Fireplace hearth DPM

[Lukenn]

Hi all,

Been reading here for a long time and now time to post!

I’ve exposed the ground floor fireplace in my mid-terraced ~1906 house. The hearth and surround was an old tile/concrete structure which I’ve removed. The subfloor is concrete

I’m looking for advice on filling the hearth/increasing the level so I can lay a new stone hearth. Ideally when funds allow we would like a log burner.

In the pics you can see the plastic DPM that runs under the concrete floor. Do I need to lay a lining under the hearth, as currently there isn’t one.

I’ve dug out old bricks and rubble. Some parts feel like I could keep going to Australia. How do I know when I’ve reached an ideal depth?

Thanks for your time

 

[a twig]

If the floor underneath the hearth isn’t combustible then there are no minimum depth requirements - I’d personally be happy with 4” / 100mm.

Hearth should have 6” either side from the stove and minimum 9” from the front (although some manufacturers specify 12”).

If the soil under there is dry I wouldn’t be fussed about a DPM personally, especially as it will get warmed through by the stove, so just chuck in what it needs to get it all level, lay whatever your chosen top is (slate/stone/brick) on top and crack on.

Obviously I’m not a HETAS chappie so these are just my thoughts and what I’d personally consider doing

 

[Lukenn]

Thanks, that’s really helpful.

What I’ve done is break the subfloor back to reveal more of the DPM, so I can create an overlap. Then I’ve got a new 1200G DPM to put into the recess, which I’ll fill with concrete