GRP chimneys - what's all that about?
Discussion
There are some houses being build near us, posh ones, running from £300k for a 2bed+office, to £600k for a 5bed+office.
These are being thrown up with plastic chimneys. I mean the whole pot, stack, flashing, all pre-made in fibreglass and craned up to the roof. The 'bricks' almost match the house too!
So is this unbelievably crap like I think or is there more to sticking a fake chimney onto a £600k house? I assume they are saving < £1000 on the build price by doing this - would that be about right?
These are being thrown up with plastic chimneys. I mean the whole pot, stack, flashing, all pre-made in fibreglass and craned up to the roof. The 'bricks' almost match the house too!
So is this unbelievably crap like I think or is there more to sticking a fake chimney onto a £600k house? I assume they are saving < £1000 on the build price by doing this - would that be about right?
Globs said:
So is this unbelievably crap like I think or is there more to sticking a fake chimney onto a £600k house? I assume they are saving < £1000 on the build price by doing this - would that be about right?
Depending on size, but an average 2 pot chimney stack, in brick, from the roofline up would cost about £500 tops in materials and labour. The scaffold costs would add to that as you'd need additional internal/external scaffold going through the trusses (another lift on the gable basically). But this would mean delaying getting the trusses fixed in place and the roof covered which has a knock on effect on internal trades, so I would guess the main benefit is a time/program one. Note you already have the crane in for the trusses so no extra costs there. Also if you did build in brick and you have inclement weather this would add additional delays. There would also be a slight benefit for H&S as you have fewer trades working at height. Often insisted on by Planners, but if not, then there to satisfy the desire for traditional detailing by your typical home purchaser.
They are, as you say, attrocious, naff pastiche, but Planners and the wider general public don't seem to realise that.
Why don't we build 'real' chimneys? 'Cos we don't need them, they don't serve any function, and they cost a lot of money
They are, as you say, attrocious, naff pastiche, but Planners and the wider general public don't seem to realise that.
Why don't we build 'real' chimneys? 'Cos we don't need them, they don't serve any function, and they cost a lot of money
Thanks for the info, I see there are reasons then. The roof looks over 45degree pitch so I think there is a lift there already. The chimneys are just inset from the verge about 3-4 tiles - no idea if they will be connected.
It's funny as it seems to be the opposite of what the listings people do - keeping materials etc the same, where here functionality and construction takes second place to looks. Although the 'flashing' looks ugly and the pot looks plastic with the shine of a new brown plant pot!
I'll try to post up a pic tonight.
It's funny as it seems to be the opposite of what the listings people do - keeping materials etc the same, where here functionality and construction takes second place to looks. Although the 'flashing' looks ugly and the pot looks plastic with the shine of a new brown plant pot!
I'll try to post up a pic tonight.
There you are. It almost matches the bricks, but the plastic pot, weird 'flashing' and odd fit/height to the tiles spoils it for me. They have also done a wet verge with a dry ridge which frankly looks odd to me, but your mileage may vary!
I guess the square haunching also gives it away.
In my view this knocks any cost saving straight off the value of the house, but maybe I'm just old fashioned..
Seeing the picture I can see they have saved on building a complete stack now. I wonder if they're used as gas fire flue vents or are purely cosmetic? In which case I have would have to agree with Sam_68 as it's a pastiche. I wonder if planning demanded them and they've stuck them on to satisfy them? Can't imagine it's to satisfy a customer demand. Let's hope they're well fixed and they don't blow off in a strong wind eh?
They have 4 reserved already out of 9, so people are buying them. That was before they did the roofs though 
No chance of me buying them..
Here is another pic:
It shows the match is close with the bricks, I think it's the concept I find odd. I'd expect it on a dolls house, but not on a real one!
That chimney is above a bedroom, the floorplan shows no sign of allowing a flue through either, unless somehow the stuff it down the (quite large) cavity as the lounge is below that and it would put it into the right ballpark.
No chance of me buying them..Here is another pic:
It shows the match is close with the bricks, I think it's the concept I find odd. I'd expect it on a dolls house, but not on a real one!
That chimney is above a bedroom, the floorplan shows no sign of allowing a flue through either, unless somehow the stuff it down the (quite large) cavity as the lounge is below that and it would put it into the right ballpark.
I noticed these being delivered around the development I live on but can't say I have noticed them in-situ. I don't see why they will look any worse than a masonry chimney and should last longer.
The plastic jobbies must be a new thing as my last house had a fake chimney (not fed by a flu or fireplace) that was made by building bricks out of the wall to support it.
My own house has a real fire place and I assume a real chimney
Ben
The plastic jobbies must be a new thing as my last house had a fake chimney (not fed by a flu or fireplace) that was made by building bricks out of the wall to support it.
