I need some thoughts on removing a chimney breast in one of the bedrooms. I
live in a semi-detached victorian house and the chimney breast in one of the
bedrooms is "in the way". It is on the party wall and has been removed in
the room below (not checked to see how it is supported - just pray there are
no big gusts of wind to find out the hard way...) From the bedroom it goes
into the attic and then out (nothing radical there then). The plan would be
to remove the breast in the bedroom, but not remove it from the attic etc.

Questions:
1. What are the building regs that need to be taken into account?
2. I figure I could use a structural steel beam to support the weight of the
chimney in the attic (where do I get these from and are they expensive?) and
simply lay this across the joists with the brickwork resting upon it. Are
there alternatives to this (have seen some reference to "stress graded
timbers, two 6" by 3" for each chimney")?
3. Do I need to do anything special with the area where the hearth was other
than simply extend the joists and put in new floorboards?
4. What about the impact on the neighbours side (not planning to touch
that...)
5. How would I know if I damage the neighbours flue (is this as obvious as
knocking a brick out and cursing?)
6. Anything else I might want to consider before I undertake this and is it
as simple as it seems?

One other thing....it looks like I may need to notify the neighbour given
that it is a party wall. Only problem is that it is all boarded up at the
moment as the previous tennants were evicted. I think a housing association
manages it. What do we do in that situation?

Thanks
Greg

"Greg" wrote in message


I need some thoughts on removing a chimney breast in one of the bedrooms. I
live in a semi-detached victorian house and the chimney breast in one of the
bedrooms is "in the way". It is on the party wall and has been removed in
the room below (not checked to see how it is supported - just pray there are
no big gusts of wind to find out the hard way...) From the bedroom it goes
into the attic and then out (nothing radical there then). The plan would be
to remove the breast in the bedroom, but not remove it from the attic etc.

If you take a massive slab of weight bearing structure out from the
base, a hell of a lot of the top of it is going to want to fall all over
you sooner or later.

How are you going to get adequate answers from a do it yourself group
for a major architectural engineering problem like that? Sure, someone
may know the text book answers but it is a highly specialised job.


If you are not prepared to take the whole thing out from the top down,
then get expert structural advice.


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You need to be very careful with this type of thing. The weight you leave above the room in the attic can
be more than a tonne, so it needs to supported properly before you can be sure it won't kill anyone lying
in bed below it.

You'll need a structural engineer, permission from your local building control office and a good builder
with up to date insurance.

You local council will also be able to tell you who the next door house belongs to so you can contact
them. This needs time for them to reply to the request for the changes you wish to make, and time for you
to draught a legal letter which covers in a court of law if anything goes wrong with their side and needs
proven that your changes didn't cause it. This is also where the building control office comes in,
because they will inspect the work before, during and after the planned works.

There was a thread on this about the middle of last year, so try googling through the group to see if you
can find the advice that was given then.

Please don't go battering the walls down without knowing what is involved. :-))


---
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This is not a DIY job! You need a structural engineer to advise you and you
will need to comply with the Party Wall Act.

--
Peter Crosland

"Greg" wrote
| 2. I figure I could use a structural steel beam to support the weight
| of the chimney in the attic ... and simply lay this across the joists
| with the brickwork resting upon it.

No ....

The attic joists are almost certainly sized only to take the weight of a
lath and plaster ceiling; even if they are sufficient for an ordinary floor
they may not be sufficient for supporting the weight of a ton of masonry.
The only way you can prove they are is by calculations, which the Building
Control will require to be signed by a Structural Engineer.

Owain

Folks,

Thanks for all the comments. I am happy to know my limitations and accept
that this is not a DIY job - thanks for keeping me straight!

Greg
"Greg" wrote in message
. ..
I need some thoughts on removing a chimney breast in one of the bedrooms.
I
live in a semi-detached victorian house and the chimney breast in one of
the
bedrooms is "in the way". It is on the party wall and has been removed in
the room below (not checked to see how it is supported - just pray there
are
no big gusts of wind to find out the hard way...) From the bedroom it goes
into the attic and then out (nothing radical there then). The plan would
be
to remove the breast in the bedroom, but not remove it from the attic etc.

Questions:
1. What are the building regs that need to be taken into account?
2. I figure I could use a structural steel beam to support the weight of
the
chimney in the attic (where do I get these from and are they expensive?)
and
simply lay this across the joists with the brickwork resting upon it. Are
there alternatives to this (have seen some reference to "stress graded
timbers, two 6" by 3" for each chimney")?
3. Do I need to do anything special with the area where the hearth was
other
than simply extend the joists and put in new floorboards?
4. What about the impact on the neighbours side (not planning to touch
that...)
5. How would I know if I damage the neighbours flue (is this as obvious as
knocking a brick out and cursing?)
6. Anything else I might want to consider before I undertake this and is
it
as simple as it seems?

One other thing....it looks like I may need to notify the neighbour given
that it is a party wall. Only problem is that it is all boarded up at the
moment as the previous tennants were evicted. I think a housing
association
manages it. What do we do in that situation?

Thanks
Greg