skip to main content

Renovating DIY Fireplaces

Opening up fireplace in 18th century cottage restoration

3 years ago

Hi, can anyone advise me on opening up this fireplace?

It is a party wall and I have been round to the neighbour's side and they have a woodburning stove in the same place.

I am therefore unsure how far back I need to go?

As you can see in the pictures the lintel is broken and needs repairing. My building inspector advised me to replace but I would prefer to keep the original one. Has anyone fixed a cracked lintel like mine and if so how?

Also, I'm looking into installing a fire stove with a back boiler to heat my property and domestic water. Has anyone done this and found it is efficient?

By the way, the door has just been placed there temporary there isn't a doorway that close.

Many thanks

Sarah

Sort by:Oldest

Comment (1)

Kylie S
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Hi Sarah, the cracked lintel is probably the reason the fire has been bricked up like that - it's a major structural problem and means the lintel cannot do its job anymore so definitely will need replacing or supporting with an additional lintel underneath. Also, while it looks to me fairly obvious that you will need to take out all the bricks that are currently in place to make space put in a new woodburner, you would need professional advice to undertake work like this - especially as you have an extremely heavy broken lintel being held up by the bricks making it risky to fiddle with them. But it's a custom job every time to reinstate a fireplace as it relies a lot on the condition of the chimney, the way that it's constructed etc; so I doubt there will be any reliable advice anyone can give you from a few photos. Get a professional in (perhaps the fire supply co?) to come and look at it for you, inspect the flue, etc. Best of luck.
Related Discussions
Need help in designing a kitchen which is in front of house
Q
Comments (27)
Thank you for all your comments. The alcove with the lamp is 3'10" h x 3'2" w x 18" deep. The width of wall between door hinges and corner of wall is nearly 2 feet. Actually 60cms. I don't think I will be allowed a range oven in the fireplace recess. People like to put their Aga in such a place and it is practical but I do like my oven and it is very efficient even though I have to get my son sometimes to sort out the technology. It is quite new. I had thought of having the hob across the corner of my "L" shaped layout with an decent extractor fan above which could access through the ceiling to a roof space. One of many roof spaces in my house. However, I have seen a lovely corner pantry in one of the Houzz photos which I am very taken with. It is somewhere I can hang or store saucepans, keep tins of things which I can see easily (i.e.keep a check on storage dates!) and don't get lost in the back of cupboards. The hob would have to go to the left of that. A tall fridge freezer could go to the right. The extractor could still access through the ceiling as it would do a right turn and go up from inside the pantry. Don't know how this corner pantry would look though!? On that fireplace wall the fireplace and mantle will, I'm sorry, have to stay. It needs renovating but that's it. Bytheway, the pantry I describe could have glass in the doors which would lighten the whole thing up and have interesting lighting. A fridge/freezer is a good idea because at the moment I have to make quite a trek to my "back kitchen" where I keep two freezers (full) and it would be handy to have the odd loaf of bread, ice cream, chips and peas nearby. I keep all veg in the back kitchen as well as it is cooler. I do like the light from the windows falling on the area where the sink and draining board now is. Dishwasher is near there. Then it is shady in the corner to the right of the oven where I boil water, store coffee pots, keep tea etc. in cupboard above. Cups, plates above sink. It is all a good working layout. Tins of stuff like tomatoes etc. are in the cupboard under the alcove work top. I'd like to get rid of all that. If I did cause a disturbance and dig out the rest of the stone I could have a good cupboard!! It would take a lot of working on my husband for him to agree to that. But, who knows. I could try. Everything would be easier to get at. Then a hob across the corner. I want to get rid of the need for those trays that angle around and do their best to utilise the corner. I got rid of my last lot as can be seen next to my fridge. I saw a way of doing that by putting a cupboard across the corner and carrying on either side with a work top. The fireplace wall needs sorting out I agree. The trouble is that the glass door opens against that wall which is correct. As I mention above there is 2' of wall behind where the door opens. Shifting the door would cause problems in the adjoining room as there is a long radiator fixed on the wall and would not look right in that room. Not really room for window seats. Window on left has a radiator and worktop or oven fits into wall beside the window. Many thanks for your plan. I will give it all some thought when I make more decisions.
...See More
Need help with what to do with fireplace.
Q
Comments (40)
Hi again! For anyone that's interested, I have finally managed to have a go at my varnished stone fireplace and am pretty happy with the results… It's not perfect but makes a huge difference in terms of light in the room and cost me next to nothing! I used a tiny bit of annie sloan paint to dull and lighten the stone - my mum sent me leftovers of 'paris grey' that she had used on some furniture. The link I had found which described the painting process belonged to an artist, so I was aware that my results would differ quite drastically from hers, but I'm still happy! I also had a new mantlepiece made from old planks that my boyfriend has had stashed away for years - a carpenter we often use put it together for the equivalent of about US$10. We don't own the house so I haven't waxed the paint on the stone (meaning it can be washed off with water and a light scrub) and the new mantlepiece is literally slotted on top of the old one and discreetly screwed in place. It is no huge home improvement project but made a big difference to the feel of the room using minimal time, money and mess… Now just the rest of the room to decorate…!
...See More
Fireplace advice
Q
Comments (4)
A bio ethanol burner insert would be an easy and simple solution to turn your period fire grate into a real flame fireplace. A cheap option and simple to set-up, giving you a roaring fire in a matter of hours. So no need for them flowers! Something like this would be perfect: http://www.houzz.co.uk/projects/769152/fireplaces-brought-to-life-by-adding-bio-ethanol-insert
...See More
17th Century Cottage Open Fireplace Revamp!
Q
Comments (2)
Hi there did you have the beams blasted and if so what did you put on them afterwards? Thank you
...See More

Sponsored

More Discussions

Which layout do you think would look best for our renovation project?

5

How to decorate window on landing

12

Opinions and suggestions on Howdens Kitchen Design

16

Advice re updating a tiredbedroom please

6

How can I fit an induction hob in place of a range cooker?

5

United Kingdom

Tailor my experience with cookies

Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.