JB, Lutterworth
Fireplaces can be removed without taking down the chimney stack. It is by far the preferable and cheaper option. It avoids the need to make good the ceiling and the roof. The cost then depends on how the chimney, which is to remain, is supported above the fireplace.
Your first step is to have the chimney swept, and then carefully remove any plaster from the wall immediately above the fireplace, exposing the brickwork. This will allow a surveyor to see how the weight of the chimney is carried. It may be by a short lintel spanning the fireplace, or a longer lintel spanning between load-bearing walls. In your case, the load-bearing walls will be the inner skin of the outside wall and the hall wall. If you find a lintel spanning continuously across the corner between these walls, without any joins, the job is much simpler. Lintels can deteriorate over time, so its adequacy must first be checked by a structural engineer. Assuming the lintel is given the all-clear, the fireplace can be taken out, leaving the lintel and supported chimney intact. This will cost £500-£700.
If there is no lintel, or it only spans between the sides of the fireplace, or if the longer lintel is judged to be inadequate, it will be necessary to insert a new lintel between the load- bearing walls before the fireplace can be safely taken out. This counts as a structural alteration, and you will need building-regulations approval. You will need calculations for the lintel design from a structural engineer; allow £150 for this. The chimney will need to be supported on temporary props while the lintel is inserted, and this will take an extra day, costing about £400.
The builder’s work should include for capping the flue, to prevent rain entering while allowing some air movement to occur, and the internal- room opening sealed off with insulated plasterboard, incorporating an adjustable ventilator. This is in case of condensation within the flue; sweeping the chimney reduces this risk.
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Michael Kilcommons is a chartered civil engineer and chartered insurer, based in Winchester
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