Making more holes.

Good morning folks.
There is a recurring theme to the last few posts; fireplaces and chimneys. Today is no exception as it is time to share the saga of the lounge fireplace.

This was when we viewed the house. The signs were there of a much larger opening originally which we were keen to explore and the old back boiler had to be removed. Of course the dream is to discover original lintels, all intact.....

 So the first discovery was that yes, there were original stone lintels, two in fact. However they were both cracked and they were not actually supporting anything as they were too skinny anyway.

 plaster stripped and fireplace removed it was clear to see the size of the original opening.

 Time to start making even more of a mess

 Don't think this chimney has been cleaned for a good few years as there is a thick build up of soot.

 Making progress. Obviously we had to be a bit careful as we were not sure what was holding what to begin with and I didn't think the neighbours wanted to see our house from theirs.

 Almost there. As we thought, there was a substantial opening originally and after a bit of thought and discussion we decided to keep it open rather than close it up again.

Time to play chimney sweep and get rid of the soot before re lining the chimney.

 Once relatively clear the fun and games began. Getting this new lining up there!

 Luckily it decided to co operate and play nice. It was nice to have something work easily for a change I must say.

 A brief reprise then it was back to chaos and dust cutting away the stone for the new lintel.

 Better hold everything up, just in case, though it all seemed stable

Sorted! thank heavens, everything in place. Everything above the lintel is to be filled in and we can start looking for a wood burning stove. We are going to use some of the original flagstones from the cellar to create the hearth which I think will be lovely.

After another think and discussion we have decided to clean up, re-point and leave the stone exposed in the fireplace aperture. It just seems such a shame to plaster over everything again and as this is really the only bit of the house we can leave the stone showing it seemed appropriate to keep this bit of originality without compromising on the ability to insulate and maintain the efficiency of the building too much.

That's all the fireplaces decided. All the other fireplaces are remaining sealed. Romantic as it may seem to have a fireplace in the bedroom the reality is draughty rooms and lots of dust. No thanks....

Next time I'll be back with another tale of breaking down. It seems that that is all I am doing at the moment, just destroying things but hey, it will get better. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

Till next time, take care everyone and thanks for sharing this journey with us.