brick fireplace

[Quinny]

Dear all,

I am wondering if anyone could please offer me some advice regarding my brick fireplace. I would like to completly remove the brick facade, instal a gas/logfire heater and a fire suround befittig the age and style of my 1930's weatherboard home. My major concern is that the brick facade is part of the structure of the chimney. From the wall to the front of the fireplace seems to be 1 brick width, but then there are other bricks that turn in towards the internal structure, deeper than the wall width. The fire surround is over 1600ml in height and around the same again in width in a tiny room, which just serves to make it look even smaller. Once again any advice would be greatly appreciated to remove the brick monster.

Thanks a million!!!

Quinny

[seriph1]

hi and welcome to the forum! This is an interesting one .... you're right that the brickwork looks like it's structural, so removing it may cause big issues. You could create a shallow chimney breast to cover it all and then place the mantel onto that, but if the room is tiny as you said, it 'may' impact negatively - please send through some more pics of the entire room if possible and the dimensions of the room.... it may help with ideas. I have some pics of 20's 30's fireplaces here and can post them once I know more.

Thanks ... and again, Welcome!

[Quinny]

Hi Seriph!!

many thanks for your reply and warm welcome.

I have attached another photo, although it is difficult to fit the room in. It mesures 4.9 metres into the window and 4.6 metres from the fireplace to opposite wall.

I noticed that everyone else had a letter icon where i had put the green smiley face, which i have just figured out means talking on line. I just thought it was a nice icon. Woops! appologies!

Ideally I would like to knock it out, but your idea of a chimney breast sounds brilliant if I am unable to.

I would appreciate seeing your pics. I have been prowling around Perths salvage yards, but without much luck.

Thanks a mill!!

[Dirty Doogie]

yep that is a monster fireplace all right!! It looks from your photo that you could take a couple of courses off the top without structural problems.

before you do anything though you'll have to get the dimensions of the new firebox and surround - just to make sure its going to fit and how much the old fireplace needs reducing.

I'm sort of thinking you could simply grind/cut the front bricks back to a smooth face and smooth plaster the front and sides then put the new surround and mantle over that.

[seriph1]

.....................just typed a huge bloody reply and lost it - hate that!

oh well ... please take some pics of the outside showing the chimney. it Will help if we can see that I believe.

Doogie's spot on with his comments I reckon, Quinny.

I will grab those pics when I can mate - they will all be from a magazine called American Bungalow.... basically The Bible when it comes to doing up a Bungalow style home. Stunning homes - stunning pics - great articles. Available in Australia for around $25 per issue I believe, though I subscribe and even with delivery it costs a fraction of that. here's the site - http://www.americanbungalow.com/AmBungalow/home.htm

have fun!

[Quinny]

G'day Seriph and D.D.!

D.D. I think your dead on!

I have had an ex-brickie mate come and have a wee look at said humungo fireplace, he seems to think that i could very easily knock out the bricks sitting flush to the wall, and grind/chisle n hammer off the remaining protruding bricks. The brick wall may need a render before placing on new gyprock. He thinks that this will not comprimise the structural soundness of the chimney.
I have my eye on a new gas fire and have obtained dimensions, which means some building up of original fireplace.

I will keep you posted on the progress.

Many thanks gents!

Quinny

[Fuzzie]

Hi,

While the breast is integral and structural to the chimney, If it's a weatherboard house then the chimney itself is unlikely to be structural to the house. Have you considered removing the entire chimney? From the age I would guess it is likely to be put together with fairly weak mortar and possibly a fairly easy but messy job. You will of course then have all the fun of making good on the internal and external walls and patching the roof......

[Quinny]

Hi Fuzzy!

Bingo!

I have also been told the same thing re the chimney (not) being structural to the house, which has made me even bolder and ready to go forth and annihiliate it. I was given the example of weatherboard houses being demolished and the last thing standing is always the chimney. I would be inclined to keep the chimney as i think there are now laws and health regs. regarding gas heaters and flues/ventilation?

Your a star. Many thanks for your reaffirmination.

May I also say a quick thank you to Steve for sharing the american bungalow site which is inspiring to say the least.

[Quinny]

Aaghh!!!

I have being trying to get the green taking sign off my enquiry. I have been entering "user CP", right clicking on the green face and neither is giving me the option to change it.

I hope it is misdemeanour.

[Fuzzie]

I would be inclined to keep the chimney as i think there are now laws and health regs. regarding gas heaters and flues/ventilation?

The gas heater laws are not consistent across states. In Queensland we can use gas bayonet points and portable unflued gas space heaters, in Victoria that's against the regs. I'm guessing in Perth you also won't need a heater most of the year. If you have somewhere to store it out of season I'd suggest looking at the portable units if they are allowed in WA. I believe most units these days include low oxygen cutouts as part of the health regs.

There are also different ways built-in or wall mounted units may be flued, there are top flue and through the wall balanced models.

My experience in Melbourne growing up with an older console gas fired heater installed into an existing fireplace was not good. Expecting the chimney to act as a flue did not work that well, it seemed to either draw too much and suck all the heat out with the venting or had a back draft that blew bad air back into the room. Both regulations and designs have changed since then.

decisions, decision... have fun!

[pawnhead]

I have had an ex-brickie mate come and have a wee look at said humungo fireplace, he seems to think that i could very easily knock out the bricks sitting flush to the wall, and grind/chisle n hammer off the remaining protruding bricks.

Although he may well be right, your brickie's not an engineer and he doesn't have to guarantee that it's not going to come down on your head.

If it's built like this, then it would weaken the structure considerably by removing a skin from the inside. There would be no structural angle left to carry the opening.
I can see from the pic that the first course above the opening is a soldier course (brick on edge).
Where is the supporting bar, and how thick is the brickwork as you look up to the top of the opening?
Is it lime, or cement mortar?

Edit:

Expecting the chimney to act as a flue did not work that well, it seemed to either draw too much and suck all the heat out with the venting or had a back draft that blew bad air back into the room. Both regulations and designs have changed since then.

They may be able to chop out the smoke shelf and install a stainless flue inside the chimney. It's best left to a licensed gas installer, who knows all the ropes and regulations.

[autogenous]

Expecting the chimney to act as a flue did not work that well, it seemed to either draw too much and suck all the heat out with the venting or had a back draft that blew bad air back into the room. Both regulations and designs have changed since then.

This is all relative to chimney height, ridges, trees and windows which cause cross drafts.

You can remove the 120 of the face by cutting. The corbals can also be cut off with an angle grinder with diamond blade.

If its lime mortar then I wouldn't bash anything with a club hammer and bolster too much

Im assuming you wish for the new fireplace to be flush with the existing plastered wall?

How deep is the the wall from the facade (breast) to the throat (back of top opening)? 9 inch?