Recommendation - fire / fake chimney breast removal

Jimjay

Hi.
2 bed mid terrace.
I will be removing the fire and fake chimney breast from the front sitting room.
Any one else done this? Did you do it yourself or get someone in?
Any recommendations for someone to do it? I will need it removing, wall and ceiling made good and wood floor gap filling. Obviously gas pipe closed off too. Not too bothered about floor varnish matching at mo as sofa will go there but will eventually get floor sanded and revarnished.

Thanks in advance.

Charlie-Bravo

Jimjay, just a note: there's a soil pipe coming from the upstairs bathroom which will still need to be encased and will protrude into the room somewhat.

Jimjay

astrofluff wrote: »

Jimjay, just a note: there's a soil pipe coming from the upstairs bathroom which will still need to be encased and will protrude into the room somewhat.

Thanks for that tip. Have you seen the pipe in there before? The chimney doesnt seem to be near to the bathroom so i wouldnt have thought about that. I suppose it wouldnt be too bad a feature boxed in ( unless it is just thrown down rather than against the wall)

Jimjay

Just double checked and the edge of the chimney does line up to the bathroom.
Thanks agin for th tip, something to keep in mind

Charlie-Bravo

I saw a house in the Court with the fireplace removed and the pipe boxed-out. They had a large corner sofa which fitted nicely but I felt the sofa was too big for the room. Unfortunately the boxed out pipe took away from the clean line effect - but as you say, make a feature of it rather than trying to hide it.

So here's the 'Joey' question - what will all your furniture be pointing at?

the Lamb Post

Hi Jimjay,

Was just wondering did you happen to progress this any further??

Thought about doing it myself and was just wondering was it expensive to do, much trouble to carry out etc.

Was contemplating carrying it out myself so was just curious was there any pitfalls to keep an eye out for.

Any info would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Jimjay

the Lamb Post wrote: »

Hi Jimjay,

Was just wondering did you happen to progress this any further??

Thought about doing it myself and was just wondering was it expensive to do, much trouble to carry out etc.

Was contemplating carrying it out myself so was just curious was there any pitfalls to keep an eye out for.

Any info would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Hi. Well, considering doing it myself. Got a quote of 1200 euro which was more than i expected and that didnt include the flooring for the space that would be left. I think main thing would be getting someone to cap off gas then just rip it out. :-) i would still have to get a plasterer in.

Honestly!

Jimjay wrote: »

Hi. Well, considering doing it myself. Got a quote of 1200 euro which was more than i expected and that didnt include the flooring for the space that would be left. I think main thing would be getting someone to cap off gas then just rip it out. :-) i would still have to get a plasterer in.

You know there are 4" drain pipes in that fake breast wall?

2011

Jimjay wrote: »

I will be removing the fire and fake chimney breast from the front sitting room.

Just wondering, why are you doing this?

bido

Jimjay wrote: »

Hi. Well, considering doing it myself. Got a quote of 1200 euro which was more than i expected and that didnt include the flooring for the space that would be left. I think main thing would be getting someone to cap off gas then just rip it out. :-) i would still have to get a plasterer in.

You should get in touch with Maudi he is a great plasterer and lives in The Wood .He would be a help in getting advice on your job.:D

Jimjay

2011 wrote: »

Just wondering, why are you doing this?

Because it is a waste of space.

Thanks Bido, maudi is currently doing some work for me at the moment :-)

2011

Jimjay wrote: »

Because it is a waste of space.

Fair enough, I never liked gas fires anyway.
I guess it would provide a good location to mount a flat screen TV.
I prefer this to having them in the corner.

I asssume you feel that the room will be warm enough without the fire?

I always take this type of oppertunity (plasterer on site) to run in a few cables if it makes sense.

Good luck with it.

recedite

2011 wrote: »

I asssume you feel that the room will be warm enough without the fire?

There are two vents on the external wall in the room, one high up and one low. These two vents are mandatory in a room with a flueless gas fire. They set up a draught to take away the fumes. With the fire gone, the lower vent can be filled in and plastered over. The higher one can be fitted with an adjustable plastic cover, so it can be closed in winter. The room could possibly end up warmer than it was, as a result of eliminating the draught.

2011

recedite wrote: »

There are two vents on the external wall in the room, one high up and one low. These two vents are mandatory in a room with a flueless gas fire. They set up a draught to take away the fumes. With the fire gone, the lower vent can be filled in and plastered over. The higher one can be fitted with an adjustable plastic cover, so it can be closed in winter. The room could possibly end up warmer than it was, as a result of eliminating the draught.

