What was in here? -aha

[FamilyWiggs]

Fluffy - sounds like your plan of action should contain 2 things:

a) dump unadventurous other half;

b) hack off plaster and expose what spumds like a bigger fireplace!

8) 8) 8)

 

[Jon Maine]

Fluffy -
expose spumds )

Please clarify FW methinks you type with thumbs and don't proof read :lol:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Jon - see other thread. I'm posting by candlelight!! :lol: :lol:

 

[Moo]

begged me on bended knee not to remove any more plaster.

- and nor will you - but sometimes the most surprising things can happen; quite a lot of plaster simply came away from one of my cellar walls when I happened to bump into it whilst carrying an awkward piece of wood. Just wait until he's otherwise occupied.



After all, you're going to have to do some plastering to tidy up what's been done so far, aren't you?

 

[fluffytail10]

sadly builders hv plastered already, before we came up with this idea! Of course that means i shall be for ever wondering, and tapping and guessing etc An accident with a piece of wood sounds gd, and of course there's always the dog to blame.

Leave him? never, who wld make me pancakes for breakfast?

Robgil i think u were right and the piers hv definately been replaced, i can see the difference in the plaster work, not in a line but fitted in a rather scary ad hoc way against older well built stuff. Looks like they were put in by sum1 after a few beers.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Fluffytail, you are clearly very nice and please don't let this upset you. But may I make a small request that you are a bit less, well, fluffy, in your use of our fine language? Some of us (me) are quite shocked to see vowels left off and capitals abandoned in this cavalier manner! :shock:

Apart from that, congratulations on both your healthy sense of curiosity and your well trained other half. Mine has not found where the pans live yet, never mind making pancakes!

 

[Moo]

OOps! clicked the wrong button.

xxx m

 

[Moo]

sadly builders hv plastered already,

nw tht's jst a fbl xcs, flff. y knw prfctly wll tht th bldrs dd a bdg jb, nd th plstr smply fll ff f ts wn ccrd.

xxx m

see, Joce? one can manage perfectly well without capitals and vowels

 

[fluffytail10]

ah i ges iv spent to mch time on msn

Oh dear, I guess I have spent too much time on MSN.

I will try to be more correct in future

sorry

 

[JoceAndChris]

tht's ll rght flffy cn s ts qut ddctve. d t nymr thgh nd ll cme nd bt u wth my cpy f mrphy dvncd grmmr n s. :wink:

 

[Moo]

Enough of that frivolity. Back to the main subject of the thread.

This can be found among the archived topics that Simon and Rob have kindly saved for posterity -

That substantial discrepancy in size between the stack and the fire hole would suggest that - as you suspect - the fire hole has been bricked in to reduce its size. Is the outside of the chimney breast plastered? If not, you should not have difficulty seeing where this has been done.
However, if it is plastered, grab yourself a torch and an old hat! Shove your head up the chimney as far as you can and have a careful look at the brickwork. With luck, you should be able to see some sign of the original lintel or brick arch above the level of the existing one, plus possible other signs of non-matching brickwork on the sides or back.
If you are really keen to do the detective work thoroughly, you can also hack the plaster off the front of the chimney breast. This should clearly expose the size and construction of the original structure.
If your house is listed, don't forget to talk to your CO first.

 

[fluffytail10]

I shall don hat at once!

thank you for all your advice

 

[fluffytail10]

YES!!!

I put on hat (well better half did) and there is indeed an old wooden little about 30cm higher than the exposed one. It seems to continue further to the left too. I do believe I have my very own inglenook - hurrah.


On the down side boyf (oh sorry) my boyfriend says no way are we allowed to expose it. I'm so gutted, I wanted one since i was knee high to a snail.

sob sob sob

 

[Penners]

On the down side boyf (oh sorry) my boyfriend says no way are we allowed to expose it. I'm so gutted, I wanted one since i was knee high to a snail.

Then, as I'm sure he's a gentleman, he will undoubtedly change his mind and allow the lintel to be exposed.

Especially if all the brickwork beneath it mysteriously collapses.







:wink:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Fluffy - how exciting.

I am sure you'll persuade him.

SWMBO always manages to get me to see the errors of my ways... and if that doesn't work she finds something to withhold until I change my mind. :wink:

 

[Jill]

fluffy tail, when we opened up our fireplace we discovered a wooden lintel, but it wasn't for a higher up opening - (see arrow on attachment). I got rather carried away hacking the plaster off one day, fortunately my other half was in agreement.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Jill, I hate to be the one to tell you, but I think you've removed more than plaster there! :shock:

it looks more like some form of relieving lintel. You seem to have something going on with the brickwork on the right too.

 

[robgil]

thats not a lintel.
ive got something similar.

from this,

to this,

you can see the piece of wood on there above the arch , still not 100 percent sure what its doing so i am leaving well alone.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Again, it looks like a relieving lintel - it relieves some of the weight/pressure on the lintel/arch/opening below.

 

[Moo]

PPUKers are a convivial lot, fluff, and would jump at a chance to congregate en masse at your house in the new year and meet you and the boyfriend. And, of course, snoop around the house offering impeccable advice.