False Chimney Breast Removal

[DinkyBabe]

Hi, we recently moved into a 70s standard build 3 bed with a back boiler (with a hideous gas fire on the front of it!). We have just had a new boiler installed and the back boiler and fire removed. This means that we are now stuck with a false chimney breast (which housed the boiler) with a gaping hole. We would like to remove it but are unsure as to whether it would be load bearing or not. The structure does not extend to the floor above and there are other houses on the road of the same type without chimney breasts.
If anyone has any experience with this type of thing or advice/suggestions I would really appreciate it.
Btw - I'm new here so Hello there :)

Hello

If it is only on one floor, it wont be load bearing. If there's a stack on the roof and no chimney breast on the first floor, there must be some form of support in the loft (steel beam or gallows bracket).

Hi. I dont really understand the arrangement but assume you are saying that you have a chimney breast type structure which is on the ground floor but doesnt touch the ceiling/first floor joists? If that is the case it doesnt sound loadbearing and is unlikely to be providing restraint/stiffening to the flank wall.

If it touches the ceiling but is not present on the floor above or above roof level as a chimney stack you will need to lift 1st floor floorboards and/or chip away at the ceiling to see if the timbers sit on it - although it is unlikely as timbers mainly trim around chimneys in case they go on fire!

Good luck

Thanks for your replies. There is no chimney stack - the flue for the boiler seems to go through the wall cavity up into the attic into a ridge roof vent. It's seems quite a strange set up and I think the "chimney breast" was built purely to house the boiler.
I think I'm just panicking a bit as this is my first experience of any "demolition" and I have visions of us going at it with a sledge hammer and our bed ending up in the living room :o

Our house has a 'false' chimney breast which only goes as high as the ceiling. However the real chimney breast which is only about a foot wide is hidden within this, are you sure there's no arrangement like this?

It does seem to be double skinned - outer wall is breeze block with an inner wall of normal brick, but again the inner structure only goes up to the ceiling. Also the brickwork does seem to be pretty shoddy with lots of mortar filling - would a load bearing structure need to be slight better built???? Should I bite the bullet and get a builder in??

chip away at it near the ceiling. You will be able to see if the joists are standing on it, or if there is a slight gap that will have arisen from post-construction shrinkage.

It might even have been added as an ornament after the house was built, in which case you will see the plaster ceiling is above it.

Sometimes false breasts are used to hide plumbing and electrical services.

Internal brickwork is frequently very shoddy. As it is going to be plastered nobody will know.