hi Lemonade,
I live on ground floor of a conversion flat.There is just one flat above me-identical in layout.Both have a chimney breast and both are closed in. I want to knock out the chimney breast in my kitchen & hope to leave an open space in the bottom for a storage unit and put 3 shelves above it to store light/decorative items.What are the imlpications to the safety of the upstairs chimney breast.What support does the breast require-e.g.lintels or metal brace-if any.Are chimney breasts often comlicated to knock out and can you remove the flue altogether?I have been given very conflicting advice and quotes for this job.
Thanks Libbi
exposing a chimney breast
Chimney Breast
Hello Libbi
That's a very tricky one, especially without actually looking at it.
Normally it is virtually impossible to just knock down the chimney breast if you're at the bottom as the upper floor's section will be built upon it. Furthermore the flue will be running all the way to the chimney stack, so to remove your flue will involve removing the flue from above your flat too.
Sorry I don't wish to sound negative, but it doesn't seem possible. However as I said before, it's difficult to say for sure without actually looking at it.
Please feel free to PM me if you require further assistance. I'd be glad to help.
Regards
Lemonade
That's a very tricky one, especially without actually looking at it.
Normally it is virtually impossible to just knock down the chimney breast if you're at the bottom as the upper floor's section will be built upon it. Furthermore the flue will be running all the way to the chimney stack, so to remove your flue will involve removing the flue from above your flat too.
Sorry I don't wish to sound negative, but it doesn't seem possible. However as I said before, it's difficult to say for sure without actually looking at it.
Please feel free to PM me if you require further assistance. I'd be glad to help.
Regards
Lemonade
Hi
I am not a builder by any means... but I used to live in a house where the downstairs had the chimney breast knocked out and yet it remained in the room immediately above and went all the way up from there on.When I bought the place I had a full structural survey which didn't even mention the chimney breast as far as I can remember (or if it did it didn't flag it up as a problem). I must admit I did vaguely wonder about whether it was safe at first but I lived there several years and there were never any problems with it as far as I could see and when I sold the place it was never mentioned. The house is still safely standing as far as I know!
I can see it being much more of an issue if you don't own the whole chimney breast but I would have thought that it was possible to do it safely somehow with some kind of lintel/brace etc? Maybe its very expensive? Seems lemonade knows his stuff so I don't want to contradict -I'm just curious about it myself now.
I am not a builder by any means... but I used to live in a house where the downstairs had the chimney breast knocked out and yet it remained in the room immediately above and went all the way up from there on.When I bought the place I had a full structural survey which didn't even mention the chimney breast as far as I can remember (or if it did it didn't flag it up as a problem). I must admit I did vaguely wonder about whether it was safe at first but I lived there several years and there were never any problems with it as far as I could see and when I sold the place it was never mentioned. The house is still safely standing as far as I know!
I can see it being much more of an issue if you don't own the whole chimney breast but I would have thought that it was possible to do it safely somehow with some kind of lintel/brace etc? Maybe its very expensive? Seems lemonade knows his stuff so I don't want to contradict -I'm just curious about it myself now.
Chimney Breast
Hi Jewlz
No please feel free to contradict. I'm sure Libbi will value your input.
As I said without seeing it and actually inspecting the structure, it's very difficult to tell.
No please feel free to contradict. I'm sure Libbi will value your input.
As I said without seeing it and actually inspecting the structure, it's very difficult to tell.