CHIMNEY BREAST REMOVAL

TAKING OUT A CHIMNEY BREAST

It might seem like a huge task but for those that know about chimney breast removal it is generally a piece of cake. As long as you are setup right, have the correct tools and know what to do with the bricks and rubble then is just a matter of getting stuck in and getting on with it.

WHAT ABOUT REMOVING A CHIMNEY BREAST DOWNSTAIRS ONLY?
It is certainly possible to take out a chimney breast on the ground floor only but the remainder of the chimney breast to the upper floors has to be supported. How the remaining chimney breast is supported will depend on the engineer who you will need to do a survey and come up with a design to support the upper breasts to the satisfaction of building control who will have a keen interest.

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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REMOVE A CHIMNEY BREAST?

There are a lot of variables that effect the cost of removing a chimney breast. For example, is your property terraced, semidetached or detached? If you are terraced or semidetached then you will need to have a party wall agreement with your neighbour. Depending on how well you get along with the neighbours you could end up spending £0 / £3k on setting up your party wall award. If your property is detached, you won't need a party wall agreement so no fees.
 

You also have to look at building control and the building regulations who will require layout plans, as well as an engineer's design and calcs for the project. If you consider the cost of basic layout plans, reasonable engineering fees then you are looking at another £1.2k / £1.5k in fees. Don't forget that building control will also have fees so expect to pay them another £500 or so.

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Next up is the builder whose fees will vary greatly depending on what the job involves. For example, is the chimney breast to be removed in an occupied or furnished home? Is the chimney breast on the ground floor or upper floors? Age of the property as the brickwork on modern homes is far more difficult to remove than on a period property.
Other considerations will include the actual bricks. Are they salvageable? Can they be repurposed or will all the chimney breast end up as rubble. 

What about reinstatement works? When you remove a chimney breast you will end up with a hole in the floor and ceiling. Usually this means installation of new sections of floor and ceiling joists which will need to be boarded over with plasterboard / new floorboards.

Where the chimney breast has been removed you will also need to make good. This is generally done with sand cement rendering to give back support to the party wall and then finished off with finish plaster ready for decorating.

So by now you will have a far better idea of the variables and the work involved in taking out a chimney breast and you should know that it is impossible to provide chimney breast removal costs without a survey as each and every project is entirely different which will have a huge impact on costs. My advice would be to ask AVONPRESS for a free quote as we can usually check your property out online and give you a quote within a few hours.

CAN I REMOVE A CHIMNEY BREAST IN A FLAT?

In short, yes. The only difference with removing a chimney breast in a flat is that you will need a License to Alter from the landlord / freeholder and you will need party wall agreement with the landlord/ freeholder as well as any neighbours if the party wall is shared. As above, you will also need plans, structural design and calcs and building control involvement in the project. 

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WHY SHOULD I USE AVONPRESS TO REMOVE MY CHIMNEY STACKS?

In a nutshell, AVONPRESS are experts at taking out chimney breasts and as we are a design and build firm we also have inhouse architects, engineers and party wall surveyors to provide you with a full package of services.