GS Renovation removes chimney breasts throughout Putney, freeing up space in the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces that line SW15. With over 30 years of structural experience in the area, we take out redundant breasts safely, support the stack left above, and square the room off so there is no sign the breast was ever there.
Chimney breast removal in Putney terraces
Most Putney terraces still carry their original chimney breasts in the front and middle rooms, and because the houses are joined, the flues and stack usually sit within the party wall shared with next door. The breast helps carry the masonry and stack above it, so every removal starts with a structural engineer assessing exactly what the breast supports before any brickwork is opened up.
On the lower floors we support the retained stack above with steel gallows brackets bolted firmly into the party wall, or a beam where brackets are unsuitable for the loads. Where a breast runs the full height of a taller Putney terrace, we more often remove the whole stack and make good the roof rather than leave masonry perched on brackets. A stack is never left unsupported.
Party wall and building control in SW15
As Putney's terraces are tightly packed, the chimney stack almost always sits within the shared party wall, so removing the breast or fixing gallows brackets into that wall is notifiable under the Party Wall Act. We serve the correct notice on the adjoining owner before work begins and record the condition of both properties, keeping the neighbours informed and the job on the right footing.
The structural support is controlled under the Building Regulations, and Wandsworth Council's building control inspects and signs it off; this is not a planning matter unless external work is involved in a conservation area. We manage the lot: the engineer's assessment, the party wall notices, safe removal and propping, capping any redundant flue with proper ventilation to prevent damp, and replastering so the room finishes clean and square.
- Steel beam support where brackets are unsuitable
- Full chimney stack removal and roof making good
- Structural engineer calculations
- Party Wall Act notices for shared stacks
- Making good, plastering and reinstating the wall
The GS Renovation Difference in Putney
Putney homeowners choose GS Renovation because we treat chimney breast removal as the structural job it is. You get an engineer-checked support solution using gallows brackets or a beam, party wall notices and Wandsworth building control handled end to end, tidy working in an occupied SW15 home, and a certified finish, backed by 30+ years across the area.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Over 30 years of experience
- Dedicated project management
- Fully insured and guaranteed work
- Building control and planning support
- Clean, tidy and reliable tradespeople