Replacing combination fire place *PIC*

[Penners]

If the chimney is only 4 ft wide, then obviously your fire hole will be less than this. If the lintel is going to be plastered over, then frankly you can use just about anything rigid. (Come back, Grimmers. We need your coarse humour at moments like these.)

Wood is the most likely to move or shrink and cause unimportant cracks. Stone, concrete or steel (catnic) will work well. If you want to be true to the style of the house, how about a brick arch?

 

[thiambal]

Right, builder had been out today to quote for the work of putting fireplace in - I was tempted to do it myself - but there are a pile of jobs I am comptentent at needing doing without learning a new trade the the moment.

Anyway, no sucking of air over teeth but the thorny issue of building regs came up. Apparently, the orginal constructional hearth that is flush with the floor does not meet current regs (apparently needs an additional hearth to be 12" from front of fire, 2" above floor and sloping back towards the fire) BU*GER!

So I guess that means a lump granite or similar infront the fire which would never have been their originally. S*D IT.

Oh it gets worse! - I have just been reading the building regs and a constructional hearth now needs to extedn 500mm from the front surface of the chimney breast. As we are re-instating an fire into a space that has not had a fire place for 30+ years does that mean we have to replace the constructional hearth that was built with the house?