Is there such a thing as a fire expert

[middleagedspread]

New house (well new to us)
Big inglenook that has had a small brick fireplace built inside. We're told this is because the fire smokes/doesn't draw.

Ideally we'd love to have a big open fire but the architect & builder just say have a log burner.
I wonder if a specialist exists, one that looks at the dimensions, flue, height etc & tells you what you can & can't have?
Have you heard of such a person?

I would first of all contact your local fire station and ask for a safety check, which is free, they should be able to tell you if it is safe to put an open fire in.

Not sure about who would build an open fire though, try googling fire bricks and see if any companies come up.

Fire station, great idea; they're local, will know about the roof types & can probably advise who to contact if they think it's safe.
Thanks so much.

remember that open fires are much, much less efficient than log burners, which is why no-one recommends open fires any more.

HETAS is the speciality you want for burning stuff - look on their site and it will point you at locals.

your local chimneysweep will be more of an expert on chimneys and fireplaces than anyone else.

What PigletJohn said.

Great advice, thanks

Just to report, HETAS were really helpful. Thanks for the recommendation.