Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be asking if the builders have?

2) what insurance do they need to have?

If there are any pointers that you recommend I do, they too will be greatly appreciated.

On 30/07/2012 20:06, suzi_q wrote:
Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of
removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs
that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be
asking if the builders have?

2) what insurance do they need to have?

If there are any pointers that you recommend I do, they too will be
greatly appreciated.

That is a job that needs building regulations approval, which will
almost certainly require a structural engineer's report. The structural
engineer ought to know which builders in the area are capable of
tackling the work satisfactorily. So, your first step is to look up
structural engineers in your area.

Colin Bignell

On 30/07/2012 21:16, Nightjar wrote:
On 30/07/2012 20:06, suzi_q wrote:
Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of
removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs
that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be
asking if the builders have?

2) what insurance do they need to have?

If there are any pointers that you recommend I do, they too will be
greatly appreciated.

That is a job that needs building regulations approval, which will
almost certainly require a structural engineer's report. The structural
engineer ought to know which builders in the area are capable of
tackling the work satisfactorily. So, your first step is to look up
structural engineers in your area.

Colin Bignell

Slightly more detail needed, e.g does the stack have to come down too?
Are you looking to leave it supported after removing the breast? Age and
construction of property?

My house had an internal chimney added to an older stone structure.
Before I moved in the stack had been removed and the roof completely
replaced, leaving a simple brick structure inside which was easy enough
to remove.

If it is a chimney on a party wall, approach your neighbour
about removing the whole visible stack - assuming they don't
actually use the chimney. I've seen too many shared stacks
cut in half and the don't half look a mess.

JGH

On 30/07/2012 22:57, wrote:
If it is a chimney on a party wall, approach your neighbour
about removing the whole visible stack - assuming they don't
actually use the chimney. I've seen too many shared stacks
cut in half and the don't half look a mess.

If it is on a party wall, then the Party Wall Act applies and
consultation with the neighbour is essential.

Colin Bignell

"suzi_q" wrote in message
...

Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of
removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs
that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be
asking if the builders have?

2) what insurance do they need to have?

If there are any pointers that you recommend I do, they too will be
greatly appreciated.




--
suzi_q

I thought this was a DIY site.
I have removed several chimnys, but always the lot, from top to bottom.

Apart from mess, roof /ceiling repairs and work involved, the main problem I
have found is the back of the chimney may not line up with the walls on
either side, So, you are left with removing that as well or chiselling
away/filling in the hole in the brickwork. Really hard going that one.

Another problem is that the chimney may support the roof structure and
alternative support must be found.
I think trying to remove the chimney breast while leaving the stack is a
very bad idea regardless of the dodges one sees advocated.
You do gain a lot of space.

In article ,
Nightjar writes:
On 30/07/2012 20:06, suzi_q wrote:
Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of
removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs
that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be
asking if the builders have?

2) what insurance do they need to have?

If there are any pointers that you recommend I do, they too will be
greatly appreciated.

That is a job that needs building regulations approval, which will
almost certainly require a structural engineer's report. The structural
engineer ought to know which builders in the area are capable of
tackling the work satisfactorily. So, your first step is to look up
structural engineers in your area.

Back when mine was done (1980's), BR approval was not required
providing it was being dismantled from the top, and providing
it was not leaving half a stack above the roof (as you might
be inclined to with a shared stack, and this is apparently
because any remaining exposed stack will almost always need to
be completely rebuilt).

In my case, it was the neighbour who wanted to remove the full
chimney breast, and they did not need BR approval providing they
also removed my half of the stack above the roof, which they did.

The BCO came and looked at my half in the loft before declaring
it didn't need any BCO approval, so there may have been some other
factors he saw that I wasn't aware of.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

harryagain wrote:

Another problem is that the chimney may support the roof structure and
alternative support must be found.
I think trying to remove the chimney breast while leaving the stack
is a very bad idea regardless of the dodges one sees advocated.
You do gain a lot of space.

I don't know why people fuss over removing chimney breasts - I've removed
dozens of them and never had any problems.

People seem to think that they are a freestanding structure that the house
is built around, and by removing the bottom, the whole lot will cave-in,
this has never happened and never will because they are keyed into the
external wall at each side, so an inverted V shape of brickwork may fall,
but that's it.

Some steel gallows above the bedroom ceiling, at each side and below the mid
feathers and all is sound again.

"Phil L" wrote in message
...
harryagain wrote:

Another problem is that the chimney may support the roof structure and
alternative support must be found.
I think trying to remove the chimney breast while leaving the stack
is a very bad idea regardless of the dodges one sees advocated.
You do gain a lot of space.

I don't know why people fuss over removing chimney breasts - I've removed
dozens of them and never had any problems.

People seem to think that they are a freestanding structure that the house
is built around, and by removing the bottom, the whole lot will cave-in,
this has never happened and never will because they are keyed into the
external wall at each side, so an inverted V shape of brickwork may fall,
but that's it.

tell that to my dads next door neighbour.
They decided to take the fire place out and started at the bottom.
They had the whole concrete lining and the outer chimney fall in.
None of it was tied into the external wall and it was completely free
standing.

Some steel gallows above the bedroom ceiling, at each side and below the
mid feathers and all is sound again.

On 30/07/2012 20:06, suzi_q wrote:
Just after some advice. I have bought a house with intentions of
removing the chimney breast and having read on various pages the needs
that differing situations involve I have a few questions.

1) when asking for quotes what qualification/accreditations will I be
asking if the builders have?


Understanding of gravity?

Next door neighbour hired some dodgy builders that started removing
bricks at the bottom. The resulting crash was his chiminey through our
garage roof.... oh, how we laughed (not)

--
Adrian C