Updated...Damp around chimney... any more advice

missimaxo

Before I bought the house, the previous owners shortened the fireplace with a stud wall type construction and made a feature hole. The chimney is lined and the liner is still open at the top of the hole. I am suffering damp in the area around the fireplace. I presume if the fireplace was opened up its that space. The damp is only at ground level. I had the chimney capped a few years go and there is still air flow but I wonder if water historically got into this area. I cant access under the floor but most of the room is a wooden floor and the airbricks are open. I have checked at the side under the floor in a cupboard and the damp proof course is in place and looks intact. I just need to know how to treat it. Do I need to remove plaster and put a dehumidifier in place to dry out the brick if it is that historic water? Any advice preferably diy

missimaxo

Hopefully you can see the damp area on the 2nd pic

Doozergirl

You're ventilating the chimney down to room but not the chimney  at the bottom because of that boxing.  

You need to vent it. 

How about ripping it out and reinstating something representing a fireplace? 

missimaxo

Thank you... money and mess is the main thing but I could definitely add a vent easily i hadn't thought of that

AskAsk

you also think about removing the wall paper and paint the wall with matt paint to allow the wall to breathe.

missimaxo

That is paint its not paper... the paint is bubbling 

AskAsk

missimaxo said:

That is paint its not paper... the paint is bubbling 

if that is paint, then it is vinyl in texture from the photo as it looks shiny?  if that is the case, you should consider using matt paint, which will allow water to come through and will dry out better.

missimaxo

So update on this... I cut the plasterboard to fit a vent and found that the plasterboard was wrecked. Very very damp and literally crumbled away. Around the fireplace was dot and dab and that too was ruined. So I've stripped it all back to this...I'm going to let all the brickwork dry out before I consider fixing it but I am now tempted to fit a proper fireplace. Thank you everyone for their advice and if anyone has any suggestions as to things necessary before I go further I'd be very grateful 

FreeBear

missimaxo said:I'm going to let all the brickwork dry out before I consider fixing it but I am now tempted to fit a proper fireplace. Thank you everyone for their advice and if anyone has any suggestions as to things necessary before I go further I'd be very grateful 

Looks like the original hearth has been hacked back. You'll need to lift the flooring in front of the fireplace to see if the constructional hearth is still in place. That said, if the floor is solid concrete, then there won't be a constructional hearth..

An open fire is very inefficient, so you really want to be looking at a small stove - A decent one is not cheap, nor is the fitting. You'll also need a lot of space outside to store wood and/or smokeless coal. I have a 10'x6' shed stacked to the roof with wood for this winter, and probably twice as much outside waiting to be cut & split for next year (or the year after).