To rip out a 100yr old beautiful fireplace?

[Adriftat46]

Sorry only posting here for more traffic!

I want to consider the possibility of moving my beautiful original fireplace from its home in the ‘back room’ to the ‘front room’.

The back room will become part of a larger modern open plan extension - think roof lantern and bifolds, tiled floor, etc.

I worry the old fireplace will look out of place.

The front room has (lots of work needed) all the original features except any kind of fireplace. Currently a boarded up hole.

Can I realistically get good builders to somehow take it out of one room and reinstall in another?

It would give me the chance of putting in a modern flame source (gas, electric?) and possibly hanging the tv above it.

The old fireplace has a mantelpiece and large mirror with another shelf above, it takes over the whole wall.

Any thoughts?

Ps of course I will not be ripping out an original feature to dump in a skip!

Yes, it should be perfectly possible.

Moving a fireplace is really not a problem. Done it myself.

For a gas fire you’d need a gas pipe which would be a schlepp.

Electric would be easier.

I am in a house with lots of original features and one of the fireplaces was moved by the previous owners, you wouldn’t guess.

Yes it should be doable.

Could we see a photo? I love a good fireplace!

With your explanation you are not being unreasonable. You probably want a builder with decent heritage experience.

I have an old fireplace with an overmantel in the front room that came from another house so it should be possible to move from one room to another
Our house had no fireplaces and this one was in a house sale when another house was being modernised

Thanks all, that’s all v reassuring.

I can get a gas pipe in under the floor as there’s a void. Haven’t decided either way what would be best, need to chat to the builders I think.

Trying to remember how to add photos…

Testing this

Please ignore random crap, one day I will achieve minimalism!

Ooh, nice. Get the right builder and this should be doable.

Love your fireplace. I think it's great you're planning to keep it and not wrong to move it to a different room. Oh, and minimalism is over-rated IMO.

They'll have to be careful with the wood. Moving the fireplace bit is fairly straightforward but the mantel and mirror may fight back.

Oh my God it’s hideous.

I wouldn’t bother moving it just send it to salvage and get something nicer and less brown.

It's not hideous. In the right setting it'll be fine. I'm assuming it's a period house?

How old is your house? Are you sure it's the original fireplace?

I'm such an idiot - I guess it's about 100 years old then - I just saw the 'old' thing and was expecting something older than a 1920's fire place. Off to bed for me I think!

We did this with a large cast iron fireplace. They took it out of an upstairs room, took it away to be sandblasted (it had been painted many times), brought it back and refitted it in a downstairs reception room. Depending on how the tiles are fitted in the insert I think they can sometimes be a bit problematic. And ours was v heavy as cast iron. If you're anywhere near SE London I can recommend someone to you.

It’s a tatty 1910 fireplace of no particular interest whatever the setting.

@TatianaBis

It’s a tatty 1910 fireplace of no particular interest whatever the setting.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Some people like to restore their period houses sympathetically. It's not to everyone's taste, certainly, but there's no need to be quite so dismissively rude.

my parents lived in a grade 2 listed house.

Lovely fireplace in living room, but behind it was an inglenook, which had been filled in at some point.
Dining room had a modern ugly fireplace.
They moved the living room fireplace to the dining room and opened up the inglenook in living room.

Looked great, easy to do.

You could make yours look more up to date by painting the wood.

Very doable but involves a lot of steps

You will need a builder to unblock the hole in the front room chimneybreast. Then a chimney sweep to sweep the flue and do a smoke test to check the flue is safe/not leaking. It may need relining if it doesn’t pass. Then a gas installer to fit the gas supply. Then either a fireplace installer or a very competent builder to move the fireplace and reinstall in new location. Then gas engineer back again to connect up the new gas fire with the gas supply. Plasterer to make good around the new fireplace before decoration.

You also need to consider ventilation especially with a gas fire. Is the front room large and well ventilated?

I swear you will find a prettier looking lintel behind that.

Id get rid of it. My fireplace is an inglenook which is bigger than my bathroom. 230+ old and absolutely stunning.

Interesting mixed responses!

The house was built in 1912 so there won’t be an inglenook hiding behind it.

I love it, but appreciate other people may not. I really was after the building advice though so thanks for all of that.

It’s currently an open fireplace we use in the winter so that chimney is regularly swept but yes will need lining for a gas fire. Assuming an electric one doesn’t need the same?

The other fireplace has an open chimney but we haven’t used it in the 20yrs we’ve lived here so will need checking for sure.

I will start investigating with the builders and see what they say.

My friend did this with a similar fireplace from her dining room that was merged into the kitchen - in between she had the fire sandblasted, the wood stripped and lightly re-varnished, it's now a lovely shade of lighter wood without the smoke stains of years gone by (cigarette as much as fire) and tones in with the more modern colour scheme of her 'new' lounge.

@TatianaBis

It’s a tatty 1910 fireplace of no particular interest whatever the setting.

Very rude...