Fireplace Restoration

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

so project electrics is nearly finished, which basically consists of me going "what the hell is that bit of wire for?...." then "oh actually nothing..." pulling all the cables through the holes some arse of a sparky has drilled through my beams an re-routing them around the perimeter of the house, sigh what they'll do to save a bit of copper wire I don't know (but I digress)...

Next on the agenda is the inglenook fireplace which has been partially bricked up (at least twice) and now has a very good log burner in it (which we'd like to keep).
The chap who did the HETAS certs for both downstairs fireplaces has quoted us about £2,300.00 (inc vat) to do a restoration job on the fireplace but I've absolutely no idea how much this sort of work costs to do and if that's at all reasonable. I figured I should try and get a competitive quote, but try as I might the people I've been able to find who do this sort of thing all tell me that I live too far away from them.

I live in Dorset, so does anyone know anyone who might be able to do me a competitive quote and if this price is reasonable?
I've posted a quick pic of the current fireplace....


We would of course love to attempt this ourselves and removing bricks I can do, but it's the whole flu, log burner thing I'm a bit unsure of and it'll probably need recertifying afterwards, so on balance
I think I'd like to pay someone to do it, but at the same time I don't want to be ripped off.

Paul.

 

[parkview094]

What are you looking to restore the fireplace to and or what does the £2,300 include?
The 'angled' bricks I presume are original - is it just the bricks immediately surrounding the wood-burner that you are looking to remove?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, weeeelll, no the angled bricks whilst later than the central piece aren't original, all cement based mortar. Underneath the moulded plinth, is a large oak beam which is sitting on the side pillars (underneath the gypsum plaster) so this is a fireplace that's been messed about with a bit.

The 2300 is to remove the stove remove the infill and replace the stove with whatever needs to be done to it to make it fit the flue...
here's some detail;

Removal of the existing stove

complete sweeping of the flue system,

removal of the new brickwork to the chamber to reveal the original inglenook/chamber (including removal of a lower section of the flue system)

dressing of the bricks/mortar to the inglenook,
installation of a suitable closure plate to the roof of the chamber

installation of a new sump to the flue system

service of the stove

re-installation of the stove and new stove pipes to the inglenook/chamber and flue system, sealing up of the pipes (internally and externally) with liquid ceramic sealants,

sealing up of the closure plate, general re-painting and tidying up of the unit and pipes

stove and flue system and smoke tests.

 

[noj]

The less than positive response is that if you go that route I guess you need a plan B - no idea of the state of the original material until you get to it and may need to replace/remove the crumbled remnants of many of the original bricks...

Do you then re-create an inglenook pastiche using reclaimed materials or make up something new in the space. And your CO may have a strong opinion when it comes to removing the 'narrative' of the fireplace...

 

[plasticpigeon]

I like the angled bricks but can understand you not liking the slightly more messy bricks surrounding the log burner. What age is your house? I'm afraid I wouldn't trust a Hetas fireplace fitter to be any good at brickwork, unless they specialise in brickwork and you have seen their work.

 

[livias]

I agree. This ...
dressing of the bricks/mortar to the inglenook,
is the most dubious bit of the quote
They dont know what they will find and will probably want to bung modern bricks and cement at it when they do
Perhaps this is not the right time of year to be doing this job cos the stove may be out of action for some time. I suggest you line up a good bricklayer to pull it apart and do the repairs and then get quotes for the HETAS bit to follow on. By removing the fireplace repairs from the job there should be far more HETAS people who are happy to do it

 

[a twig]

Agree entirely with Mr Livias...

Get a proper builder in who is au fait with old stuff / lime - get them to re-do the fireplace. Then get a HETAS jockey in...

You wouldn't get a dentist to perform brain surgery, so don't let a HETAS fitter do fireplace restoration!

 

[Kearn]

I'd only add more of the same commentary as above - a decent, experienced stone/brickmason who knows fireplaces will be able to give you a realistic top/bottom range. but until you open up, you have no idea what you will find, but it is true to say, that condition is always likely to be worse than you hoped. Fireplaces, old ones at least are very localised in style, so added to the travel and effort for the job, you really need someone who knows your local area to understand the style and construction.

removing the infill, is nothing but labour and common sense - bit pointless to pay someone else skilled to do this, as its not complex, but it is hard and bloody messy. so spring/summer would be best when you can open the windows and not need the burner, or the room! my only exception, would be if the original footprint and walls are very different to what you now see, and someone with an experienced eye needs to read the history of the fireplace in order to restore it's rightful dimensions. but having a fireplace person lined up to share info / photos with as you go should be adequate.

I would split into three parts:

• 
  1. remove all of the infill and modern muck in spring - DIY
  2. have someone lined up to restore / repair - factor in well over 6 months lead here if you're lucky, but possibly double that - try SPAB as a good source of trades
  3. let the Hetas folks come and finish up the stove, flue, register plate etc once the fireplace is ready - bearing in mind, historic fireplaces will not meeting building regs so your fireplace person will need to consider this, and concede on some originality

for £2300 I would expect them to do what they say, but no more - that would be incredibly cheap for a restoration including materials, so obviously doesn't really mean restoration and repair/replacement! - e.g we needed over 300 reclaimed Tudor bricks to restore ours, depending on source, that can be over £500 and some.

Also, consider the room behind as you may well need to repair the brickwork in the side/rear external walls which presumably are currently plastered over? the thread is a long one once you start pulling, but personally having just done this, well worth it!

I remember you saying you thought your place was from the 1850s? interested to see what was originally there once you start excavating, as I wouldn't have expected a large, beamed fireplace at that stage in history. potentially kitchen originally?

Also, as you're listed, your options may be much more limited than you'd hoped and this can scare off militant old school restoration folks. the brick infill looks Victorian and well finished with closures, so your CO may well notice and value this part of the fireplace's story. Plus, it would pre-date your listing so is technically part of the listed house.

interested to see how this one progresses...

 

[parkview094]

Just to play devils advocate, I'd second PP's view that I like the angled bricks personally. Are you sure you want to remove them? A decent flemish bond pattern is no easy achievement. The local conservation area guide mentions an arts and crafts influence on the village and to my mind, your fireplace (apart from the more recent brickwork) looks like a fine such example. The specific listing also refers to a " fireplace with moulded surround" so your CO may have some thoughts.

 

[Anonymous]

I find it a bit spooky that you seem to know that the house is listed and details of the convservation area and the listing when I never mentioned any of that!!!
However you have let me down when you said the build date was around 1850 It C18th so a build date of 1750 is more likely.

I'll see if I can get some other quotes and make decisions about what to do from there.

 

[parkview094]

My apologies. I did think twice before adding that last post, I didn't want to appear creepy! You had mentioned the listing and village in your previous post asking about the age of your property so finding the local. Listings was very straightforward.
I was merely genuinely interested as I'm always keen on anything around the arts and crafts era.
A bi-product of my Google search suggested that the local conservation area has evidence that houses similar in appearance to yours may date as early at the 1600s, which I again I thought was fascinating. Not sure where the 1850s came from?
Good luck with project fireplace regardless. Drop me a PM - I'd be happy to remove the previous post update if you would prefer?

 

[Kearn]

1850s comment would be my mistake! Sorry - poor memory from a previous post asking about dating the house, when it was also mentioned as listed.

Keen to see progress in this one...

 

[Anonymous]

No problem