Chimney breast removal, London prices?

sg0

sg0

sg0

Associate
Joined
10 Jan 2013
Posts
225
Hi all,

Looking to get my breasts removed from the ground floor and upstairs. There is no stack to deal with because of an earlier job so it shouldn't be difficult.

Been quoted £5096 and £5250(with complete ceiling replacement on ground floor.) I can't see any steel work that is needed but not 100% sure what to look out for in this respect.

Seem steep to me...Any thoughts?

Happy New Year.
 
I guess it would all depend on how structural the fire places are with regard to the rest of the house. It can be a big job.
With both prices being similar that is probably the going price for your particular case but you should get a couple more quotes just to be sure.
If these quotes are similar to the others then that's the price.
 
I'm sure you will be anyway, but it's worth mentioning to check on their Public Liability Insurance policy regarding excesses and any exclusions, etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
Given any consideration to doing it yourself? Where abouts in the house does it fall?

We've taken two chimneys out completely as part of our renovations, other than manual labour it's relatively simple and straightforward process if you've got the time.

Then pay a professional plasterer/decorator for the "making it look pretty" afterwards.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
Thanks guys. Yeah I was debating doing the removal myself but I have a feeling it would extend the completion time my months!.
 
sg0 said:
Thanks guys. Yeah I was debating doing the removal myself but I have a feeling it would extend the completion time my months!.
Click to expand...
When I bought my first house in London, about 10 years ago, we got the chimney stack removed from above the roof and down to the floor of the loft.

I think I paid about £2000-£2500, and they did it without any scaffolding, took all the bricks away, and did that within a day. I moved to Hastings in 2021, and paid just under £3000 to have the stack removed and a few other bits of repair work, but that included scaffolding. Id say that what you've been quoted isn't too bad of a price if they include scaffolding, and removal disposal of all the bricks.

As others have mentioned, it is easy to do yourself. I didn't do the stacks because i didn't want to get on a roof, but me, my ex wife, my dad, her mum and my brother managed to take all the breasts out in one day. There was 4 in total.

Then I did the ceilings a couple of days after. This is also coming from someone at the time, that had absolutely no DIY experience other than holding things for my dad, and being sworn at because I was doing that wrong.

The mess and dust is absolutely immense though. You'll be finding it for a long time, so make sure you seal your other rooms up as best you can.
 
Last edited:
Paying £2.5k for a twin stack removal in Bristol, albeit a bungalow.

Edit. so the stack up to the roof is gone? If so £5k is a joke of a price. It's probably 2 days of work for 2 people to get you back to plasterboard ready for skimming. Materials will be a few meters of C16 joists and 2 sheets of plasterboard, £50-100.cNot sure on labour rates for London but would guess £300 per person per day. It should be no more than £2k inc VAT.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
Why do you want rid of a chimney in this day and age with energy prices as they are, I would have thought a real fireplace would be sought after no? Just wondering. :)
 
jaybee said:
Why do you want rid of a chimney in this day and age with energy prices as they are, I would have thought a real fireplace would be sought after no? Just wondering. :)
Click to expand...

Got a real fireplace in an 80s bungalow here and it's really not an economical way to heat the house. 90% is just going straight up the chimney. If you had a wood burner it might be better, but our central heating absolutely destroys it in terms of cost efficiency and heat output (and we're on an oil fired boiler at that).
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
Wow at some of the quoted prices for chimney stack removals. I paid just over £600 a year ago in the west midlands for a stack removal. Granted the guy told me he would use scaffolding (he didn't) and also never took the bricks away... but it's a huge difference to what people have paid in this thread. I guess area really does matter when it comes down to it.
 
I'm London and paid 3.5k ex VAT three years ago, so that sounds about right if you factor in ceiling/maybe some lighting works too.

Just make sure they prop up the remaining stack securely in the loft (I had a structural engineer specify a plate & bracket) as structural integrity is the most important thing. And they should remove all the crap and dirt to skip cleanly as it's a really messy job. Depending on property age and quality, you may want to retain some of the good bricks too so bear that in mind.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
So a colleague of mine has a relative in the trade and he said around £3500. He works in Gloucestershire.

Yeah no stack to deal with just the breasts inside the property 37cm x 147cm and 37cm x 115cm (DxW).

The rooms are not big, around 5mx5m and a bay window.

2 more quotes on the way. Lets see
 
Last edited:
sg0 said:
Thanks guys. Yeah I was debating doing the removal myself but I have a feeling it would extend the completion time my months!.
Click to expand...
Before considering yourself, do you have a front garden or drive for a skip to be hired. Just thinking of the hidden extras that could be involved
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
offroad skip would be about £300. There won't be that much brick so an 8 yard would do it. The work is in the making good as the bricks are usually tied into the walls for obvious reasons. As I said, my price for a twin stack in North Bristol is 2.5k and that includes all blocking up and patching and tiling the void left in the roof.

Fingers crossed you get some more reasonable quotes!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sg0
sg0 said:
Hi all,

Looking to get my breasts removed
Click to expand...

I'm disappointed that this many posts in, no jokes have been made yet :D

On the topic though, seems quite steep. We've gotten rid of 2 chimney stacks on the ground and first floor, and then got a builder to do it in the loft where they left it stepped into the wall as an additional job. I think we didn't get the full thing removed because I think we need planning permission because it affects the front view of the property.

It's not exactly the same job but it didn't add anywhere near that much to the cost of works.
 
Last edited:
Just in the interest of sharing info I received 2 more quotes from local builders, get ready... £13,000! and £12,000! 4 days work for each room said one builder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom