Want to remove a chimney?

Here are the building regulations you should know about.

Building regulations are simply the minimum standards acceptable and legal for any design or construction with the purpose of protecting the health and safety of the people living inside.

Building regulations cover aspects of the construction project such as its structural strength, electrical safety, heating appliance safety, fire hazards, plumbing, ventilation, and sewage or drainage concerns.

Since removing a chimney breast involves several of these aspects, you will first need to make sure your building plans adhere to all of your local regulations.

As a homeowner, you are the responsible party to make sure all building regulations are upheld, even though the work will most likely be done by a contractor.

So, when you are looking for a qualified worker, consider hiring someone who is part of the Competent Person Scheme, since they will be able to self certify their work. To find such a contractor, check out the Competent Persons Register online.

The main benefit to hiring someone from the Competent Person Scheme is that there is no building control fees involved since the work is both carried out and signed off for approval by the same person. Otherwise, you can gain building approvals through your Local Authority Building Control LABC or through private building control bodies.

However you decide to obtain building approval, just be certain to look into what is involved for your individual project weeks ahead of time, since it can sometimes take up to 8 weeks to gain approval once the application is submitted. Once the work is done, you will need to obtain a Completion Certificate.

Don’t skimp on this step of obtaining proper building approval and following all local regulations. Failure to do so can get you in serious trouble with the law, and may result in court appearances and fines up to £5000.

Because of the relatively short span, you can usually remove a chimney breast from the party wall or flank without weakening the wall strength.

For larger buildings, however, it’s important that you consult with a structural engineer before beginning work to determine whether or not you will need to add a buttress wall or other strengthening means of ensuring the structure’s integrity once the chimney breast is gone.

Once it has been removed, you will probably need to have the floor joist hearth trimmers also removed to add new floor joists across the entire length to support the load of the ceilings and floors.

If you want or need to keep part of the outside chimney above the roof line, because of planning permission requirements or for architectural aesthetics, this will also need to be supported.

Three of the most common ways to achieve proper structural support are using a beam or chimney brackets. Typically, inserting a structural steel beam, inserting a steel beam with an additional post, or using gallow brackets chimney support shores up the structure.

It is usually required that a minimum of one-hour fire resistance is used to protect your home from potential fire, especially if there is a neighbouring wall involved.

When there is a recess left after the chimney breast has been taken out, it will need to be filled in with brickwork to make sure the wall is the same thickness and density as the other walls, and all of the joints will need to be packed with mortar. This is often done for sound insulation.

Building Regulation Part F2 requires all rooms have permanent ventilation of no less than 8,000 mm2, which a chimney is able to provide.

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