Boarded up fireplace?

[Qwertyguerty]

My living room used to have a fireplace back when it was in the hands of its previous owners and I'm curious as to how much it'd cost to bring it back to life

I don't want a working fireplace but a cute little place to add a cute scandi style electric heater or even just a focal point for the room that isn't our massive tv!

First, who would I call out to check for cost etc? A handyman?
I'm guessing they'd need to make a mess to fully check what is there and what they could do?

Would you think it's worth it?

Has anyone done this and how did you find it? Should I leave well enough alone?

Depends on what it's been boarded and or filled with. There should be a vent in the wall where the opening was covered up, does it sound like a wooden board when you tap it or brick? Can you take the vent off to peek inside?
It's always nice to have a focal point but it can be a messy job but much easier if you're not looking for it to be a working fire

We had one like that - we opened it up and re-tiled it so it looked nice then put some dried flowers in it.

Have a look and see how well built in it is - ours was only lightweight board and came off very easily. If you are careful you may be able to gently pull the board out to see what is behind it and shove it back again if you dont like what you see.