A chimney breast carries the brickwork above it, so removing one at ground floor leaves the stack overhead needing support. That is either gallows brackets bolted to sound brickwork or a steel beam, and the structural engineer we appoint decides which. We build to the calculations issued and never write them. This page covers the consent route, the charge and the roofline question in Maidenhead.
The application goes on the council's own forms, not the Planning Portal
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead no longer accepts building regulations applications through the Planning Portal. Applications must be made using the council's own online forms. If you have used the Portal for work in another borough, that route is closed here, and a notice sent the wrong way is a delay rather than a submission. We make the application for you and keep the reference.
The published charge for a chimney breast is category C3
The council's building control charge category C3 covers structural alterations of a single beam or chimney breast removal. From 1 April 2026 the full plans charge is £300.00 with inspection included, a building notice is £345.00, and regularisation of work already done is £431.25, all inclusive of VAT at 20 per cent. Regularisation is what you pay when a breast came out without a notice.
On the build cost, indicative London ranges, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026, put a chimney breast removed on one floor with gallows brackets accepted at £1,500 to £2,500, and £2,200 to £3,250 where a steel beam is needed. Removal across two floors runs from £3,000 to £5,000. Which of those applies is the engineer's decision rather than a preference.
The design code names retained chimneys in the Boyn Hill character area
Code CA4.03 of the Maidenhead design code states that where there is a presence of Victorian dwellings in the Boyn Hill character area, building extensions and conversions should retain as much original feature and detailing as possible. It names a retention of timber window frames and a consistent roofline with retained chimneys. Removing a breast internally while leaving the stack and pots in place answers that.
The code describes the Ray Mill character area as late Victorian and early Edwardian two to three storey villas with tiled roofs and ornate chimneys, with facade materials largely red brick, stucco or a mix. Where the stack is part of the elevation, the support design has to hold it up rather than take it down. We price both options so the choice is visible.
Local chimney brickwork is what any gallows brackets have to bolt into
The council's Altwood Road conservation area appraisal records the principal building material there as the orange red brick typical of this part of Berkshire, and records the chimneys as tall brick built structures. Gallows brackets only work where the brickwork they fix into is sound and thick enough. A tall stack adds load and lengthens what is being carried above the removal.
That is why the survey comes before the price rather than after it. We expose enough of the breast and of the brickwork above to let the engineer judge whether brackets are acceptable or a beam is required. Where a beam is required, the padstones and bearings are designed with it, and the inspection sequence follows from that.
- Soot and debris contained with screens and sheeting
- Building control notification and inspection sign-off
- Bedroom breast removal to reclaim usable floor space
- Chimney breast removal on one floor or on every floor
- Ventilated caps and airbricks to disused flues
Why Maidenhead Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
The decision that moves the price on a chimney breast is brackets or beam, and that is the structural engineer's call rather than ours or yours. We appoint the engineer, expose enough brickwork for a proper judgement, then build to the calculations issued. The building control application goes on the borough's own online forms, and we make it, book the inspections and return the completion paperwork. Everything from the temporary support to the plastering and the hearth sits with one point of contact. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured, registered in England, company number 14611254, and quotations are free and without obligation.
- Gallows brackets fixed only into sound party wall brickwork
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site
- Aftercare and snagging support once the job is finished
- Hearth and floor structure reinstated where the breast is removed
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs