Opening up the back side of a chimney

liamo333

Hello hello!

Maybe a little difficult to explain but I'll give it a go. There's an old bricked up chimney stack sorrounded with cabinets on each side in our breakfast room. We had always assumed that the opening with the lintel was on the breakfast room side but it seems that actually it's on the other side in the dining room.

We would like to open up the chimney into the breakfast room to install a 4kw stove. I work in heavy construction but don't know f-all about block work. Having stuck a camera down everything looks well and intact and that it would take a stove nicely.

Question is. What kind of support is necessary when installing a new lintel? From research online it seems that a lot of builders won't support the block work from underneath whilst doing the work. Is this common enough? Would it be ok to knock out all the blocks necessary to put in the new lintel and leave the structure unsupported while doing the work?

I know it's very difficult to give a judgement without being hands on but any feedback would be appreciated! Their not red bricks, their about the same size as a concrete block, but more old school!!!

dathi

hire two acro props and two strong boy wall supports about 80 euro for a week a lot cheaper than rebuilding the entire chimney