Building a Constructional Hearth - Tips and Advice Needed
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2013 12:39 pm
Hello all, new on this forum.
I'm restoring a fireplace recess in a Victorian house (circa 1860) and want to ensure that the hearth in particular conforms to building regs. I plan to have a small wood-burning stove installed at some point in the future, once finances have recovered a bit.
So far, I have this:
- a bare recess with exposed bricks to all 3 sides and an opening above to the flue (some of which need repointing and restoring - I will be doing this using more bricks i am going to order,plus lime mortar)
- in the base of the recess, the old fire brick
- in front of the recess, engineered oak floor, resting on top of 21mm plywood, which in turn rests on top of closely-fitting joists
This floor is raised ground and has a basement floor beneath.
I have contacted my local council building regs dept and read stove installer manuals online and based on the info received I plan to:
- repoint and restore the brick inside the recess.
- cut away the engineered oak floor in front of the recess, to expose the plywood.
- place a master board over the plywood.
- then brick hearth on top (I am aware of all the regulation measurements that a hearth has to comply with and the reg distances for a recess into which a stove is fitted).
What I need to check and double check, in order that I don't get any regulation material wrong is this:
Is it 100% ok to build a constructional hearth as I've outlined above and what else should I know, before I start? Have I missed anything?
Is lime mortar the best to use in this instance?
When an installer comes to install a stove at a property which already has a hearth etc in situ, what exactly will they be looking for in order to 'pass' the existing hearth and surrounds in their safety certificate?
I am proficient in this level of DIY, by the way!
Obviously I will be using a HETAS registered installer to install my stove, once the time comes, but in the first instance I want to be 100% clear on how best to construct this hearth, so that it complies fully and is safe.
Many thanks in advance for your input.
Frank.
I'm restoring a fireplace recess in a Victorian house (circa 1860) and want to ensure that the hearth in particular conforms to building regs. I plan to have a small wood-burning stove installed at some point in the future, once finances have recovered a bit.
So far, I have this:
- a bare recess with exposed bricks to all 3 sides and an opening above to the flue (some of which need repointing and restoring - I will be doing this using more bricks i am going to order,plus lime mortar)
- in the base of the recess, the old fire brick
- in front of the recess, engineered oak floor, resting on top of 21mm plywood, which in turn rests on top of closely-fitting joists
This floor is raised ground and has a basement floor beneath.
I have contacted my local council building regs dept and read stove installer manuals online and based on the info received I plan to:
- repoint and restore the brick inside the recess.
- cut away the engineered oak floor in front of the recess, to expose the plywood.
- place a master board over the plywood.
- then brick hearth on top (I am aware of all the regulation measurements that a hearth has to comply with and the reg distances for a recess into which a stove is fitted).
What I need to check and double check, in order that I don't get any regulation material wrong is this:
Is it 100% ok to build a constructional hearth as I've outlined above and what else should I know, before I start? Have I missed anything?
Is lime mortar the best to use in this instance?
When an installer comes to install a stove at a property which already has a hearth etc in situ, what exactly will they be looking for in order to 'pass' the existing hearth and surrounds in their safety certificate?
I am proficient in this level of DIY, by the way!
Obviously I will be using a HETAS registered installer to install my stove, once the time comes, but in the first instance I want to be 100% clear on how best to construct this hearth, so that it complies fully and is safe.
Many thanks in advance for your input.
Frank.