Chimney support - regulations

[TC598]

Hi,
I’m not sure if i’ve put this in the correct thread, sorry if not.

I am in the process of buying a house and the rear chimney has been completely removed sometime in the past however, the front chimney remains and it has been left like this in the loft (image attached). Does anyone know if this support is done correctly or is this likely to be a problem to the structure of the house?

We have raised the questions with our solicitor regarding building regs as advised by the surveyor but i just wondered if this is done correctly or is it likely to come back as an issue and delay things.

Thanks in advance!

 

[blup]

The picture looks like an exam question for surveyors. Wouldnt it be easier to remove the flue liner and the rest of the bricks which don't appear to be supporting anything else structurally. I assume the single brick pier is resting on a structural wall below.

 

[TC598]

The picture looks like an exam question for surveyors. Wouldnt it be easier to remove the flue liner and the rest of the bricks which don't appear to be supporting anything else structurally. I assume the single brick pier is resting on a structural wall below.

Thanks for your reply. The picture is screenshotted off my surveyor report. So it appears the stack was removed but then the owner decided to install the flue to make it a working fireplace again, they then installed an electric one at some point, the fire place is currently covered over.

Yes the single brick pier aligns with the solid wall below.

I would quite like to reinstate the fireplace at some point, does the way the chimney in the attic look correct structurally?

Thanks

 

[blup]

Id want more support under tne bricks to avoid the cantilever effect but i guess if its been like tnat for years it is in balance.

Maybe you could fit joists from wall plate to wall plate and mortar in blocks at 90 degrees to add further support under the hanging end of tne bricks. Or remove bricks altogether and rely on the flue, appropriately protected

 

[TC598]

Id want more support under tne bricks to avoid the cantilever effect but i guess if its been like tnat for years it is in balance.

Maybe you could fit joists from wall plate to wall plate and mortar in blocks at 90 degrees to add further support under the hanging end of tne bricks. Or remove bricks altogether and rely on the flue, appropriately protected

Ok thank you!

Further in the survey report it is noted that:

“The downstairs wall has been removed and moved back between the ground floor reception rooms and there
is evidence of a boxed in support in place.
At first floor level above there are slightly sloping floors in this area which may have occurred
when the wall was removed, however there is no evidence of any inadequate support currently”

The sloping in the upstairs bedroom floor is by the wall i believe the remaining chimney is supported on. If there is no evidence of inadequate support why has the floor dipped there? Is this normal?

I had also planned to have a additional doorway put into that solid wall, is the sloping in the floor likely to prevent this being possible?

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[ree]

OP,
So many questions immediately leap to mind?
Much more information, and more pics referenced to floor plans would be needed for giving you further advice. At the moment you show what could potentially be a dangerous structural situation - the surveyor's report only adds confusion to the situation. Was the surveyor a mortgage surveyor?
It might be possible to do a little limited supporting in the loft but an analysis by a SE would be the best approach. Ask the SE to say whats wrong, why its wrong and how to correct whats wrong - also ask the SE for remedial prices?

Based on the confusing facts above: very rough estimates could be: dealing with the loft issues in the pic could cost £2000 - £3000. The sloping floors & lintel issues might cost £5000 to £7000.
What you've described could have been a DIY effort - no pros - no BCO -no paperwork?
So it depends on what the house price is - how much reduction you can get - & how bad do you want this house

 

[blup]

Ok thank you!

Further in the survey report it is noted that:

“The downstairs wall has been removed and moved back between the ground floor reception rooms and there
is evidence of a boxed in support in place.
At first floor level above there are slightly sloping floors in this area which may have occurred
when the wall was removed, however there is no evidence of any inadequate support currently”

The sloping in the upstairs bedroom floor is by the wall i believe the remaining chimney is supported on. If there is no evidence of inadequate support why has the floor dipped there? Is this normal?

I had also planned to have a additional doorway put into that solid wall, is the sloping in the floor likely to prevent this being possible?

Sorry for all the questions.

Sounds like the floor may have dropped when the gf wall was removed but if its been like that for years is it going to be a problem? Many older properties have sloping floors. Given what your planning it might be sensible to get a builder or SE to have a look.

 

[TC598]

OP,
So many questions immediately leap to mind?
Much more information, and more pics referenced to floor plans would be needed for giving you further advice. At the moment you show what could potentially be a dangerous structural situation - the surveyor's report only adds confusion to the situation. Was the surveyor a mortgage surveyor?
It might be possible to do a little limited supporting in the loft but an analysis by a SE would be the best approach. Ask the SE to say whats wrong, why its wrong and how to correct whats wrong - also ask the SE for remedial prices?

Based on the confusing facts above: very rough estimates could be: dealing with the loft issues in the pic could cost £2000 - £3000. The sloping floors & lintel issues might cost £5000 to £7000.
What you've described could have been a DIY effort - no pros - no BCO -no paperwork?
So it depends on what the house price is - how much reduction you can get - & how bad do you want this house

Thanks for your reply. The Survey i had done personally, the mortgage company didn’t want to do one. It was a level two RICs survey. The surveyor didn’t say the chimney itself was an issue just that the metal flue needed reconnecting and to check that the removal was done within building regs approval.

The floor sloping was just mentioned in the report and not flagged as an issue (this was green on the traffic light system).

I have attached the floor plan along with some pictures of the floor and downstairs boxed in beam where the wall has been moved.

The wall in the lounge was moved from the black square on the right backwards to where it is now. There is an additional support beam that has been added and is boxed in where the existing wall was removed. The sloping of the floor is roughly above where this beam is, it’s not hugely noticeable, you only notice because the skirting board looks higher in that part as there is no flooring down at the moment.

 

[TC598]

Sounds like the floor may have dropped when the gf wall was removed but if its been like that for years is it going to be a problem? Many older properties have sloping floors. Given what your planning it might be sensible to get a builder or SE to have a look.

Well this is more the answer i was hoping for, it’s been like this for over 10 years judging by the property history on zoopla so is it likely to be a problem? The surveyor did say this was most likely due to the wall removal in the past and didn’t seem worried about it and it wasn’t flagged as a major issue in the report or anything but i just wanted to be sure.

 

[cdbe]

I wouldn't like to sleep under that. Is it sat on a concrete lintel or a bit of timber? I'd be amazed if its been passed by Building Control. If they don't supply the paperwork it's definitely worth something off the price (try saying a friend of a friend who's a builder says a couple of grand) - but the reality is that it's a weekends work for you knocking the bricks off and carrying them down to a skip.

 

[TC598]

I wouldn't like to sleep under that. Is it sat on a concrete lintel or a bit of timber? I'd be amazed if its been passed by Building Control. If they don't supply the paperwork it's definitely worth something off the price (try saying a friend of a friend who's a builder says a couple of grand) - but the reality is that it's a weekends work for you knocking the bricks off and carrying them down to a skip.

There is what appears to be a long piece of concrete that goes across just above the single line of bricks, is this a Lintel? Does this improve the situation if it is? The problem is i wanted a log burner at some point, is it expensive to get a flue put all the way through if we take the whole chimney stack away?

I did have about 7k off the asking price, i did try lower initially which they declined. We are nearing completion and this has thrown a spanner in the works and i’m trying to gauge if it’s worth the agro of delaying everything further and with the mortgage company having to revise the offer etc.