x2 rooms

If you have plaster & lath ceilings, it ain't going to be plasterboard up there.... As for dot&dab boarding of the ceiling, that won't work. The plasterboard needs to be fixed with screws into the joists - Don't accept nailed plasterboard.

You may also want to consider filling the void between the joists with fibreglass or rockwool insulation - It will cut down on the amount of noise coming through the ceiling slightly and also reduce heat losses. Replacing plaster & lath with plasterboard will change the dynamics of noise being transmitted from the rooms above, so do what you can to reduce the problem.

Don't forget to insist on the work being signed off by building control - You'll need to engage a structural engineer to provide calculations for the steelwork.

aj9648

FreeBear wrote: »

If you have plaster & lath ceilings, it ain't going to be plasterboard up there.... As for dot&dab boarding of the ceiling, that won't work. The plasterboard needs to be fixed with screws into the joists - Don't accept nailed plasterboard.

You may also want to consider filling the void between the joists with fibreglass or rockwool insulation - It will cut down on the amount of noise coming through the ceiling slightly and also reduce heat losses. Replacing plaster & lath with plasterboard will change the dynamics of noise being transmitted from the rooms above, so do what you can to reduce the problem.

Don't forget to insist on the work being signed off by building control - You'll need to engage a structural engineer to provide calculations for the steelwork.

Thanks for the response. SE and calcs have been done and council notified

In terms of the noise - the chimney breasts that are going, are in the bedrooms - so its the loft upstairs and no real noise I envisage as we don't use it apart from storing a load of stuff in.

What do you think of the cost estimate?

FreeBear

aj9648 wrote: »

In terms of the noise - the chimney breasts that are going, are in the bedrooms - so its the loft upstairs and no real noise I envisage as we don't use it apart from storing a load of stuff in.

What do you think of the cost estimate?

I would strongly recommend a decent thickness of Kingspan/Celotex PUR insulation between the steelwork and any plasterboard. If the space isn't insulated, you'll have a cold bridge that will be the source of constant damp in that area. But if your builder is any good, he should already have this in mind.

As to cost, I can't/won't comment - It isn't something I would do to my home as I like having a real fire during the winter months. The chimney breast in the bedroom acts as a thermal store and keeps the room nice and warm even after the fire has gone out.