Building advice needed -removed chimney breast

[asterix]

It's an excellent bargaining counter in negotiating a price reduction. Your surveyor has done you a good turn!

If that is a party wall I'd suggest the chimney is adequately supported by next door's brick work and you will have no trouble. Of course they may have taken theirs out as well!

 

[subaqua]

structural engineers advice on that one. as dell says one that owes you a duty.

 

[Doseone]

[QUOTE 2194083, member: 9609"]The roof - Is that the felt I can see? where are the sarking boards[/quote]

Hardly ever see those round this way. Think they may be more common in some parts of the country than others?

 

[Piemaster]

I've just had to look up sarking boards. Never seen them in any of the houses I've lived in around here.
From what I've just read more common in Scotland?

 

[asterix]

[QUOTE 2194083, member: 9609"]Two things I don't quite get about the pictures.

The Chimney breasts - whys is the brickwork not all tied in properly, it's all just been stacked in straight lines ? I Take it that is a party wall, in a semi detached/terraced situation. Are your chimney brests all tied into the one next door, if not there doesn't seem to be enough room for a chimney on this side. The whole thing looks a little odd to me.

The roof - Is that the felt I can see? where are the sarking boards[/quote]

A lot of houses just have felt and no sarking boards. If you are lucky enough even to have roof underlay.

What's more a lot of houses were built by builders who did things their own way before building regs. I have lived in a few. Worst built houses I've seen were in the North West. Twigs for joists and walls made of two skins, the outer brick, the inner, all sorts of stuff. When the steel ties rot they go their own ways. Edwardian, built for wealthy investors to let out. Some of them just fall down but an awful lot are still standing.

 

[dellzeqq]

[QUOTE 2194083, member: 9609"]Two things I don't quite get about the pictures.

The Chimney breasts - whys is the brickwork not all tied in properly, it's all just been stacked in straight lines ? I Take it that is a party wall, in a semi detached/terraced situation. Are your chimney brests all tied into the one next door, if not there doesn't seem to be enough room for a chimney on this side. The whole thing looks a little odd to me.

The roof - Is that the felt I can see? where are the sarking boards[/quote]
(bricklaying hat on) It's not clever. In and of itself the chimneys are sound enough, but the tie in to the external/party wall is going to be haphazard. The intention is to make a regular shaped cavity for the flue without flaunching. In fact the corrosive condensates will still come to rest on the sloped surface within the flue, and, if the chimney isn't line, the mortar will rot out.

As a general rule.......the mortar in flues which aren't lined (by vermiculite or stainless steel) will eventually rot out, especially if you burn green wood in the fireplace. Which is a decent reason for bonding properly.

 

[ianrauk]

Have never seen (or heard of) Sarking boards in all the houses I have lived in and /or bought.

 

[asterix]

In France it is usually only applied beneath the eaves. In Surrey I once lived in a very nice 1930's house that had the rafters boarded, clearly it had been built to a high standard. We still had the indicator board so the servants knew which room to go to. We just didn't have any servants

 

[dellzeqq]

Have never seen (or heard of) Sarking boards in all the houses I have lived in and /or bought.

common in between-the-wars public housing in London.

 

[subaqua]

common in between-the-wars public housing in London.

and a fair few private developments too.
our current house didn't even have felt beneath the slates !!

 

[byegad]

I ad something similar when I bought my 100+ yr old house some 23 years ago. I got the surveyor to re-visit to show me the problem, we went into the roof space, something he hadn't done on his first visit and found a huge steel girder supporting the remains on the chimney... that was the end of their objection.

Had we found the pictured 'work' I would have walked away from the house forever.

 

[subaqua]

[QUOTE 2194417, member: 45"]Our last house didn't.

Another question in relation to the felt- Now that roofs are felted and we've all got inches of insulation up there, condensation is a problem. What's the name of those vents you slide into the gaps in the felt?[/quote]

http://www.manthorpe.co.uk/Building/Products/Roof-Ventilation/Felt-Lap-Vent.html

lap vent

 

[subaqua]

[QUOTE 2194668, member: 45"]Thanks. Are they good? How do I get hold of some?[/quote]

not used those specific ones. they were the 1st hit for lap vents. many years ago working on the decent homes scheme we fitted a huge amount of a comparable product when the loft insulation was upgraded. not had a chance to go back and check on moisture levels, and I would imagine that the well known labour council of the angel haven't checked either.

Dell or Archie would be the ones to give you a definitive answer.

 

[dellzeqq]

they're not complicated pieces of kit, but they are very worthwhile.

the Glidevale book is probably the most comprehensive guide and they've got about every product you might need...
http://www.glidevale.com/downloads/glidevale_roof_ventilation.pdf

 

[craven2354]

[QUOTE 2194406, member: 45"]Well, fairly long conversation with a surveyor, with him recommending either the brackets, or a piece of 7"x3" sitting on the front wall at one end and the middle internal wall at the other. A call to the local builder (in this town everyone knows everyone so they're accountable) and he can do the job for £300. That's not far off the cost of a surveyor's report.[/quote]
Sounds like a good price and will be the best option