Clever idea. That should make a big difference.
Regarding the vent that you block up; it would be good to use expanding foam before you plaster for a complete seal.

Maudi

there have been several discussions on here about the safety of some of the gas fire (place) appliances in charlesland..some folks reporting gassy smells or feeling drowsey ..we personally never ever use the gas fire for heat and i think a lot of folks feel the same way.some people dont realise the chimneypots are fake and the fire breast in your sitting room isint real..its timber and slab .the gas fire uses (i think) a sort of catalitic converter to extract the fumes with the two vents as back up.

recedite

Cat. convertor is supposed to make the fumes cleaner, but there is no actual extract to the outside like there is with the boiler. A carbon monoxide alarm would probably alert you to an excessive build up of combustion gases though. I once lived in a flat with a kerosene "paraglow" type floor standing heater; the fumes from that were worse than any gas fire, really eye watering after an hour or two.

Maudi

agreed.the cat.converter in the charlesland gas fires appliance is what you are depending on for your life..rumour has it they dont work properly..i dont use the gas fireplace at all ..ever..id be interested to hear who does and is happy using their gas fire appliance.

dr ro

Surely if they were actually dangerous there would already have been a serious incident. Maybe it's a case of the cat degrading over time although I don't know if this happens. There was mention somewhere that they were bought cheap from England where that model was made illegal. Our one is gone though.

2011

Maudi wrote: »

agreed.the cat.converter in the charlesland gas fires appliance is what you are depending on for your life..

......and the howling gale that blows through these sitting rooms.

Seriously it can be very "fresh" in there on windy days.
This is why removing the gas fire is more appealing to me in terms of loosing a vent rather than gaining a small amount of space.

Maudi

2011 wrote: »

......and the howling gale that blows through these sitting rooms.

Seriously it can be very "fresh" in there on windy days.
This is why removing the gas fire is more appealing to me in terms of loosing a vent rather than gaining a small amount of space.

i wouldnt recommend blocking the vents..if theres any chance of somebody using the fire ..what if a babysitter or someone house sitting used it too dodgy.in saying that there is quite a gale comes thru the vents and i have my lower on blocked the higher one on open /close vent..and theres a good bit of space gained all the same especially in the two beds where space is tight..taking in the surround and the actual breast id say there must be two square meters of space gained (astro would be better able to say than me)

2011

Maudi wrote: »

i wouldnt recommend blocking the vents..if theres any chance of somebody using the fire ..

Agree totally, and have never suggested otherwise.

However removal of the gas fire would make it possible to permanently block the lower vent, thus reducing the draft.

Maudi

2011 wrote: »

Agree totally, and have never suggested otherwise.

However removal of the gas fire would make it possible to permanently block the lower vent, thus reducing the draft.

yes re.read your post..apologies.

Jimjay

Ref space saved, its not just the two m sq of physical space. You need to takr into account that you will be able to use that wall, say for a chair or sofa which you cannot do with it there.
I have some spare time next moth and plan on ripping it out then.

2011

Jimjay wrote: »

I have some spare time next moth and plan on ripping it out then.

Great.

Can you post the before / during / after photos?
It would be very interesting to see.

Jimjay

2011 wrote: »

Great.

Can you post the before / during / after photos?
It would be very interesting to see.

Will do :-)

pixbyjohn

Jimjay wrote: »

Will do :-)

In HDR please :eek:

Jimjay

pixbyjohn wrote: »

In HDR please :eek:

Will do :-)

the Lamb Post

Jimjay wrote: »

I have some spare time next moth and plan on ripping it out then.

Any joy on this work Jimjay??

Since I mentioned it, the other half now has it in her head that it would be a really great idea to carry this out and won't leave me alone now until it's done :rolleyes:

I know this is going to end up with new couches and all... "we'll need something to fill the wall" :eek:

Charlie-Bravo

the Lamb Post wrote: »

"we'll need something to fill the wall" :eek:

Here you go...this will fill it:

84" CLASS ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION 3D TV WITH SMART TV

Jimjay

Only just gotten round to doing this. Was going to wait until Painting / Floor and Skirting were done but here it is at the moment. Will post another pic when complete.

We have just had our bathroom done by Stephen Roche. A builder and Charlesland Resident. it is beautiful and i would highly recommend him. A two bed terrace, we got a bigger bath in and a separate shower! While doing the bathroom and moving the piping around we had to get in to the fireplace anyway so Stephen knocked it out for us at the same time.
It would be great if there wasn't a pipe box running down where the chimney was but not only have we gained some space but also gained a whole side of the room too.


Hmm rotation is odd. Click the attachment and i will show correct way up

BTW, the mains gas pipe to the kitchen ran straight across the middle of the fake chimney breast. We had to have this traced in to the wall.

tp25

Jimjay wrote: »

Only just gotten round to doing this. Was going to wait until Painting / Floor and Skirting were done but here it is at the moment. Will post another pic when complete.

We have just had our bathroom done by Stephen Roche. A builder and Charlesland Resident. it is beautiful and i would highly recommend him. A two bed terrace, we got a bigger bath in and a separate shower! While doing the bathroom and moving the piping around we had to get in to the fireplace anyway so Stephen knocked it out for us at the same time.
It would be great if there wasn't a pipe box running down where the chimney was but not only have we gained some space but also gained a whole side of the room too.


Hmm rotation is odd. Click the attachment and i will show correct way up

BTW, the mains gas pipe to the kitchen ran straight across the middle of the fake chimney breast. We had to have this traced in to the wall.

nice, would you show how the bathroom looks like, I'm thinking about mine.

Still not decided what to do. Where did he squeeze the shower?

the Lamb Post

Looks great... really got me thinking now.

Also REALLY curious about the bathroom. Did you extend it?? There's no way you could get a separate shower AND a bigger bath in my bathroom.

Jimjay, if you wouldn't mind could you PM me Stephen's number please, would much rather have the work carried out by a local, as well as someone who now knows the pitfalls.

I assume you obviously had to get someone registered to cap off the gas etc. or did Stephen do everything for you?

Thanks a million.

Jimjay

the Lamb Post wrote: »

Looks great... really got me thinking now.

Also REALLY curious about the bathroom. Did you extend it?? There's no way you could get a separate shower AND a bigger bath in my bathroom.

Jimjay, if you wouldn't mind could you PM me Stephen's number please, would much rather have the work carried out by a local, as well as someone who now knows the pitfalls.

I assume you obviously had to get someone registered to cap off the gas etc. or did Stephen do everything for you?

Thanks a million.

Will send you his number.
No extension :-)

Stephen arranged a gas registered plumber to sort the gas pipe in chimney and also do the plumbing in bathroom.

Bath was moved to end wall, gap between bath and hot press used for shower and toilet and sink moved over a bit towards the door.
Old bath was 1700mm x 700mm new is 1800mm x 800mm

It is a wet room spec, the walls and floor were replaced and fibreglassed lined to water seal the whole room. We will be getting a frameless shower door which folds back against hotpress wall but its a custom built thing.


Here are the pics.

Charlie-Bravo

Fantastic job Jimjay - Using a 14mm-24mm lense by any chance?

I would like to have a chat with you about this offline...

Jimjay

astrofluff wrote: »

Fantastic job Jimjay - Using a 14mm-24mm lense by any chance?

I would like to have a chat with you about this offline...

10-22mm actually :-)

no problem give me a call or pm.

tp25

Did you leave the box on the wall for the reason, e.g. the gas valve location?

I wonder why you didn't try to make this wall completely flat e.g. without the box?

Charlie-Bravo

tp25 wrote: »

Did you leave the box on the wall for the reason, e.g. the gas valve location?

I wonder why you didn't try to make this wall completely flat e.g. without the box?

Post #2

tp25

astrofluff wrote: »

Post #2

in two bed's?

The soil pipe as far as I know runs straight down through the kitchen (the box which is in the kitchen).

I've seen these boxes in all kitchens, does jimjay have a different setup?

Charlie-Bravo

If the kitchen is in the front of the house then yes. This is a living room in the front of the house. The pipe goes through all 'front rooms' of the 2 beds!

tp25

that's true, the ''designer'' of these layouts was really ''smart'' by sticking these pipes wherever he could..

Jimjay

tp25 wrote: »

Did you leave the box on the wall for the reason, e.g. the gas valve location?

I wonder why you didn't try to make this wall completely flat e.g. without the box?

Hi. Would loved to have a flat wall but the box contains the down pipe for waste from bathroom above.
Cheers