My fireplace - to remove or not to remove?

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:35

So i will be completing the purchase of my first home, very soon.

I just wanted to get peoples' opinions on fireplaces.

The reception room has a chimney breast which protrudes from the wall and the place where the fire place will sit is currently empty. I have 3 options:

1. fill up the empty fireplace slot with bricks and plaster over it. This will still leave the protrusion where the chimney breast still exists.
2. install a fire place into the slot.
3. hack the entire chimney breast and plaster over the brick work, so that it no longer protrudes and gives me a nice flat wall with a little extra space where the chimney breast used to protrude into the reception room.

Personally i want to take option 3 as i would like a nice flat wall to work with. Is there any harm in this? From watching house decorating programs i notice that many people love fireplaces and spend heaps of cash on preserving them, so im just wondering if it would right for me to spend money to actually remove any evidence that a fireplace ever existed (and remove the option to have a fireplace installed at a later date, perhaps by the future owner)?

Reception room is on the ground floor.
Room size: 13'x13'

Kell_ee001 · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:37

If it's a big room then install a fire.

If it's a small room then make it a flat wall.

M0T · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:40

I dont really understand building so this might be wrong but if you remove the fireplace from the downstairs room won't you have to remove the chimney from the room immediatly above as well, because you will have removed the support from underneath it and it will just be hanging off the upper wall?

Sounds like too much work for me and I like fires

iBankAllDay · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:45

I personally would make a feature of the fire place, as if it's a period feature (or with the potential to be) within an old property, it could enhance the value and aesthetic of the property.

To remove the entire chimney breast on the ground floor would most likely mean an expense. And if it's structural for the chimney upstairs, this will only add to the cost. If you're keen for this option 3, I would get a quote from a builder to see if it's worth it. If not make the most of what features you have.

M0T · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:46

iBankAllDay said:
I personally would make a feature of the fire place, as if it's a period feature (or with the potential to be) within an old property, it could enhance the value and aesthetic of the property.

When we had our old house valued for my parents divorce the 2 period fireplaces added about £20,000 to the value of the house (According to all 3 of the estate agents).

Gilly · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:47

2. install a fire place into the slot.

Shimmyhill · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:49

Not sure you can just brick over and plaster a fireplace.

Certinally when my parents looked at this they would have to get it filled in and then some more ventilation put into the room. May be different as originally the fireplace had a back boiler attached.

As far as i remember there are building regs you have to follow. I would have a look into it just to make sure.

iBankAllDay · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:51

M0T said:
When we had our old house valued for my parents divorce the 2 period fireplaces added about £20,000 to the value of the house (According to all 3 of the estate agents).

Well with that in mind, I think that option 2 is your only real solution. Please make sure it actually adds to the property though, you will have a good idea of what does from the fire places in your parent’s old house

.

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:51

To give u a better idea of what i mean, here is a diagram (an example which i got from the net):

As 2 of u have mentioned in relation to removing the chimney breast (as shown in the diagram), would i necessarily need to remove the chimney breast both on the ground floor (reception room) AND the 1st floor?

I will be living on the ground floor and other people live on the 1st floor so i certainly wouldnt want to interfere with their part of the building.

Its tempting to remove the entire chimney breast as this gives me extra space and a nice clean flat wall.

ps. that picture is not my own fireplace, its just an example.

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:55

M0T said:
When we had our old house valued for my parents divorce the 2 period fireplaces added about £20,000 to the value of the house (According to all 3 of the estate agents).

DAMN! Thats a lot. I was worried that this would be the case. By removing the possibility of a fireplace, i will inadvertantly reduce the value of the property when it comes to selling in 5-10 yrs time.

If i cant brick up the fireplace and plaster over it, the only other way around this would be to board it up and paint over it, so when it comes time to sell, i can rip out the board and perhaps fit a fireplace in.

The problem is that i have no wish for a fire place as i wont be using it at all.
And if i end up spending £2k-£3k having one fitted, i would just feel that it were a waste of money and space.

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:58

Shimmyhill said:
Not sure you can just brick over and plaster a fireplace.

Certinally when my parents looked at this they would have to get it filled in and then some more ventilation put into the room. May be different as originally the fireplace had a back boiler attached.

As far as i remember there are building regs you have to follow. I would have a look into it just to make sure.

There is currently no boiler attached. In its current state its been boarded up and when i looked behind the board there is an empty slot to install a fireplace; nothing else.

Kell_ee001 · 14 Apr 2006 at 16:59

Going from the pic -

Install a fireplace and paint over that burnt yellow!

M0T · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:01

sunama said:
DAMN! Thats a lot. I was worried that this would be the case. By removing the possibility of a fireplace, i will inadvertantly reduce the value of the property when it comes to selling in 5-10 yrs time.

Its worth noting that the 2 fireplaces in our house were very large victorian marble ones that were both gas fired. Apparently very expensive and rare because people tended to rip them out in the 50's and replace them with those manky small things.

BigBoy · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:01

removing the breast of the fire place is a BIG no no! as the wall the breast is on would become weeker. also any breast on the floor above would not be supported and would most likely collaps, if you realy do want to go this way then get a structural engineer to take a look befor you start work.

iBankAllDay · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:02

sunama said:
...

I'm of the opinion that a fireplace should not be removed unless it has to be, or unless it's not an original feature that detracts from the rest of the room and indeed house.

A well fitted, tasteful fireplace will always add value. Unless it is clearly out of proportion to the rest of the room or compromises the viability of that rooms functions/purpose (like a box room or study). I know I would be disappointed to know that a fireplace was there but somebody along the line removed it when there was no real need.

Of course, overall, it's all relative to the context of the actual property being discussed.

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:11

I think i will abandon the chimney breast removal as i can see there being too much involved in carrying out the work.

Judging by the replies im getting, it would appear that it would be best to leave it boarded up, then paint over it. At the time of selling i can then remove the board and install a fireplace.

Does this sound like a good plan?

Can the fire place be bricked up or should i just use a wooden board?

Gilly · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:14

Is it a working fireplace? If so you'll want to block it at the top before boarding it up. Get a bird falling in there and you'll have to unboard it to get it out again.

Seems a shame to just board it up. Are you going to have a fire in the room at all? No point having a gas/leccy fire in a room outside the chimney and boarding the chimney up.

I think they add a lot of character to a room. I like them, don't see why you wouldn't.

BigBoy · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:22

get a gas living flame fire put in there and you will never regret it. the look like real fire and the give off more heat than a real fire but without all the mess.

sunama · 14 Apr 2006 at 17:35

Well, my original plan was to have gas central heating and radiators in every room in the house. In the autumn, when i have central heating installed, a gas fireplace will hardly ever get used.

Would it be more economical to have a gas fired fireplace instead? The bedroom already has an electric fireplace. So, if i go the central heating route, that fire place would need to be boarded up also.