A chimney breast is a load bearing element, and taking one out leaves whatever sat above it needing support. That support is either gallows brackets, where they are accepted, or a steel beam where they are not. We survey, appoint a structural engineer, build to the calculations and coordinate the building control application and inspections. This page sets out how that works on a Brentwood property.
Brentwood takes a notice of intended demolition alongside the usual application routes
Brentwood Borough Council's building control service accepts building notice applications, full plans submissions and regularisation certificate applications, plus a notice of intended demolition. Removing a breast is demolition as well as alteration, so the route is worth settling before a scaffold is ordered.
The regularisation certificate route exists for work already carried out without approval. If a previous owner took a breast out and there is no paperwork, that is the conversation to have with the council. We can look at what is currently holding the stack above and tell you what an engineer will want to see.
The support gets inspected before it is boxed in
Brentwood Borough Council's published list of building control inspection stages includes structural beams and columns prior to encasement, at stage 8 of 12. A beam carrying a retained breast is therefore seen before it is plastered over, which sets the order of the finishing trades.
Gallows brackets are accepted in some cases and not in others, and that call belongs to the structural engineer and the building control surveyor rather than to us. Where brackets are not accepted, a steel beam does the same job at a different price. We set out both routes before you commit to either.
Older Brentwood houses can be timber framed behind render or brick
Brentwood Borough Council's conservation area appraisal describes the town's housing stock in the 19th century. It consisted mainly of late medieval and early modern timber framed buildings, one and a half and two storeys in height, mostly rendered or faced up in brick. A stack bonded into fabric of that kind does not behave like one in solid Victorian brickwork.
There are 512 listed buildings in the borough: 12 at grade I, 27 at grade II* and 473 at grade II. Listing covers internal features, so on a listed property removing a chimney breast is a heritage consent question as well as a structural one. Check the list entry for your address before a design is drawn.
- Chimney breast removal on one floor or on every floor
- Full chimney stack removal and roof making good
- Party Wall Act notices for stacks in a shared wall
- Gallows bracket support for a retained stack above
- Steel beam support where gallows brackets are unsuitable
Why Brentwood Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Chimney breast removal is priced by what has to carry the weight above, and that is decided by a structural engineer we appoint rather than by whoever quotes cheapest. We hold the propping, form the support, make good the ceiling and floor, and present the work for inspection before it is encased. Where the stack above is retained, supporting it is the whole job. We also deal with the debris, the flue, the making good and the building control paperwork, so it is one contract rather than four. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured, registered in England, company number 14611254. Quotations are free and without obligation.
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages
- Hearth and floor structure reinstated where the breast is removed
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- Neighbours spoken to early when the stack is shared
- The retained stack inspected from the loft before we start