Opening up 1928 fireplace - what on earth is going on?

cathy_d92

Hello,
New homeowner and new poster. I imagine that as I start little projects I'll be posting much more. 
The OH and I want to open up the builders opening in our 1928 end terrace front living room. It'll be decorative only. 
We started this weekend by removing plaster to check for arch/lintel. 
We've found a lintel but it is much smaller than we anticipated. There is also a void to the right-hand side between bricklines (which we assume will be the same on the left). We went higher to see if there was an arch. Nothing. 
We then had to stop as the neighbors came back and we are trying not to p*ss them off. 

First thoughts -  was the opening bigger originally and it's been made smaller? Hint the small lintel and void. 
I assume if we want to open it up to it's original size then it'll be an acro and new lintel job. How much should I expect to be quoted for this? 

Advice gratefully received! 

FreeBear

Sorry, not seeing anything that looks like a lintel over the builders opening. What you have there appears to be a stone slab forming the top an opening that would be just about big enough for a gas flue - Was there a wall hung gas fire there originally ?

It also looks like someone in the past has been slapping bitumastic paint on the walls and then smearing cement & gypsum plaster over the top. I'll bet a previous owner had one of these damp treatment "experts" in and got sold some expensive cures... Don't go repeating the same mistake. Fix the damp problem at the source, and there is no need for expensive chemicals or "waterproof" plaster.

Lintel - I would have expected a brick arch similar to the one pictured below. In your position, I'd investigate where the "gather" starts inside the chimney, and put a concrete lintel in just below. You might get away without any Acro or Strong-Boy supports, as the opening appears to be quite narrow.

cathy_d92

@FreeBear thank you replying! 
Yes that arch was what we were  expecting see. Which is why we kept removing plaster. There was a fluless gas fire when we moved in. Not sure if there was a flue one predating that. But quite probably. 

We don't appear to have any damp issues now. (Touch wood). But it's good to know that's what the ugly black stuff is. 

I think the original opening is actually much wider that you can see in the picture. To the right of the pic you can see a void.  Looking through that to the right edge on the inside i(can't see in pic)  there's very neat brickwork. Unlike the left side of the void.  Could it be that the lintel/ arch was removed and the opening was made narrower? 

I'm keen for this to be a DIY project. But don't want to risk messing about with structural stuff. 

cathy_d92

Here's a picture  taken looking into that hole on the right... 

Ectophile

It looks to me like someone has just bricked up the original opening, at some time after the original lintel or arch was removed.  Notice how on the left that there is a column of bricks one full brick width wide, then the bricks to the right of that aren't tied in, and are slightly misaligned.  My feeling is that you will need to work out how high the opening is supposed to be by studying the brickwork, and then reinstating the lintel or arch.

FreeBear

cathy_d92 said:

I'm keen for this to be a DIY project. But don't want to risk messing about with structural stuff. 

What are you hoping to use the opening for when you are done ?

If you are planning on fitting a wood burner, then you'll need Building Control sign off on the project - That would cover any structural work such as installing a lintel.

When I did my fireplace, I had a brick arch. After removing all the infill & rubble, I thought to myself, "those bricks look a bit iffy", and gave one a prod. The arch collapsed in front of me !

Ended up putting a concrete lintel across the full width of the chimney breast at the point where the gather started. Called on a registered HETAS installer who came and fitted the stove and did all the paperwork including notifying Building Control. The bits I did myself are now all hidden behind a generous layer of (lime) plaster..