On 21 Apr 2006 09:55:26 -0700, "legin"
wrote:

Unfortunately some idiot has previously removed the chimney breast from

the cellar level, leaving the chimney above unsupported! They've
removed the hearth slab and mantel, so the weight isn't too bad, and
they've filled the gap with matching floorboards (stripped floors).
However there's a 4' x 1' chimney breast hanging there with nowt
beneath. If you look up from below, you can see right up the flue and
practically out of the top.


I often wonder at the hysteria that people get into when faced with
these problems. Assuming that the chimney is 4' wide and projects about
1'. Is it acually 1' or more probably10" single brick (9" plus plaster)
or 14" brick and a half. The chimney will be built out of the existing
flank wall so is corbelled back into the existing wall. snip

I took the chimney breast out from the kitchen back bedroom of this
1897 end-of-terrace place and finally took the (small) stack down and
the remaining breast when the roof was refurbed (slates stripped,
lined, replaced).

I started by supporting the front face with an acro but soon found
that in spite of the mortar being mainly sand it was fairly well keyed
into the wall and wasn't 'falling' anywhere.

As most of the bricks were removed (by hand) intact I used them to
refill the 4 1/2" void ;-)

We still have the other two chimney breasts that like Nigels merge in
the loft to a common (and shared with next door) stack. We still need
these as we don't have central heating but just two wall mounted gas
fires downstairs (that are rarely on). Probably just as well the way
gas prices are going! ;-(

All the best ..

T i m