Farouq wrote:
Hi all,

I am thinking of getting a gas fire installed in my lounge which has a
chimney that is currently not in use.

Its an old house (1930's) and the chimney is a brick one.

The fire surround is made of brick and the hole in which a gas fire
will need to be fitted is rather small (29cm wide, 60cm height).

I went to B&Q today and have found a Valor Gas fire but the required
opening into the chimney is larger than the dimensions mentioned
above. It looks like the installer will need to cut into the stone
surround but these stones are big and I don't know whether this can
be easily done.

Did you actually measure at the back of the fire where the outlet is? - I
can't imagine that 29cm is too small in width...the 60cm in height is
definately not a problem.


Another option is to have the whole surround removed demolished and
have a fire basket and gas engine put in for a traditional look.

I'm not sure what to do. Should I go for the Valor gas fi

http://tinyurl.com/n8dsx

Or perhaps a grate and fire engine:

http://tinyurl.com/n4pg4

Any advise appreciated.

The choice is entirely yours, whichever you like better, it all depends on
how much money you want to spend and how much mess you want in your house,
taking chimneys down creates a lot of soot and dust, chipping an inch or two
of brickwork away does not (much!) and is considerably cheaper.