Mumsnet Talk

Does it compromise the house if you remove the back chimney breast in the dining and back bedrooms, and leave the front chimney breast in the front living room/bedroom?

Possibly, because presumably the weight of it will still be in your loft? Not being held up by anything?

That's just my musing though, I'm not a surveyor!

You need to put steels in to take the weight above

Ive got a 1920s house with no fireplaces in the dining room and back bedroom - the survey when we bought the house was a stress to read - i think eventually we'll have to get the chimney strengthened, the pot on the roof isnt really supported by anything below...

The taking out of the back fireplace work was undertook by one of the previous owners before our vendors, and i think it pre-dated any building regulations, but we have indemnity insurance in place from the previous owners that it should be okay.

Front fireplace is still in place, and works :-)

Probably not helpful, but i think its quite a common thing to have done to a property. In some ways, still having the back rooms' fireplaces would have been a nice feature, though the rooms are slightly bigger/more wall space by not having them.

I was wondering regarding saleability for the future and if it reduces value. Getting a proper job done regarding chimney support.

I think as long as there are some original features it will still be saleable. I presume doing this will give the room better flexibility and space, which is also important.

You could add some other 'original' features back in to compensate - get some doors and handles from a reclamation yard that type of thing.

If you do get rid of them, sell or donate them on so that they don't disappear from history and someone else can use them!

All chimneys are blocked up, the two downstairs have three bar electric fires, all inherited.

What would you put in the living room at the front, would a wood burner be naff if you opened up the chimney? What would you do with the front bedroom chimney breast, that has a lump where there once was a fireplace?

I think rooms look rather bland and wrong without the chimney breast.

If it were me I would keep/restore or reinsate a period fireplace, but I don't think a log burner will look bad.

I can't see any problem. If the rooms are small it might be more useful to have the space. It's nice to have a fireplace in a lounge but in other rooms not essential.

Are you sure the front bedroom doesn't have a gem of an original fireplace inside the "lump" ? Otherwise just plaster over it tidily and hang a picture on the wall!

For a1930's house <consults book> the authentic style would be a tiled or brick fireplace. (We ripped some of those out of the last house!) So maybe a small neat stove in the opened up hearth would look quite good with a bit of a polished hearth and some tiles around? Especially if it was not black/a bit Art Deco style.

Yes the rooms are small, different sizes upstairs to down stairs, give or take a bit over 11 by 12 and 11 by 13 in the rooms I want to remove chimney breast. There are also polystyrene tiles on the ceiling in the dining room, so needs skimming anyways.

I am yet to move in.

Do you mean a cream wood burner ? What colour tiles/herth do you think?

I live in a 1930's semi. Chimney breast was taken out of dining room and back 2nd bedroom by previous owner (steels put in etc) and alos the two rooms were knocked into one. It looks great and 'flows' well. We have a plain log burner as the original tiled fireplace was taken out in the 1980's. We haven't opened up the fireplace in the main bedroom as that was sealed up and plastered over. I have a v. nice patchwork wallhanging on it and it looks jolly nice!

Interesting original ones here lots of beige and cream, I would maybe go neutral but use some of the lovely limestone/travertine type tiles around now. Especially if you can find any with a curved edge.

I can't imagine a cream woodburner because ours gets so filthy but I think my parents had something like this in the house when I was small, and this is like a modern take on that, it comes in various colours.

I want to cry, agent phoned half an hour ago, sale has fallen through.

Thanks for your input.

ohhh... how awful for you what happened?