30’s house plastering - help !

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Traquina

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Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and i would like to share a challenge hoping to get some expert help and insight.
I have recently acquired a 30’s house and am currently doing an extension and some refurbishments. In the living room I have a fireplace which can’t be used as the previous owner has built a loft and removed the chimney. Either I keep the fireplace for decorative reasons or I just remove it creating more space. My builder is recommending not to do it as he will not ensure that the new plastering for the space where the fireplace once stood will gel well with the old 1930’s materials which would not look nice after all. He presented some technical arguments related to how the plaster in the 30’s was and the modern materials but am not convinced . Could anyone help me in assessing the risk of removing the fireplace ? Thanks !!!
 
Traquina said:
Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and i would like to share a challenge hoping to get some expert help and insight.
I have recently acquired a 30’s house and am currently doing an extension and some refurbishments. In the living room I have a fireplace which can’t be used as the previous owner has built a loft and removed the chimney. Either I keep the fireplace for decorative reasons or I just remove it creating more space. My builder is recommending not to do it as he will not ensure that the new plastering for the space where the fireplace once stood will gel well with the old 1930’s materials which would not look nice after all. He presented some technical arguments related to how the plaster in the 30’s was and the modern materials but am not convinced . Could anyone help me in assessing the risk of removing the fireplace ? Thanks !!!
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Get a new builder, he's clueless!
 
Traquina said:
Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and i would like to share a challenge hoping to get some expert help and insight.
I have recently acquired a 30’s house and am currently doing an extension and some refurbishments. In the living room I have a fireplace which can’t be used as the previous owner has built a loft and removed the chimney. Either I keep the fireplace for decorative reasons or I just remove it creating more space. My builder is recommending not to do it as he will not ensure that the new plastering for the space where the fireplace once stood will gel well with the old 1930’s materials which would not look nice after all. He presented some technical arguments related to how the plaster in the 30’s was and the modern materials but am not convinced . Could anyone help me in assessing the risk of removing the fireplace ? Thanks !!!
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Just decide if you want the fireplace or not. The worst that could happen is that you'd have to strip the wall back and do it fresh... it's only one wall. @algeeman would have that put right in ten minutes.
 
Sounds like the builder isn’t comfortable doing that sort of work any plastering work can be made good by a decent spread personally I would get rid of fireplace if it’s not doing anything
 
Groove37 said:
Sounds like the builder isn’t comfortable doing that sort of work any plastering work can be made good by a decent spread personally I would get rid of fireplace if it’s not doing anything
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Bet the builder would talk him into making the artex ceiling into a feature cause he can’t cover that either
 
Traquina said:
Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and i would like to share a challenge hoping to get some expert help and insight.
I have recently acquired a 30’s house and am currently doing an extension and some refurbishments. In the living room I have a fireplace which can’t be used as the previous owner has built a loft and removed the chimney. Either I keep the fireplace for decorative reasons or I just remove it creating more space. My builder is recommending not to do it as he will not ensure that the new plastering for the space where the fireplace once stood will gel well with the old 1930’s materials which would not look nice after all. He presented some technical arguments related to how the plaster in the 30’s was and the modern materials but am not convinced . Could anyone help me in assessing the risk of removing the fireplace ? Thanks !!!
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Either get a Plasterer to plasterboard the wall and skim , or build a stud wall either timber or metal then insulate if needed and board and skim
 
Remove loads of fireplaces, pity i'm in Edinburgh. you can remove and frame out the void with 2x2s , keep the metal brace and never remove the lintel, bond and skim or renovating plaster. Its a piece of piss .
 
Gavine The First said:
Remove loads of fireplaces, pity i'm in Edinburgh. you can remove and frame out the void with 2x2s , keep the metal brace and never remove the lintel, bond and skim or renovating plaster. Its a piece of piss .
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I thought she was on about removing the breast.

Do you not brick your fireplaces up, then?
 
Stevieo said:
I thought she was on about removing the breast.

Do you not brick your fireplaces up, then?
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No need, if you only remove the baby bricks and are careful not to remove the damage the bricks holding up the metal brace. You can frame it out, removing all the existing weight bearing material and then having to brick it up as it sits on f.ck all seems a worse option to me.
 
Gavine The First said:
No need, if you only remove the baby bricks and are careful not to remove the damage the bricks holding up the metal brace. You can frame it out, removing all the existing weight bearing material and then having to brick it up as it sits on f.ck all seems a worse option to me.
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As far as I know, you brick them up to stop dead pigeons and lumps of soot bashing up against your plasterboard. That's what I was taught anyway - nothing to do with supporting the stack. If I remember right, (it's been years) you can create an issue with damp as well if you don't watch it.
 
Stevieo said:
As far as I know, you brick them up to stop dead pigeons and lumps of soot bashing up against your plasterboard. That's what I was taught anyway - nothing to do with supporting the stack. If I remember right, (it's been years) you can create an issue with damp as well if you don't watch it.
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Normally check if its been caped and sometimes put in a vent if the customer requests it, just don't see the need to brick it up mate.
 
Traquina said:
Hi all, this is my first post in this forum and i would like to share a challenge hoping to get some expert help and insight.
I have recently acquired a 30’s house and am currently doing an extension and some refurbishments. In the living room I have a fireplace which can’t be used as the previous owner has built a loft and removed the chimney. Either I keep the fireplace for decorative reasons or I just remove it creating more space. My builder is recommending not to do it as he will not ensure that the new plastering for the space where the fireplace once stood will gel well with the old 1930’s materials which would not look nice after all. He presented some technical arguments related to how the plaster in the 30’s was and the modern materials but am not convinced . Could anyone help me in assessing the risk of removing the fireplace ? Thanks !!!
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sounds like like the builder doesnt want to take the chimney out... I would find another builder
 
Stevieo said:
Good old John J. He might be rough, but the thing he's fcuking slow ;)


I know I just said one wall but I realised - won't your chimney go upstairs?
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Yes indeed the chimney goes upstairs . The builder is particularly worried he can’t plaster the ceiling properly as he may need to plaster the whole thing and not just where the fireplace touches the ceiling.
 
Traquina said:
Yes indeed the chimney goes upstairs . The builder is particularly worried he can’t plaster the ceiling properly as he may need to plaster the whole thing and not just where the fireplace touches the ceiling.
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Right - so you mean removing the chimney breast on two floors?
 
Stevieo said:
As far as I know, you brick them up to stop dead pigeons and lumps of soot bashing up against your plasterboard. That's what I was taught anyway - nothing to do with supporting the stack. If I remember right, (it's been years) you can create an issue with damp as well if you don't watch it.
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Thanks. The chimney is blocked from the top floor as the previous owner has built a loft so we are ok with this one.
 
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