Replacing ceiling joists

[Ollie]

Hi, I am totally new to this so please excuse my ignorance on all things building.

We have recently bought our first house (Edwardian semi) and one of the things that I am looking to do is remove the chimney brest from the bedroom. The chimney went some time ago.... I have read the Demolishing a 1920's red brick chimney thread and have taken that in but am wondering - what about the missing ceiling joists? Do I need to replace them? This is all 'site unseen' at the moment as we are yet to move in but can anyone give me some idea as to what I will find?

Cheers,
O

[addo]

You should find a framed opening, that can be trimmed across with new timber and something simple like Pryda grips. Lath and plaster will likely need renewal or skilled patching around the opening. Floor, if there is a hearth to remove, will need trimming out similarly and patching.

Work will then be render and skirt one wall, renew ceiling and cornice, patch and recover/refinish floor... All of this is pretty interrupting and messy. Is it worth getting a quote on putting the chimney back, or even doing nothing for the time being?

Regards, Adam.

[Ollie]

Thanks Adam, we have a two month window before moving in so hoping that we can get it sorted in that time frame -famous last words? I have added Pryda to my vocab - thanks for your help!

[Ivan in Oz]

Ollie,

Perhaps to your links as well as your Vocab
http://www.pryda.com.au/

[Dirty Doogie]

I take it you want to get this work done before moving in??

It is messy and there is almost certainly asbestos in the fireplace mortar possibly the dangerous blue asbestos. ASbestos was added to "fire mortar" since mid 1700's until ww2.

If you are really lucky you might find a nice piece of the original "Davidsons FireProof " chimmney wadding stuck between the timber framing and the brickwork. The queensland museum is looking for some of this stuff to complete its collection.

The same company also made woven asbestos table clothes for Zeppelin type airships.

[Ollie]

We do want to get the work done before moving in. If I find asbestos what do I do - stop and call someone? Can you point me toward information about what to do in this case?

Cheers

[Dirty Doogie]

Well I'm not sure what you are required to do. In the case of obvious popular and publicized asbestos like sheeting there are recommended guidelines for disposal.

It is unfortuneate (or maybe fortunate) that most of the other sources of asbestos in building materials arent recognised by authorities yet.

I suppose the obvious precuation to take are dust masks and damping down any fibrous powdery material you find with a garden sprayer etc. If you are really concerned contact a specialist asbesto removal company although most of these companies have no disposal protocols for fire mortar or wadding.

It is far more likely that you will have asbestos around if you had a coal burning fireplace. A reference book in my collection "Style advice for fireplace construction in Sydney" from 1925 says it was a mandatory requirement to include pulverised asbestos biscuits in equal parts with lime and cement in the mortar of domestic coal burning fireplaces. Wadding was inserted in a 2" gap between any timber framing in close proximity to the fireplace breast or "staveway" (flue). This was achieved by rolling wadding into a cylinder and dipping in lime or portland plaster and inserted while wet into the space.

[addo]

The biggest issues with asbestos (besides personal risk elements) will include that it's a semi, so you'd want to be sure the adjacent dwelling is not "dusted" during demo - even in the roof cavity. Also disposal of materials - depends how ethical you want to be, considering the cost of skipping contaminated materials.

If the mortar's fairly soft, you may be able to damp then scrape much off onto a sheet of membrane, and bag it for throwing in the normal rubbish over several weeks - considering there will be several hundred bricks most likely... Then just use the bricks in the garden or advertise them for a nominal cost (at which point you've forgotten all about the asbestos).

You shouldn't need to beat on the brickwork too much - if you have visions of a sledgehammer, it's unlikely. Once you get a pattern established, most bricks can be wiggled loose. Unless you've subtrades booked, the deadline nominated will be a challenge. Render really needs 28 days to dry before painting, and yours will be triple set (cement render/plaster basecoat/plaster topping coat), meaning the pool of contractors is somewhat reduced.

Does the fireplace back onto a party wall?

Regards, Adam.

[Ollie]

Thanks Adam,

The bricks are going to end up in a front wall once we have DA. Thanks for the heads up regarding the timing, that was something that I had not even considered. The fireplace is on an outside wall so I don't have any issues with the party wall on this one.

There seems to be a fair few resources on the interweb regarding asbestos removal so I will have a look around.

Cheers