Removing a chimney breast means taking out masonry that carries its own weight, and the stack above it if that stack is staying. The remaining brickwork has to be supported, either on gallows brackets where they are accepted or on a steel beam designed by an engineer. In Stevenage the age of the property and its conservation area status both shape the answer.
Stevenage has little pre war housing
Only 1,160 Stevenage dwellings, 3.0 per cent of the borough's council tax stock, were built before 1940, where the figure across England and Wales is 35.2 per cent.
That changes what a chimney job looks like here. Flues, hearths and earlier alterations differ between a post war house and a pre war one, and what is behind the plaster is confirmed at survey rather than assumed. The quotation follows the survey, not the other way round.
Six of the seven conservation area plans ask for stacks to be kept
Six of Stevenage's seven Conservation Area Management Plans state that chimney stacks can contribute greatly to the local character and should be retained and repaired. The exception is the Town Square plan.
Seven conservation areas cover parts of the town: Broadwater, Old Town High Street, Orchard Road, Shephall Green, St Nicholas and Rectory Lane, Symonds Green, and Town Square. If your property sits in one of them, taking the breast out while retaining the stack is the route that keeps the roofline as it is, and that puts the support detail at the centre of the job.
The Old Town is a different structure altogether
Stevenage Old Town High Street retains timber framed buildings of the 16th century or earlier, among them 2 Letchmore Road, 9a Middle Row, 84a and 131 High Street, and a 16th century hall house at 94 to 98 High Street.
The Great Fire of Stevenage on 10 July 1807 destroyed 42 properties in Middle Row, and the buildings lost were rebuilt with brick facades and tiled roofs. The brick refronting along the High Street therefore follows the fire rather than predating it. Work on a building of that age is historic masonry and timber repair, and listed building consent applies where the building is listed.
Who inspects the support you leave behind
Hertfordshire Building Control Limited does. Stevenage Borough Council does not run its own building control service, and owns that company jointly with seven other Hertfordshire local authorities. Inspection bookings are taken on 01438 879990 and by WhatsApp on 07483 034482.
The support to a retained stack is inspected before it is covered up. We make the application and book that visit, so the job closes with a record of sign off rather than an open file.
- Ground floor removal with the upper stack fully supported
- Bedroom breast removal to reclaim usable floor space
- Full chimney stack removal and roof making good
- Hearth removal and floor structure reinstatement
- Skirting, cornice and picture rail matched back in
Trusted Chimney Breast Removal in Stevenage
Chimney work in Stevenage runs straight into conservation area guidance, because six of the seven management plans ask for stacks to be retained and repaired. We plan the support to the retained stack first and the finishes second, and we build to a structural engineer's calculations where a beam is the answer. Building control applications and inspections are coordinated for you. The company is fully insured, quotations are free and without obligation, and you deal with one point of contact.
- Roof, flashing and leadwork made good where a stack comes down
- Founder-led team with 30+ years of hands-on experience
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- Neighbours spoken to early when the stack is shared
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages