Opening up a fireplace

[veedubberman1]

Hello all,

I've been lurking on this forum for a while now using it for an invaluable source of information, so thank you all for that!

I'm renovating a 1950s house and want to open up a fireplace in the dining room that has been blocked up at some point in the past. I have removed all the plaster (very badly applied) around the opening and have exposed the original opening and the wall surrounding it. What I have found is that the fireplace wall (what I have exposed) is made of concrete (?) blocks rather than brick (the rest of the house is brick) and as yet I haven't found any sign of a lintel.

I've had a look up the chimney in the lounge and it seems to have the same concrete block construction across the top of the opeining.

What I'm wondering is am I safe to remove the bricks blocking the opening without installing a lintel?

Would a cable detector pick up the metal in a reinforced concrete lintel or a metal reinforcing bar if it was present?

I don't want to knock out the in fill bricks and then find that the blocks abve it start to come down!!!

Some pictures that might help.

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• veedubberman1
• 22 Aug 2012
• 1

Fireplace with plaster removed.

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• veedubberman1
• 22 Aug 2012
• 1

Close up on concrete blocks and brick in fill

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• veedubberman1
• 22 Aug 2012
• 1

Marked up where I think the original opening should be (matches the sixe of the lounge opening)

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• veedubberman1
• 22 Aug 2012
• 1

view up the lounge chimney showing concrete block construction.

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• veedubberman1
• 22 Aug 2012
• 1

Fireplace in lounge - just as reference.

Thanks

Tony