to remove the chimney breast or not...
Discussion
that is the question.
so here is the new proposed kitchen, from magnet in their astral blue colour.
It’s a fair size room (I’m going to need over 6m of quartz for the work surfaces.) The only compromise at the moment is that of the location of the range cooker. I’ve ordered a nice 100cm cream leisure range cooker which was an excellent price and what we wanted.
However it can’t go where the current cooker is on the other side of the room, so we thought that we would make the best of the chimney space and put it there. There is over 1m of clearance between the cooker and the other side of the kitchen – not ideal I know but the other option is to get the chimney removed. I’m not keen on that as it is destroying a period feature in a Victorian house, it’s a ball ache to do as it’s on a party wall, and will cost something in the region of £1500 quid to do (more if the neighbours are difficult).
Would you remove it or keep it as a feature?
The bloody kitchen is costing me enough as it is without having to start knocking walls down…
n.b the door that half opens is the utility cupboard – a sliding door will go on that in due course.
so here is the new proposed kitchen, from magnet in their astral blue colour.
It’s a fair size room (I’m going to need over 6m of quartz for the work surfaces.) The only compromise at the moment is that of the location of the range cooker. I’ve ordered a nice 100cm cream leisure range cooker which was an excellent price and what we wanted.
However it can’t go where the current cooker is on the other side of the room, so we thought that we would make the best of the chimney space and put it there. There is over 1m of clearance between the cooker and the other side of the kitchen – not ideal I know but the other option is to get the chimney removed. I’m not keen on that as it is destroying a period feature in a Victorian house, it’s a ball ache to do as it’s on a party wall, and will cost something in the region of £1500 quid to do (more if the neighbours are difficult).
Would you remove it or keep it as a feature?
The bloody kitchen is costing me enough as it is without having to start knocking walls down…
n.b the door that half opens is the utility cupboard – a sliding door will go on that in due course.
B17NNS said:
Get rid. It looks daft. I don't swallow the whole original feature nonsense. Have you keep your outside bog too?
If you were to open it up and put the range inside the opening, that would look good.
I agree, get rid, it looks stupid.If you were to open it up and put the range inside the opening, that would look good.
You say "its costing me enough already" so why cut corners on something that will not be perfect and will probably annoy you further down the line.
OP- as ideas go that is a fail 
As Barry and others suggest above, easiest is to put it in the chimney if you can. As per his pic I think they look good with a range cooker in them and the extraction fan can be in the chimney.
The main advantage of taking out the chimney breast entirely is if you need the storage space and are going for the inbuilt ovens.
If you do take it out, and is a house rather than flat, then consider supporting the chimney stack in the loft itself rather than 1st floor ceiling. That will alloy you to remove from 1st floor bedroom too so maximizing the space there too.
Also with regards to cost, if you can find a builder to just do the support then you can save on labour by taking wall down yourself and getting your own skip/trips to dump.
As Barry and others suggest above, easiest is to put it in the chimney if you can. As per his pic I think they look good with a range cooker in them and the extraction fan can be in the chimney.
The main advantage of taking out the chimney breast entirely is if you need the storage space and are going for the inbuilt ovens.
If you do take it out, and is a house rather than flat, then consider supporting the chimney stack in the loft itself rather than 1st floor ceiling. That will alloy you to remove from 1st floor bedroom too so maximizing the space there too.
Also with regards to cost, if you can find a builder to just do the support then you can save on labour by taking wall down yourself and getting your own skip/trips to dump.
the kitchen guy got a quote for me for removal (which includes the skip) for £750 quid (I cant remember exactly how he said it would be supported but remember him mentioning something about gallows brackets)
I assume I'll need building control to come round and look at it - so another 200 quid for that?
to be honest I thought it would be more than that...
I assume I'll need building control to come round and look at it - so another 200 quid for that?
to be honest I thought it would be more than that...
Gallows brackets is the cheap way to do it, but quite common and works fine (some building control aren't so keen on it so check with your local building control first). And iirc there is also some guidance that if your neighbor has already taken out his side using gallows brackets then you have to go with steels.
Have you asked him how it will look once done? as a quick google comes up with: http://mybuilder-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2_thumb/... which will need some boxing in/extractor/cabinet hiding it
p.s. £750 sounds cheap but is probably priced into the margin of the kitchen/trade rates for the fitter. Just check the builders insurance physically to make sure has some, in the (very unlikely) event of anything going wrong.
Have you asked him how it will look once done? as a quick google comes up with: http://mybuilder-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/2_thumb/... which will need some boxing in/extractor/cabinet hiding it
p.s. £750 sounds cheap but is probably priced into the margin of the kitchen/trade rates for the fitter. Just check the builders insurance physically to make sure has some, in the (very unlikely) event of anything going wrong.
Edited by Yazar on Thursday 22 January 11:22
I have this set up in our kitchen at the moment. It was like that when we moved in. It looks stupid and is f
king annoying. You will also bang your head on the corner of the cooker hood, about once a week. I'm getting the kitchen done soon and the oven is getting recessed back into the chimney, like others have shown in there photos.
king annoying. You will also bang your head on the corner of the cooker hood, about once a week. I'm getting the kitchen done soon and the oven is getting recessed back into the chimney, like others have shown in there photos. Sheets Tabuer said:
Best 1500 I ever spent getting a chimney breast taken out albeit in a lounge but I have so many more options when buying sofas etc.
I was quoted for this yesterday. What's the point in having a fire you never use rendering one end of of the room useless.Corner sofa here I come
jon- said:
Sheets Tabuer said:
Best 1500 I ever spent getting a chimney breast taken out albeit in a lounge but I have so many more options when buying sofas etc.
What's the point in having a fire you never use rendering one end of of the room useless.I can change anything I want in my house, apart from the stupid Victorian type tiled fireplace. Despite a log burner being much more useful it would result in immediate tears and probably divorce!
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