Can I upgrade this fireplace myself?

[Konj]

Hello, hoping to get some advice. I’m really not sure if this is too much work to dangerous for me to try myself. As I don’t know where to begin to upgrade my fireplace.

Picture 1: The previous owner fireplace (electric)

Picture 2: what the wall looks like since I removed the previous fireplace

Picture 3 and 4: inspiration on what I would like it to be like.

Any helpful thoughts or advice will be much appreciated. Thank you.

If you're wanting to use it then you need a registered fitter, chimney assessment etc.

If you just want a picture of a fire or a pretty framed box then you can do it pretty easily. Careful to leave it ventilated though otherwise you'll get mold.

I’d get a professional installer for a wood burner, it needs to be properly installed. If it’s a gas fire you need a certified gas engineer.

Good heavens Op
call in a professional and don’t even think of doing this yourself

Get a pro in to do it

If anyone wood burner, you will need to get someone HETAS registered to install.

You could probably install the surround yourself, though (and maybe the hearth, if to regulation?)

Thank you everyone - helpful advice and pictures was more just aesthetic and colours inspo. I would probably keep it electric like it is currently so no logs etc.

What age is the house and it looks like you removed the lintel above the fireplace in the picture, did you? If you did you’ll need a structural engineer to do a quick calculation of what lintel is needed, and then a builder to put it in. We opened up a few old fireplaces and the calculations weee about £100 plus vat and the builder to put the lintels in was about £100 per fireplace

I agree with pp. It needs a lintel. Did you remove it or could there be one higher up? You might need to take off some more plaster higher up the chimney brest to find out.

It definitely needs a lintel (although there might be one further up the chimney breast concealed by the plaster - we found two in ours).

OH removed the crazy paved fireplace we inherited here (gas capped off first by gas safe guy) and replaced with something more appropriate to our Georgian cottage. He lined the opening with fireproof material and tiled it. Then we had a wood burner professionally installed. It's so much lovelier now!

It’s pretty terrifying you’re even considering doing this yourself!

@LibertyLily I like your owl. Is that a poker sticking out of its back?

Thanks...and yes, it's a poker 😁

I’m a bit concerned by that massive hole that seems to be unsupported, op 😬
Please get someone who knows what they’re doing before the bloody wall falls down.