Following from a previous post about wanting to open up our lounge fire place. Well I have a week off and work has finally started. So, It started with a boring plane chimney breast which is in my opinion dull.




I then started to chip away the plaster to find the edge of the new bricks and the edge of the fire place.



It was pretty much where I has estimated, as you can just about feel under the carpet the old concrete hearth.
To the right of the fireplace was a box which once knocked into has been hiding the remains of the old back boiler. This will be removed and bricked up to make it even.




I then started to work my way up, expecting to find the lintel not too far up. well to my surprise the lintel finally appeared about 1800mm up from the floor. This is going to be one large fire place.



The red painted bricks were where some one in the past has lowered the height of the opening, so these will be removed once I have checked the state of the lintel.



Once I removed one brick it allowed my to peek in. Looks like there is a stainless flue liner running up the chimney which was from the old back boiler. I will again check the integrity of this. So, the opening once finished will be 1800mm high, 1000mm wide and 400mm deep. Originally was going to just leave it open but now I've got the rough sizes might just put a log burner in. Will update again once the bricks are gone and new lintel is in. Might even get to work on the kit car this week

Andy

My finished effort, double sided stove, heats both rooms.

edit to say hearth is 13mm "slivers" of house brick to match, cut with a 9" disc

RD


fire place

[Edited on 17/10/11 by rallyingden]

I opened miine the same as yours, the brickwork was very rough so got it plastered and painted it.....

Wor lass loves it

The flue liner is more likely to be an aluminium Copex liner from a gas heating system. I wouldn't use it with a wood burner especially if there's nothing wrong with your chimney.

I have not really researched log burners yet. Do they need a flue liner or just straight up the chimney via an attached flue pipe???

Depends on type and state of chimney. A lot of stove suppliers will try to sell you a liner when you dont actually need one. My stove exits into the chimney about 500mm above the transision plate which I made of sheet metal in three pieces with an access plate to allow yearly sweeping of the chimney. My chimney is a catagory two ( built of brick ) in good condition and I had it swept before intallation. You also need to fit a chimney pot to stop rain and debri (Birds) falling down. I fitted a puckka log burning cowl which is like a "China mans hat" with mesh at the sides and clips onto your existing pot like a jubilee clip.

RD

Just an update for those who followed my original post. Was a busy week with lots of jobs but the fire place is coming on well. I have decided to plaster as the chimney breast bricks were not very attractive. So here is the progress so far. Just on last skin of plaster then i can paint it. Unfortunatley I wont be putting in a wood burner this year as funds wont allow, but next year I will tile out and fit log burner.

Before pic



After pic......



Now my plaster work is not brilliant by any means, its the first time i have had a go locost style, but one smoothed and painted I think it will look brill