Getting rid of chimney breast?

[Daffodil90]

It's upstairs in the spare room......the bit that was below in the kitchen was removed by the previous owner. It's a semi detached house.
Had anyone done this before, will we need rsj's or loft supports? What rough cost was it and did it take forever?
Thanks for any advice

you will need gallows brackets in the loft to support what's left (unless you remove it all and close the roof over the hole, which I recommend)

you will need building regs approval (if you can draw and measure, you could do your own plans). If the downstairs one was done illegally you may have to tidy it up. Search the council website for previous applications in your postcode. Print off plans and applications of similar jobs for your edification.

Ask around for a recommended local small builder, who will have done scores of these on houses just like yours. Make sure he has been in business under the same name (check at Companies House on the .gov site) for at least five years and doesn't go bust regularly.

You may need a permit for a skip.

Many builders are incompetent businessmen and will fail to come round and look at the job, or will fail to send you a quote. Look for one you trust but don't be charmed by the blarney.

Great stuff, thanks for the info ...I'll definately look it all up. Fingers crossed it won't cost the earth!

Not many local authority building control depts will accept gallows brackets without a structural engineer's calculation to prove it. The bearings/fixings are difficult to justify especially on older properties.

Would they accept complete removal though?

Yes. Complete removal is preferable and you may get away without making an application.

A steel beam spanning load bearing walls is the most popular option, if you don't want to remove the stack.