Hello, first of all sorry if the title is wrong (didn't know how to word this problem...), and a big thank you to everyone who contributes to this site. I've been mining it for advice for months while I've been rennovating our 1920s Edwardian semi - it's been a great help.
Now, I've finished doing the rear bedroom in our house and have just started on the front one. The chimney breast had built-in drawers (the hole that once held the fire has been extended and a large concrete base has been built for the drawer unit); I removed the drawers and the frame that held them and discovered that in order to make room for the drawers the owners before us had knocked out the bricks that separated the flue from downstairs and the one for the bedroom fire. So the actual hole for the bedroom fireplace is much larger than it originally was. I took down the hardboard that was lodged in place above where the drawers were and got a facefull of soot and a dead bird in my lap....
We want to install a wood-burner in the downstairs living room, so I assume that I will need to re-brick the partition upstairs before I can get one installed (or do I?). I will need to chisel out the large concrete base first as it is now blocking the flue from downstairs; are there any precautions that I need to take - if I re-brick will it be durable enough to 'survive' the heat from the wood-burner downstairs? ALso, I assume that there's not much holding up part of the chimney breast, seeing as they've knocked out the partition....
Any help would be gratefully received.
Many thanks,
Geraint
