Partial Chimney breast removal.

[jono2000]

I want to put an en-suite in two rooms, in the alcove area between the wall and the start of the chimney breast isnt' quite big enough, I Want to remove about 300-400mm of the left hand side if the chimney breast.

What supports if any would I have to put in. Effectively I'm cutting into the chimney breast at one side. In fact in a victorian house with nearly 11 foot cielings I don't need the full height of the breast portion removed either.

My initial thoughts are to put a bit of steel lintel in like a big flat RSJ maybe halfway through the breast, and/or maybe one gallows bracket under the removed portion of the breast.

What might building control require in these circumstances.

I know its only 300-400mm but it just makes all the fitting of toilets and showers so much simpler if I can have a straight run over 6 foot ish!

so the breast would look sort of like below when viewed from the front:
[code:1]
==========
==========
_________ ========
| ========
new | ========
ensuite | ========
here | ========
[/code:1]

hope this graphic makes sense....

 

[tony1851]

Why bother with any steel at all? You could just corbell the brickwork out above, say, 6ft high.
If it's the side of the chimney breast containing the flue from downstairs, it should come out fairly easily.

 

[jamesbt20]

Ok Jono your it I'm afraid - i'm not a lurker anymore and this is my first post.
Those awfully nice lads in BC might even ask for structural calculations on this as well as steel but to me thats just BC. To me you just need to check and make sure there are no floor or roof joists being supported by the chimney breast above the area you want to remove - which therefore won't be supported post demolition. Joists are rarely built into chimney breasts and are generally trimmed round with mortice and tenons etc but there can be exceptions. If the joists are trimmed around the breast just start at the top and cut it back both sides as far as you need and take it right down. The weight of the small area you are removing will be redistributed and carried easily. I would then just deck with flooring ply under the damaged masonry of the chimney above the ceiling simply to protect the ceiling from a half or even full brick coming lose in the future you can even build up between the flooring plywood and the underside of the chimney masonry but this is not obligatory. Normally at least every third course of the breast is built into the party or dividing wall it abuts with so the weight is carried by the dividing wall except in exceptional cases.
You can verify this as you cut & remove the portion of the breast were it joins the dividing wall for extra piece of mind.

Executive summary - Its a minor job requiring no real support but the wrong Building Control Officer can soon change all that. He might even ask for structural calculations to verify what I've said but at the end of the day they like to be backed by the Engineers PI insurance

 

[jamesbt20]

Tony posted while I was writing and I agree totally Tony. I for sure wouldn't use support.

 

[jono2000]

OK, if no posts otherwise I'll consider this a bit of a result and corbell out the removed fillet of bricks and box any scruffy bits.

In fact the two rooms are one on the ground floor and one on the first floor, (same room design one on top of other) so I'll check carefully re the joists and work accordingly.