Open up space where backboiler was in chimney breast...

[Timmy_otool]

I bought a house a week or so back and after opening up the fire place, I noticed that there has been a back burner in there.

I want to make the opening larger, but I'm not sure if it is ok to bash away some bricks or not.

What do you think?

I'm guessing that the space was bigger originally and was closed in when the back boiler was installed, so just want to remove the added bricks. I'm just unsure if the whole thing might come crashing down!

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Hard to tell from your pics- for starters, where do you want to remove the bricks from? Safest bet is to start hacking the plaster off the face (start low down)- you'll probably find a change in the brickwork about 200mm in from each edge. If you do that'll be a good sign- next step is to hack off above the opening, see if you find either a lintel or the original brick arch.

 

[Timmy_otool]

Ah right! I'll have to give that a go when I'm back at the house tomorrow. It also looks like there has been a lintel put in do you think? It just looks like something is across the bricks.

Just to add a little more (not sure if it helps), the room directly above has a large opening an remnents of and old fire. Maybe it would be of similar size?

 

[vinn]

Remove plaster from the face of the chimney breast up to about 1200mm height - stay away about 50mm from the outside corners.
You will reveal the original brick arch or some kind of original lintel. You will also reveal the infill inside the original fireplace opening.
Post pics of the c/breast when its exposed.

What do you intend with the pump and pipework?

Why not remove all chattels and debris and pull back or remove the carpet to expose any hearth - I would also remove the skirting around the c/breast and in the c/breast recesses.

The flue and the opening needs wire brushing & sweeping (& any other flues in the house) and the chimney stack and terminals need examining.

What is your long term plan for this c/breast?

edit: just seen the other reply and the latest pic:
That fireplace arrangement is very old.
Is there another flue to the left?
Do you have a basement?

You will be safe to remove any infill below the brick arch if thats what you want?

 

[Timmy_otool]

I want to remove the old pipework and pump. Ideally I'm wanting to open the space up and put a fire inside. I'll attach a pic of what I'm aiming towards, allbeit the picture is more grand compared to what I have.

The last image I added (above) showed the bedroom fire that I uncovered. I unplugged lots of rubbish from the chimney breast myself and now when I look up, I can see the sky!

 

[Doggit]

If you're doing this yourself, then you'll need to do it under a building control notice. The BCO will come out and have a look at what you intend to do, and they'll tell you how wide they'll allow you to open up the fireplace, but as Vinn says, if there's a basement, and another flue coming up, then it may not go that wide. The picture of the room above shows the ground floor flue coming up the left hand side of the chimney breast, and it's possible that there are two flues coming up.

What are you intending to do with the bedroom opening, as it looks as though the arch could do with rebuilding.

 

[Timmy_otool]

I'm not 100% sure what I am doing with the upstairs one. There are 2 flues though, I can tell when looking up the bedroom chimney. It curves and there are 2 on the roof.

There is no basement, and the ground floor is made of concrete.

Maybe this is a little too dangerous to try myself.

 

[Doggit]

It just depends on your brickwork skills, nothing dangerous if it if it's done properly.

With the ground floor being concrete, you've got a ready made hearth that just needs tiling, or a piece of heat proof glass.

You sweep the chimneys, clean the brickwork, open up the chimney breast, install a closure plate and possibly a liner, then set the stove in place and seal it. You finish off with a CO alarm and a chimney cowel, then the BCO will come in and check you're work.

 

[Timmy_otool]

Well, I chipped some plaster away. Then some more... and more. Basically I chipped it all off! So it's pretty obvious that the bricks in the centre were added at a later date, but I'm unsure about removing them as the original brickwork looks weak.

If you look closely under the arch, you can see a metal piece, that is helping to support the bricks I think.

I'm not confident that removing the inner/newer bricks is a good idea.

What do you think?

 

[vinn]

Clean off at either end of the arch (expose the brick bits and beds) and post pics.
Its safe, nothing will collapse.

The metal bar is acting as a kind of lintel below the brick arch - it was a common practice.

You will most probably be able to remove a couple of bricks at either end where support looks weak and insert a couple of bricks at each end that will fully support the arch metal bar - make sure the new brickwork is in line with the old brickwork opening jambs.
You could even rake out and point up the perp joints in the arch bricks while you are doing the end bits.
When the new mortar has set (24 to 30 hours) then begin to remove the infill bricks.

There's no need to notify building control.

The rounded wood corner pieces need gentle awareness - they are difficult to re-set if you knock them.

 

[Timmy_otool]

I just think it all looks so weak, and that metal support under the arch is so old maybe it isnt as strong as it was?

Anyway... so you think I should place fresh bricks under the outer sides of the metal then it is safe to batter out the centre new bricks?

What do you mean by rounded wood corner pieces?

 

[Doggit]

It looks weak simply because it's old, and in need of repair, but it's all manageable. The metal bar was put in place as they built the chimney, to allow them to build the brick lintel on top of it, but there was no need for the metal bar after that.

You first need to decide what you want to achieve; do you just want to keep the arch as is, or give it a rounded effect that requires no bar. If the former, then you need to rake out the joints, and then repoint them. If you want to go for a rounded arch, then you'll need to support the bricks above the current arch with a strong boy acrow, take out all the bricks below it, make a wooden form for the arch, and then pack the bricks back in.

Vinns right in that you don't need to inform building control for this work; I was just suggesting you ask them how wide you could make the opening when they do the initial inspection for the wood burner install, and that's the part where you do need to call in building control.

 

[Timmy_otool]

If I dont need to inform building regs, I'm going to assume I can go over tomorrow and hammer out those inner bricks allbeit, nervously!

 

[Timmy_otool]

It never fell down!

Just have some odd pipes to sort now!

 

[Doggit]

Well done, and you've got a liner there as well. Now what do you intend to do with the arch.