[Closed] How do I find out what I've got behind old fireplace?

Make sure there's a lintel in there first. Chop plaster off first maybe before smashing it out?

Put your phone up through the hole and hold it steady for a few shots with flash?

Then what he said!

Roger that. Big stone thing present.

Keep going with plaster?

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Phone flash thing didn't work btw 🙁

Keep going with the plaster to make sure the lintel is properly supported and you can see how wide a hole you can safely make. Then I would use an angle grinder with a diamond disc to cut the motor of the perimeter bricks out instead of smashing them out. Then smash the inner ones. Will be messy though!

I was joking God WHAT HAVE YOU DONE! 😉

That didn't take long, get smashing.(don't take out the bricks holding the lintel up though) 🙂

Sorry for crappy pics, phone only to upload.

Think you can see where it's been bricked up? Lintel only looks like it was resting on less than a brick width??

Below lintel there's two rows, then the third down is all to cock, like a bodge.

Rest look ok.

I'll make a brew and await any insight!

Thanks.

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Looks fine to me. Just take out all those bricks up to lintel. The lintel isn't actually doing much, it only really supports the triangle of bricks directly above it so a small bearing is normal.

It will be messy inside: soot, rubble, builders waste, dead birds. Be ready.

So angle grind mortar around the sides & top, then work top down?

I wouldn't angle grinder it, makes a hell of a mess in the house, just bolster them out.

Chop chop, I expect to see a wood burning stove in there by supper time.

I wouldn't angle grinder it, makes a hell of a mess in the house, just bolster them out.

They're coming out with gentle encouragement....

wot no pics of collapsing bricks and dust???!

aaah, I did that 3 years ago. finally got it finished before christmas (i did other stuff in the house as well!)

Its dirty, nasty work, but worth it in the end, this was it finished two days before christmas, when 14 people invaded it 🙂

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Tea break! 2 vacuum bags already filled.

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Looking good!.

Nice! I took about 30 rubble bags to the tip, they'd had a gas fire in there, and had built up the flue inside the cavity...

Tidy work bearnecessities, it took me ages to clean up after I cleared mine out

Merh, I wouldve taken the whole lot out then tidied up the whole thing before finishing for the day. Looking at the state of the rest of the room it wouldnt make much difference. Buy and restore project?

Looks good though, next installment due 15 mins time?

What are you going for? Log burner or open fire. I'm very jealous. We are thinking of moving so we can have a log burner amongst other things.

Another tea break then final push.

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Is that a tiled hearth in front?

Are you a girl? That needed a tarp on the ground and some special mad time with a lump hammer and a few cold chisels and bolsters! Far too tide for a part-finished job!

We've just taken out an old gas fire and surround, which left a similar small hole. Simple solution - new fire surround and a sheet of mdf as the back panel to cover the hole 😀
We were luckier in the back room, the existing original 1930s tiled fire place behind the gas fire had a proper fire insert bit, so no work required.

Decide what you're having in and get the chimney swept and lined now rather than later when you really won't want the mess!

Done for today; cheers for advice!

Am I ok to take the layer of bricks off that are set out from wall? They're a bit of a half arsed job and there's some weirdness with bricks in bottom left hand corner which are still there.

For example when you try li lift the innermost brick, it's taking the floor with it, almost like it's a sheet of metal? No idea what it is yet.

I've got proper photos on camera if needed.

Ta again!

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If it's shite, it needs to come out anyway. If you want a WBS, you need to strip it back to whatever is solid, and work from there. Looks good though, I reckon those bricks are just infill.

Depends what you're going to do with it. For example if you install a cast iron fireplace you'll have to back fill it anyway so wouldn't bother about the rough bricks.

I just want something that's on fire and that I can stare at 😀

Upstairs the main bedroom has a fire connected to the same chimney - does this affect my options on the ground floor?

Ta.

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They will have separate flues which is why the upstairs fire place is set to one side.

Thanks Rockhopper.

So what options do I have; could I have a stove in both rooms?

I just cleaned by brickwork with a wire brush and sealed them with PVA and left it looking rustic

Tea break! 2 vacuum bags already filled.

Tommorrow pop down to tO B and Q and but a wet and dry vacumn cleaner, it will save you hours of brushing up , can be connected to power tools etc to take of dust, grate value.

grate value

Pun of the week.

I bought a wet 'n' dry thanks to advice here. However, so much crap I abandoned and just carried crap out from here to the skip (skip being the best thing I've spend money on so far)

I'd not recommend anything burning and consuming oxygen in the bedroom. With the replacement double glazing and draughtproofing that will have happened over the years you might have issues with oxygen. It is also believed that you sleep better with the bedroom cooler than the rest of the house and that won't happen with a fire in there!

^ that's probably true. In addition, even with flue liner and vermiculite, plenty of warmth comes through the chimney into our boys room. I sometimes wonder if the flue rests against the brick there - impossible to get it central round the curves in our chimney - but either way, the upstairs room also benefits.