Chimney breast removal - NO SUPPORT REQUIRED?????????

devmcc

Hi all... I am having a few bits done to the house.. one of these is reducing the chimney breast at one side - so we can open the door fully. The builders are removing just one brick all the way down one side on the lower floor chimney - they have advised that I will not need any kind of support for this???? Does this sound right??? I am worried they will go and the upstairs chimny will come down!!! Thanks.....

wallbash

Two views on this

I have seen builders remove ALL of the chimney breast from a lower floor
No RSJ or gallows brackets , on the understanding that the bricks are 'corrballed'
( certainly:rotfl: the wrong spelling) But it means that the weight of the above bricks is transferred to the wall. The house remains standing :T

But when you try and sell the house , the purchasers surveyor will pick up on this point!!

Our local council/planning have stopped the use of Gallows brackets , a device used for years.

Back to your posting, I dont think you will return home to pile of bricks and dust.
Wether it would now pass building regs , will leave to another.

adaze

If its one bricks width it shouldn't be a problem. But as best practice they should support the small overhang with a lintal. A surveyor may not pick up the work if it is not particularly obvious that one breast is a different size.

andl10108

devmcc wrote: »

Hi all... I am having a few bits done to the house.. one of these is reducing the chimney breast at one side - so we can open the door fully. The builders are removing just one brick all the way down one side on the lower floor chimney - they have advised that I will not need any kind of support for this???? Does this sound right??? I am worried they will go and the upstairs chimny will come down!!! Thanks.....

I'm also thinking of getting a builder into remove a chimney breast on the ground and 1st floor. What should be the going rate to remove and plaster smooth the walls and support the chimney.
Thanks
Andy

Sloganjerry

Don't know if this helps but we've just had a chimney breast removed from the bedroom. The room below had already had the chimney removed before we moved in, the stack above in the bedroom was underpinned by a wooden beam and this was corroborated by a certificate when we had the original survey done to buy the house.

We had to get a structural engineer in to give the builders dimensions for the beam to support what would be left of the chimney breast in the loft and his visit cost £175 (inc vat). Then the builders removed the chimney breast, put in the beam, rendered and plastered the whole of the wall it was on, repaired the ceiling and floor all for around £1000 (this includes labour, all materials, hire of a skip and the engineers payment). It took 2 of them about 4 days to do and they had to wait around on the one day for building control (I think thats what they were called) to come and check the beam was in correctly before they could patch up. I now get another certificate so I can show it's all been done properly when I sell.

Now Ive got the fun of deciding how I have the room and the luxury of putting the bed on whichever wall I like:T . Hope this helps!

I feel that they did a good job and that this was a very good price

andl10108

Sloganjerry wrote: »

Don't know if this helps but we've just had a chimney breast removed from the bedroom. The room below had already had the chimney removed before we moved in, the stack above in the bedroom was underpinned by a wooden beam and this was corroborated by a certificate when we had the original survey done to buy the house.

We had to get a structural engineer in to give the builders dimensions for the beam to support what would be left of the chimney breast in the loft and his visit cost £175 (inc vat). Then the builders removed the chimney breast, put in the beam, rendered and plastered the whole of the wall it was on, repaired the ceiling and floor all for around £1000 (this includes labour, all materials, hire of a skip and the engineers payment). It took 2 of them about 4 days to do and they had to wait around on the one day for building control (I think thats what they were called) to come and check the beam was in correctly before they could patch up. I now get another certificate so I can show it's all been done properly when I sell.

Now Ive got the fun of deciding how I have the room and the luxury of putting the bed on whichever wall I like:T . Hope this helps!

I feel that they did a good job and that this was a very good price

Thanks for the advice. it gives me a good idea now what to expect.