What to do with my coalfire

Bendy_House

That is the T and B of it.

The choice is yours, so no harm in running both scenarios past your builders. But, yes, removing the 'actual' fireplace - the shaped firebricks, the grate, etc. - is usually messy, but good builders will know this and be careful.

If you go for the full removal, then they'll line the inside to leave a nice clean rectangular hole. This will have a small vent grill in it's roof to keep the flue dry - pretty important. If you keep the fireplace, then that already vents, but you may wish to partially block it off, especially in winter, to avoid all your room heat being drawn up there and away. You can get balloons you stick up there and partially inflate, for example.

I'd strongly suggest your next move is to surf fireplace options, so you can show them what you are after - that will really help them to quote.

No sales partics of your house showing the existing fireplace?

Photoframe55

Hi   no I don't have any photos because at the moment I'm living in temporary accommodation. So if the builders were to do the whole lot that would be a pretty big job would it?

Bendy_House

Your idea of a big job will be different to mine

It'll certainly be a BIGGER job to remove it all. 

Have you short-listed some ideas?

Photoframe55

I haven't yet as I had only just really thought about it.
Plus I've not had the time  or the energy.
As far a big job, you wouldn't believe it in a million years, the work which has been going on at my house,  hence having to move out.!!! 
I will have to try and search fire surrounds when I've got two seconds.
Just something else to try and find!  

Bendy_House

The guys doing your insurance job might not be able to do another job for you right away. But at least they should be able to discuss it, and hopefully give you a ballpark figure.

A quick Google 'images' for 'fireplace opened' and 'styles' gives countless returns. But some useful ones to get you going:

This is what it'll look like if you also remove the actual fireplace. This one is relatively neat...

This is one after being finished off - you have a rectangular hole to do withy as you wish:

Kept plain but with a 'floating' oak mantel

And an opening with a new surround:

And then there's the myriad of surround styles which retain the existing fire insert...

FreeBear

Bendy_House said:This is one after being finished off - you have a rectangular hole to do with as you wish:

If you ever plan to put a wood stove in that recess, the plaster will crack & flake off in no time. In addition, plasterboard is not rated as fire resistant, so would need stripping out.

Should you ever plan of fitting a wood stove, have the recess lined with cement board and finished with either a heat resistant plaster (e.g. Vitcas) or a lime plaster - You'd also need to use the same heat resistant plaster above the opening up as far as the mantel if fitted.

Photoframe55

Bendy_House said:

The guys doing your insurance job might not be able to do another job for you right away. But at least they should be able to discuss it, and hopefully give you a ballpark figure.

A quick Google 'images' for 'fireplace opened' and 'styles' gives countless returns. But some useful ones to get you going:

This is what it'll look like if you also remove the actual fireplace. This one is relatively neat...

This is one after being finished off - you have a rectangular hole to do withy as you wish:

Kept plain but with a 'floating' oak mantel

And an opening with a new surround:

And then there's the myriad of surround styles which retain the existing fire insert...

How kind of you to take your time to explain it, and with photos.      Thankyou.   That has really helped. 😁

Slinky

If you just decide to block it off and have the whole thing plastered over you'll need a vent to vent the chimney, as has been mentioned above. We did this with ours, but rather than have the vent into our living room, the builder knocked out a hole in the back of the chimney, and the vent is now under the stairs, so bear that in mind that you may have the choice where the ugly but necessary vent ends up, depending on what your fireplace backs onto.