Breaking chimneys in a house

I'm a bit worried about the damage the work can do on the otherside
but the council said it would be good to let the neighbor know that I'm going to do this
but not neccesary supposedly.

He's got his chimneys in - the council said that is a good thing

the process in this borough is

1. apply online
2. pay your fee £250 ish
3. Tell them the date you are doing the work (48 hours+)
4. someone comes out on day we remove bricks
5. then at the end one more visit and we get paper work etc.

they just want the money really
but looking at the list there are all sorts of other prices in there like changing the windows wth??
 
You wouldn't really be able to take the chimney stack down from the roof if the neighbour is still using their chimneys. Unless you are planning on halving it which I guess would be messy.
 
psd99 said:
I'm a bit worried about the damage the work can do on the otherside
but the council said it would be good to let the neighbor know that I'm going to do this
but not neccesary supposedly.

He's got his chimneys in - the council said that is a good thing

the process in this borough is

1. apply online
2. pay your fee £250 ish
3. Tell them the date you are doing the work (48 hours+)
4. someone comes out on day we remove bricks
5. then at the end one more visit and we get paper work etc.

they just want the money really
but looking at the list there are all sorts of other prices in there like changing the windows wth??
Click to expand...

You have been badly advised, if the chimney breast is back to back with your neighbour then you will need a party wall agreement. Do not proceed without one!
 
Thankfully, a party wall agreement cannot stop the work from going ahead. Unfortunately, it does give the neighbour the option to appoint their own party wall surveyor at your expense. This has also become a bit like ambulance chasing for some party wall firms...
 
Did this at my mum and dads house in the lounge. Didn't bother removing it from the upstairs or loft. Funnily enough he didn't need to put any supports in place as it was a very slim chimney breast. Still not sure if he was right in it not needing a support but has been fine for the past 10 years. Don't think they bothered getting a party wall agreement either. Just cracked on with the kangol!

Extremely messy work though. Make sure you wear dust masks and sheet up as much as possible and keep doors shut so it doesn't spread through the house. Absolutely horrible work and something I wouldn't wish to do again!
 
Well just to share with you all I have already received one quote for the job

full chimney removal coming to £5000
this also includes removing a bathroom wall

feels slightly high so I will see what the other builders come back with.
 
psd99 said:
Well just to share with you all I have already received one quote for the job

full chimney removal coming to £5000
this also includes removing a bathroom wall

feels slightly high so I will see what the other builders come back with.
Click to expand...

Could you not just get a quote in for supporting the chimney stack in the loft and then you do the demolition yourself?

We literally just took a sledgehammer to the chimney breast and hired a Kangol which ripped through the bricks.. It shouldn't take long if there are 4-5 of you in reality. Couple people breaking and the rest shipping waste to the skip. I'd say a weekends work in demolition and cleanup.
 
psd99 said:
Well just to share with you all I have already received one quote for the job

full chimney removal coming to £5000
this also includes removing a bathroom wall

feels slightly high so I will see what the other builders come back with.
Click to expand...

This is a reasonable fee if they will also make good after the removal? I would definitely consider it , I did my own removal and although I saved money it took a lot of work

This is how I did it

Get the Party wall agreement signed
Hire structural engineer - get drawings
Buy steel section, wood for joists
Hire equipment - trestles ,acroprops, skip etc.
Use props to take weight of wall and insert the steel, shim gaps with slate and mortar
Remove bricks starting from the top
Insert new joists if needed, level up old joists if needed

My chimney stack was left but propped up with a small bit of steel and the upstairs wall supported by a 200x200 x 3800 steel

The breasts and downstairs wall filled 2x 8yard skips

There was a ton of soot and it covered everything, such messy work

It took a few weeks to do it all but I only had help for the major parts such as inserting the steel , setting up the props


If someone told me 5k for all that then id have snapped their arm off heh
 
I have had this done myself, if you plan to remove the bottom of the stack then you or the builders must inform building control at the council, it's easier if you remove the chimney from the roof first as this does not warrant building control then, we were lucky our neighbours didn't use their chimney as they had their side removed upto the loft, our stack was removed up to the first floor originally from the last owners so we payed £1200 to have it taken down from the roof to the loft floor, the rest will taken down when we start on the bedrooms.
 
R.O.S.S.I said:
Could you not just get a quote in for supporting the chimney stack in the loft and then you do the demolition yourself?

We literally just took a sledgehammer to the chimney breast and hired a Kangol which ripped through the bricks.. It shouldn't take long if there are 4-5 of you in reality. Couple people breaking and the rest shipping waste to the skip. I'd say a weekends work in demolition and cleanup.
Click to expand...

He has given me a quote of £850 for just supporting the chimney stack in the loft itself.
that sounds like a good quote

could save a lot of money doing it myself!
 
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