Removing a chimney breast means supporting what is left above it, or taking the stack out entirely. The support is either gallows brackets, where they are accepted, or a steel beam. We appoint the structural engineer, build to the calculations issued, and coordinate the building control side. This page covers what Slough asks for, and the two points people are caught out by.
Slough says removing a chimney will probably need building regulations approval
Slough Borough Council states that changes to an existing building, such as removing a wall or a chimney, will probably need building regulations approval. A chimney breast carries load and forms part of the fire separation, so it is not a job that falls outside the regulations simply because it happens indoors.
Whether gallows brackets are accepted or a steel beam is required is a question for the structural engineer and the inspector, not for the builder. We get the calculation first and price from it, so the figure you are given matches the support that will actually be approved.
All of Slough is a smoke control area
Slough Borough Council states that all of the Slough area is covered by smoke control orders, so it is an offence to burn an unauthorised fuel unless it is used in an exempt appliance. That matters if you are removing a breast downstairs and keeping a working fire elsewhere in the house.
It matters again if the plan is to take out one breast now and put an appliance back later. Decide what the flue is for before work starts, because a flue is far easier to keep than to put back.
A shared stack brings the Party Wall Act into it
Slough Borough Council states that applicants are required to comply with the Party Wall Act and other civil laws. It states that notice must be served on the neighbouring occupier if any encroachment beyond the curtilage of the application site is proposed. Where a chimney breast sits on or in a party wall, that duty is live before any brickwork moves.
We are a contractor and not a party wall surveyor, so we do not serve notices and we do not advise either side. We raise it at survey, and we programme the work so that any notice period sits in front of the start date rather than across it.
Book the inspections 24 hours ahead
Slough Building Control asks for site inspection visits to be requested 24 hours in advance, so that it can plan its site visits more effectively. On a chimney breast job the stages worth seeing are the support before it is loaded, and the making good before it is covered.
We make the booking and hold the following trade until the visit has happened. That is the difference between a finished ceiling and a ceiling that has to be opened back up.
- Structural engineer's calculations arranged and followed
- Ground floor removal with the upper stack fully supported
- Soot and debris contained with screens and sheeting
- Chimney breast removal on one floor or on every floor
- Hearth removal and floor structure reinstatement
Why Choose GS Renovation in Slough
A chimney breast removal is decided by what is left above it. We appoint the structural engineer to establish whether gallows brackets are acceptable or a beam is needed, and we build to that answer rather than to a rule of thumb. The building control application goes to Slough Borough Council's own service, and we make it and book the inspections around the support going in. Because a stack may be shared, and because the whole borough sits under smoke control orders, we settle the neighbour question and the flue question before the first brick moves. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured and registered in England, company number 14611254, and rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder. Quotations are free and carry no obligation.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Flue capped with ventilation so the remaining stack stays dry
- The retained stack inspected from the loft before we start
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre