Chimney breast removal? Anyone done it?

[teacher1984]

We're thinking of doing this as the fireplace is unused/sealed off.

Anyone had it done? Is the mess manageable? Did you hire an industrial vacuum to hoover after? Or use a standard household one? Did you manage to eliminate the dust completely after? I'm worried about it lingering in the air with having young kids!

[IlPorcupinoNilSodomyEst]

Yes, we did ours - knocked out the wall between kitchen and dining room to make a kitchen diner open plan, then took the chimney out all the way up through the house to the roof, through DSs bedroom on the way. Steels were put in the kitchen to support the upper floor. Right old mess for several months but gave us a fab kitchen diner and more room in DSs bedroom. It was very dusty, we had to seal off the bedroom while the old lath and plaster ceiling was taken out too. I think I have blanked the mess from my mind as I don't remember it being that terrible, I was expecting DD while the work was all being done too! Might be messy, but well worth it in the end.

[IlPorcupinoNilSodomyEst]

Oops, forgot to say, builder brought a Henry I think, and then there was lots of ordinary hoovering and dusting for a couple of months!

[yomellamoHelly]

We've just done this.

Mess wasn't really noticeable, but they tented off around the chimney breast and the door to the room and everything was rubble-bagged and tidied up before they started carrying it out through the house. Could still smell the soot the day after it was done, but they did a really neat job. They did have to knock a hole through into the room next door when it came though to give them room to slot the steel into position which was disappointing when the room next door was "done", but again they did it very carefully / tented etc....

[MiddleAgeMiddleEngland]

Our builders did ours when we were out. When we got back there was no sign of mess or dust - they were a fantastic company.

Getting a massive steel girder up into the loft to support the chimney was a lot more complicated though ...

[namechangedtoday15]

I think (might be completely wrong) that it may depend how much the chimney was used in the past. We had a very large chimney breast removed together with the wall it was in (between the kitchen and dining room) and the dust was incredible. Masses and masses of dust / black soot. It was horrendous. Took about a week for it to "settle". It just got in your hair, just felt it on your skin etc. Builders were good, everywhere taped off etc - it still got everywhere.

[Redberrypie]

We had the chimney breast removed just downstairs and a wall, to knock through two rooms, with a steel put in place to support. It was messy but liveable, very dusty for a week but pretty much contained to those rooms.

Well worth the mess, it made me love my house again and works so much better for us.

[StompyFreckles]

How much did you pay to have the chimney breast removed? I would like to do this in our bedroom.

[teacher1984]

We have a very professional company removing 2 breasts over 2 floors with steel support going in the loft for just under £2,000 inc building regs documentation and making good / replastering. We are in the north.

[Boredofthinkingofnewnames]

We did it in my kids bedroom (old Victorian house). It was dusty but not that bad. Had to have an rsj put in and I think we paid 1.5k or there abouts. Well worth it for the extra space.

[SwedishEdith]

If you leave the chimney breast in the 1st floor and have a steel put in to support the 1st floor, where does it show? Is it boxed off in the ground floor ceiling or the 1st floor floor? And how much wider than the chimney breast is it?

[Redberrypie]

Its boxed in on the ceiling, just looks like a wide beam.

[GinandJag]

We've done it. I can't recall a lot of mess.

[SwedishEdith]

Thanks RedBerry.