My own house has a real fire place and I assume a real chimney
Ben
Globs said:
That chimney is above a bedroom, the floorplan shows no sign of allowing a flue through either, unless somehow they stuff it down the (quite large) cavity as the lounge is below that and it would put it into the right ballpark.
It should be stressed that these chimneys are non functional. Most modern mass-market housing uses a gas central heating system with a balanced flue boiler (usually located in the kitchen or utility room), central heating and (if anything) just a fused spur for an electric feature fire in the lounge. The'chimney' is just a GRP box that serves no purpose beyond its dubious 'aesthetics'.Functional chimneys are about as relevant as fitting wire wheels to your new Audi.
GRP chimneys are roughly the equivalent of fitting plastic fake 'wire wheel' effect trims on top of your steel wheels on your new Audi, but most Planners and the Great British Public don't seem to grasp that, and naturally the customer (and the Planner, if we actually want to get approval to build in the first place) is always right...
Edited by Sam_68 on Friday 8th April 17:38
On our volume houses we used GRP porches as well as GRP chimneys. Like most volume products houses are built down to a cost. The cost of build has a direct bearing on the amount you can pay for the land, which has a bearing on whether you get the opportunity to build any houses. Saving £1500 per plot on a 250 unit scheme is enough incentive for most to use GRP.
blueg33 said:
...Saving £1500 per plot on a 250 unit scheme is enough incentive for most to use GRP.
Indeed; though I'm told by our bean counters that the total cost of purchase and installation of a GRP chimney amounts to about a thousand quid a throw, so the preferred option on cost grounds would be no chimney at all.I've actually had debates with Planning Officers where they felt the importance of chimneys to the overall roofscape of a development was such that they asked '...but if you were buying one of the houses, wouldn't you be willing to pay an extra £1,000 for a {fake plastic} chimney, for the improved appearance it offers?' and were genuinely bemused when I said '...erm. No?'.
I kid you not... that's pretty much verbatim!
I also made the local papers on one of our developments when after a 2-hour grilling by the Parish Council on a development we were proposing (with no forewarning that reporters would be in attendance video recording the proceedings, which was a bit naughty), the best they could find to quote me on was when I got frustrated with Members' repeated requests for 'nice, traditional chimneys' and said, 'OK, you can have all the chimneys you want, if it will make you happy, but you do realise they're nothing more than non-functional naff pastiche plastic boxes these days, don't you?' (again, pretty much verbatim...).
We got our Planning Permission; they got their plastic chimneys. Everybody was happy (more or less).
Edited by Sam_68 on Friday 8th April 17:59
blueg33 said:
On our volume houses we used GRP porches as well as GRP chimneys. Like most volume products houses are built down to a cost. The cost of build has a direct bearing on the amount you can pay for the land, which has a bearing on whether you get the opportunity to build any houses. Saving £1500 per plot on a 250 unit scheme is enough incentive for most to use GRP.
You are correct. We see a lot of these now on the larger developments by the main contractors, and also GRP bay window roofs, they just bolt on and can be done within minutes. None of the house types we've been doing lately have chimneys, either brick or GRP. I would imagine it's very much a planning concession (as has been said it's purely cosmetic) and as such has to be completed as quickly and cheaply as possible.Sam_68 said:
I also made the local papers on one of our developments when after a 2-hour grilling by the Parish Council on a development we were proposing (with no forewarning that reporters would be in attendance video recording the proceedings, which was a bit naughty), the best they could find to quote me on was when I got frustrated with Members' repeated requests for 'nice, traditional chimneys' and said, 'OK, you can have all the chimneys you want, if it will make you happy, but you do realise they're nothing more than non-functional naff pastiche plastic boxes these days, don't you?' (again, pretty much verbatim...).
Did you offer to give then a line of the things along the ridge to REALLY make the house look impressive?? 
Yeah yeah... holy thread resurrection and all that...
Anyway, my house has no chimney and we want to install a log stove in the lounge.
We could get planning to build a brick one, but it wouldn't be in the correct place for where we want the fire inside.
I know we can run a flue through the house and out the roof but I don't want a bloody pipe sticking out.
Is it possible to make a false chimney to cover the flue pipe?
I was thinking (very roughly!) of marine ply, brick slips etc.
Anyway, my house has no chimney and we want to install a log stove in the lounge.
We could get planning to build a brick one, but it wouldn't be in the correct place for where we want the fire inside.
I know we can run a flue through the house and out the roof but I don't want a bloody pipe sticking out.
Is it possible to make a false chimney to cover the flue pipe?
I was thinking (very roughly!) of marine ply, brick slips etc.
How odd that this thread has come up as I saw a couple of these pre-fabricated chimneys on the back of a truck this morning on the M5 shrink wrapped and first thought maybe they were making up brick chimneys elsewhere then adding them to the top of a stack on a house but then I thought that's daft they must be fake ones. Now I know 
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