Opening up a fireplace

VincentVincent

Hi,

I have a fireplace in a second floor flat (converted Victorian building, other flats have the fireplace open) which is boarded up. I'd like to open it up; ideally to install a working electric fireplace, otherwise have it open just for decorative purposes.

I took the vent off to take some photos and see what's inside what's behind the board........the answer seems to be nothing much. Here's what i'm working with:

https://i.imgur.com/nKYAeoz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rw9HQ92.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/SYX8842.jpg

Should i just remove the boarding entirely and see exactly what's there? Ideally i'd do this, and it'd be a DIY job to just clean up the inside and i could place a fireplace like this inside, but that sounds too simple.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

ANDY597

Hello.

Yep. Rip off the board. Clean out what's behind.

Looks like pics 2 and 3 are of the flue throat plate.

As to what else is left of the old fireplace is anyones guess. When I opened up my own chimney, the fire bricks were in tact, but nothing left of the once cast iron liner.

However, buy a chimney sheep or balloon if you want a decorative fireplace as it'll stop the drafts, probably why it was boarded up.

Working fireplace for an actual fire or stove you'll likely need to clean and line the chimney and consult defra for current regs. Add in smokeless zones and you have a lot of effort for a real flame.

Electric fire, don't see any issues other than occasionally material or a little bit of moisture, or soot can come down the chimney and that might end up in your electric fire.

Hope this helps.

VincentVincent

Thanks, that certainly does help. I'll rip off the board, clean the area out and go from there.

As i'm in a mid-level flat i'd already ruled out a real fireplace - i'm almost certain the chimney to the building was closed off long ago and the flat above (top floor) has a decorative fireplace. One of the things i was concerned about is draught or potential noise transfer from the above flat - looks like a chimney sheep would prevent both these issues.

The other issue i'm thinking about with an electric fireplace is actually connecting it to the electricity supply, especially if i went for an inset stove. I guess this is where i'd need a professional.....unless i went with a freestanding one like i linked earlier and had the cable coming out of the front along the skirting. Is that the done thing or would it look awkward?

DigForVictory

That is a beautiful fireplace surround - absolutely worth trying to get a fire into it.

Just tape dustsheets down in front of the fireplace before you clean. Whilst wearing old clothes, eye & lung protection (I wore an old duvet cover, retired bike helmet & shemagh (wrapped around the head, pinned in place by the helmet) but whatever you have that ls easy to wash &/or dispose of after!)

All joy with your glorious fireplace

akira181

I done similar in my mothers house and found out that fireplace behind was bigger than the surround, which was quite dated and ugly looking. Tore it all out, cleaned it up, and got a liner and wood burner installed. Completely changed the look of the room for the better.

Just be sure to wear a proper dust mask. It's a messy job and a possibility of asbestos being present.

VincentVincent

So i removed the board and this is what i found:

https://i.imgur.com/KFZ1GNU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/uCigDCG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yAFa2sJ.jpg

I haven't even cleaned up yet but i already prefer how it makes the living room look. It looks like i won't be able to just simply a place an electric stove fireplace in there yet though. As you can see, i can view all the way up the chimney to the flat above - i'll order a chimney sheep, so that's fine.

However it seems the firebox (if that's the correct term for the big black object in the middle) can't be removed without removing the surround. This is probably going to need to go beyond DIY so i guess i'll need to hire someone to remove the firebox and make good the brick area which will hopefully be revealed.

Unless anybody can advise otherwise?

Fire_Fox

VincentVincent wrote: »

I haven't even cleaned up yet but i already prefer how it makes the living room look. It looks like i won't be able to just simply a place an electric stove fireplace in there yet though. As you can see, i can view all the way up the chimney to the flat above - i'll order a chimney sheep, so that's fine.

Unless anybody can advise otherwise?

Is the chimney demised to your flat or is it part of the communal areas? You may, at the very least, need the formal/ written consent of the freeholder or their managing agent to utilise the chimney. Read your long lease.

You also need to consider safety: you may need to line the chimney to prevent smoke/ fumes/ fire (any such issue within your flat, not just from the future stove) transferring between your flat and other flats, or into the roof space. See the current Building Regs.

VincentVincent

Fire_Fox wrote: »

Is the chimney demised to your flat or is it part of the communal areas? You may, at the very least, need the formal/ written consent of the freeholder or their managing agent to utilise the chimney. Read your long lease.

You also need to consider safety: you may need to line the chimney to prevent smoke/ fumes/ fire (any such issue within your flat, not just from the future stove) transferring between your flat and other flats, or into the roof space. See the current Building Regs.

As i mentioned; it'll be an electric stove so there won't be any smoke/fumes/fire and the chimney won't be utilised, hence the sheep to close it up.

Fire_Fox

VincentVincent wrote: »

As i mentioned; it'll be an electric stove so there won't be any smoke/fumes/fire and the chimney won't be utilised, hence the sheep to close it up.

You may still need the consent of the freeholder. Even the part of the chimney that seems to be within your flat may not be yours to do with as you please.

As I mentioned: any such issue within your flat, not just from the future [electric] stove.

VincentVincent

Fire_Fox wrote: »

You may still need the consent of the freeholder. Even the part of the chimney that seems to be within your flat may not be yours to do with as you please.

As I mentioned: any such issue within your flat, not just from the future [electric] stove.

I won't. I'm literally not doing anything with the chimney other than placing a removable sheep there which will perform essentially the same act as the board i've removed and there's zero mention of the chimney or anything related to it in the lease agreement. By your logic, i'd need the freeholder's permission to stick a torch up there or use a standalone heater off Amazon too.

You didn't bother to read the few posts in this thread or even the one you directly responded to before offering irrelevant advice and are now trying to justify it. It's completely transparent.

ANDY597

Apologies Vincent, just getting back on track with emails and posts now.

The black bit that you called the fire box: I cant quite tell from your photos, but it looks like the black outer surround is a cast iron fireplace. Essentially these are units if you like that slide into the fireplace opening, and behind which are usually fire bricks. Condition unknown, often cracked and crumbly due to the heat.

Ive seen some where the rear "fire box" as you put it detaches from this cast iron front and lifts away. However, my own one came as one whole unit where the back is permanently attached to the front.

Essentially it seems to have been cast that way, or at least welded together during the manufacturing process. Hope that made sense.

So that leaves you an issue, if you want to get rid off all of the black bit but perhaps reuse it or re-purpose it or sell it, its generally held in with just fire mortar and pretty much plastered into the opening. Still a DIY job gently chiselling it out. I say gently because it if is cast iron, one wrong crack of a hammer will shatter the metal and your black surround cracked.

You could perhaps take a grinder and cut away the rear fire box, but it might be tricky to get to all the angles and then take a while to clean up any jaggy edges. Again, id consider this to be a DIY job.

Golden rule, before you start chiselling away anything, ensure that if do nothing is going to fall down, I have a big lintel (concrede padstone right across the chimney opening to support the chimney wall, a bit like youd see a lintel above a doorway or window.

Removing your black liner, is unlikely to be supporting anything, remember these things were ripped out in there droves.

Personally, id keep it in tact and clean it up, put some blackening on it to shine it up, but obviously not quite the end result you were looking for.

Cheers