Help with a bit of a dilemma

[dm65]

Evening chaps and chapesses

I am in an old house with old walls whose plaster is mainly held on with wallpaper

As my chimney breast is particularly manky, I decided to have a bit of a nose - see below for resulting slight damage when giving a loose bit of plasterboard a tug

Ok, so now I am in this mess, I thought I'd remove the rest with a view to clearing out the original opening which I would then get plastered etc which could perhaps have a stove type fire of some sort

Thankfully, I managed to retain the original cornice but now I am swinging towards redoing the brickwork on the infill (which I think my mum may have done one weekend) and then having a flat front again and perhaps a wall hung or inset fire with telly above

So, who's for open and who's for flat ??

I can't decide myself and am rubbish with designy type stuff so thought I'd see what you lot think

 

[RossJarvis]

I'd definitely go for open, so much more character.

You could just plasterboard over everything and have a clean box-like hole into which a large vase of flowers or some such, could be stuffed. Maybe with a tasteful spotlight above it. You just want to be careful about draughts etc, so possibly stick a wedge of Celotex into the chimney hole if there is one.

 

[dm65]

Cheers Ross

So that's one vote for open (don't know about the flowers tho)

I was thinking I'd just use some cement board to block the chimney though it currently still has the original opening which has had a liner dropped in at some point (you can just see it where I removed the bricks (all done by hand btw, no hammer involved !)

Still has the gas line as well for that matter

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't forget if you block the chimney at the bottom, it needs blocking at the top as well otherwise your walls will get damp.

 

[dm65]

Well pointed out Phil but does that still matter if there is a liner is in the chimney ?

 

[Ghengis]

YES

 

[RossJarvis]

Ah then, that means he needs a very long, round bit of Celotex that goes round corners........or a ladder :lol:

But seriously, does it need blocking, or a kind of "hat", stopping rain etc, but still allowing air to circulate?

 

[dm65]

Ok, so a vent will be added but Phil and Ghengis, you didn't say which way you would swing :wink: , open or closed ?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You're fine as long as no water can get in - all kinds of weird and wonderful things have been done with liners and chimneys (what the eye doesn't see, and all that).

 

[manxman]

Open for me, with a free standing log burner, replastered and a bit of reclaimed oak made to look like a lintel, but it does depend on the look of the rest of the house I suppose.

 

[RogerS]

Do you still have gas to the house? Is that gas pipe 'live'? I'd be concerned about that.

Also, why did the plaster fall off in the first place? Have you got any damp in the wall? Old houses = no damp-proof course (usually)

Oh, yes.....open! How about a log fire?

 

[RogerS]

Here's one I did earlier

BEFORE



AFTER



And this one from another room



log store underneath

 

[stevebuk]

Open, filled with logs stacked end on...

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Doesn't it all rather depend on whether you want to have fires, what the condition of the rest of the flue is in, and what best suits your taste and the rest of the house ?

If you put a stove in, the gas liner needs to be removed and probably replaced with a flex liner suitable for solid fuel - unless the house is more recent than it looks and already has a flue constriuction that will be impervious to condensate. It is hard to gauge age of house and size of opening, but it looks to me like a free standing stove might look best ? But it depends on the look you want - to my mind free standing is best if you like the "ye olde" look, but contemporary insets can look good if that is what you want. Oh, and whatever stove you put in, the clearance to combustibles needed above it may preclude putting the TV over it.

I have two fireplaces in my 1939-ish house, one I have an inset stove, the other I was going to put a free standing stove in; I knocked it out to the builder's opening, put down a new slate hearth, lime plastered it out (gypsum plaster will fall off, and ordinary plasterboard is not up to it), painted it with limewash, made and fitted a suitable closure plate for the chimney, and an oak mantle piece ... then has a change of plan as that room got taken over as a playroom, so a stove no longer seemed like a good idea. The hole now houses the son's fishtank !

 

[dm65]

Thanks everyone - the consensus so far seems to be OPEN - I just wish I could make my mind up which is why I posted

Roger, yes the gas line is still live but I am going to get someone to cap it off if a gas fire isn't going to be fitted - got a number for someone yesterday and I think i'll ask him if he can advise about the chimney and liner. Sorry though Roger, that firegrate looks a bit odd to my simple mind being off the ground and all (just my opinion, don't shoot me)

So, if its going to be open and needs plastering with lime plaster, does that include the front of the chimney breast as well ?

I assume the original plaster was so loose due to damp/neglect and age (bit like me) and while it didn't actually fall off without intervention, it didn't need any tools to remove - I used the little nail bar in the first image and probably swore at it a bit as well - just used a hammer and bolster to cut a line under the coving but that scared me as well so I think i'll be more careful knocking the sides back and use a knife instead

 

[mind_the_goat]

@Tony, Have you built that as a self extinguishing log fire ?

 

[doorframe]

Sheffield Tony's fish tank is a great idea (as long as you don't want a fire).

 

[manxman]

You could always try just cleaning up the original brick work and repointing to see if you were happy with the look...

 

[sammy.se]

Open. I had problems with damp in my old house and i would strongly recommend taking the time opportunity to do the right thing damp-wise. Definitely cap the chimney.

 

[dc_ni]

Open, but cap the chimney so you don't wake up to a dead pigeon on the floor. Luckily it was a fresh one :roll: