Chimney Breast Removal Cost

Trying to find out how much it costs to remove a chimney breast?

You can expect to pay between £1,200 to £3,500. The exact price you're quoted will depend on the extent of your chimney removal — whether that's just removing the chimney breast or stack alone versus taking out the entire chimney breast and stack.

But there's more!

In this guide, we look at all chimney removal costs for all types of houses and chimneys, as well as looking at removing chimney breasts downstairs only. We discuss labour fees, timeframes, and additional jobs you can consider while you have a chimney specialist visiting your property.

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Keep reading our complete chimney removal cost guide below.

How Much To Remove a Chimney Breast?

Looking for chimney breast removal costs?

The cost to remove an entire chimney without the stack is, on average, around £2,200 to £2,400, and the average price for removing the entire chimney stack with the breast is around £3,000 to £3,500.

Removing a chimney breast is something homeowners might be interested in doing during a remodel of their home.

It is, however, a very large job and is the type of project that should only be performed by a professional chimney specialist, because the chimney breast is just a small portion of the entire chimney.

Because of this, you will find it's essential to hire a contractor with the proper equipment, knowledge, and experience to remove a chimney breast.

Depending on the size of your chimney, more than one contractor may be required to complete the job effectively.

So, what will the overall chimney breast removal costs depend on?

The costs involved with removing a chimney breast will vary depending on whether or not you’re looking to remove the entire chimney. It will also depend on whether you are removing the chimney breast alone or whether you are removing the chimney stack as well as the breast.

Chimney Breast Removal Prices

Below is a table listing the different types of chimney breast removal jobs and the prices you can expect to pay for each job type.

We have also included duration estimates for each of these jobs - however, these can vary depending on the number of people who are working on the job and the complexity of the job at hand:

Additional Chimney Breast Removal Costs

Several additional costs may arise when it comes to removing a chimney breast.

Here's a list of some of the additional costs you may need to think about when it comes to removing your chimney breast:

• Scaffolding hire cost: £300 to £400.
• Skip hire cost: £100 to £200.
• Plastering internal wall cost: £70 to £200.

You should also consider the cost of materials required to re-decorate after the job is complete.

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Chimney Breast Removal Labour Costs

Let's take a look at labour costs and timescales for this project.

The cost of labour for this type of job will vary depending on your location, the job's difficulty, and the extent of the job at hand. The average cost for labour on a chimney breast removal is around £200 to £300 per day for each tradesperson.

This type of job usually requires at least two tradespeople for efficient and safe completion.

The price you pay for a chimney breast removal will usually have all of the costs together in one sum. However, you can ask for a breakdown of the expenses on your quote, so that you know how much you are paying towards the labour of the job.

Those based in the London areas can expect to pay around £30 to £70 more on average per day for the cost of labour than those based in the north or other parts of the UK.

Depending on the type of job (whether you’re looking to remove the chimney stack alone, just the chimney breast on the ground floor, an entire chimney breast, etc.), it can take anywhere between 1 to 4 days on average to complete.

What Impacts Chimney Breast Removal Costs?

There are a number of things that can affect the cost of removing a chimney breast.

Below you will find a list of several cost-affecting factors that may alter the overall price you pay to have your chimney breast removed:

Type of Removal

The type of removal can affect the overall cost of removing your chimney breast. If you are looking to get your ground floor chimney breast removed alone then this will cost around £1,500 to £1,750, whereas the cost to remove the entire chimney breast and stack will cost about £3,000 to £3,500.

Size of Chimney Breast

The size of the chimney breast will affect the cost you will pay to have it removed. A larger chimney breast will take longer in total to remove than a smaller one, and so this will end up costing more.

Scaffolding Use

If scaffolding is required to complete the job, then you can expect the job to cost a lot more. On average, scaffolding hire is going to add costs of around £300 to £400 more onto the total cost of the job.

Location of Property

The location of your property can affect the overall cost that you’re going to pay for the job. Those based in the London areas can expect to pay around £30 to £70 more on average per day for the cost of labour than those based in the North or other parts of the UK.

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How Much Does Removing a Chimney Breast Save You?

After removing your chimney breast and stack, you can enjoy long-term savings as you no longer have the need for chimney maintenance costs. In total, you can look to save between £1,200 to £2,570 in one-off costs, and an additional £60 to £150 in regular annual costs.

Let's take a closer look at the potential savings related to chimney breast and stack removal:

Chimney Sweeping Costs

Without a chimney, there's nothing to sweep. The cost of chimney sweeping ranges from £60 to £150 depending on your chimney type, with the biggest savings coming from homeowners removing lined and unlined stove chimneys.

Chimneys should be swept around once a year, or more depending on your usage, saving you a few hundred pounds each year.

Chimney Liner Costs

Chimney liners cost between £600 to £1,000 - so cutting out that replacement cost can be a welcome change from your outgoings. While this is often a one-off or irregular cost, over a 30-year period, you can look to save anywhere from £1,800 to £3,000, based on a chimney liner replacement every 10 years.

Replacing Chimney Leadwork Costs

Lead flashing is used where the chimney connects to your home's roof. If you've removed your chimney, there will no longer be a need for chimney leadwork repair costs - typically between £350 to £460, or £700 to £920 if you need scaffolding for access.

Fixing Penetrating Damp Costs

Although chimney stacks and breasts can add warmth and a favoured internal feature to many homes, having a gap running down into the interior of your home does come with its challenges. For homes with recurring penetrating damp issues stemming from the chimney, it can be a relief to remove the cause and correct the damp.

Instead of paying out regular penetrating damp repair costs - anywhere from £250 to £650 for a single wall depending on house size - you can remove the chimney breast and stack and have one penetrating damp treatment to resolve the issue.

What's Involved in Removing a Chimney Breast?

Removing a chimney breast is an extensive and challenging job that requires a lot of work. External chimney stack removal is typically completed outside of the home and, therefore, will not cause any internal damage.

• Isolate any Utilities – Services such as plumbing, gas and electricity linked to the chimney breast area must be isolated, disconnected or redirected before starting the removal work.
• Structural Support – If upper chimney sections remain, they need to be supported with Strongboy steel wall supports before removing the chimney breast below. This temporary support stays until a permanent support, designed by a qualified structural engineer, is installed.
• Insulation and Damp-Proofing – Proper insulation and damp-proofing must be fitted. These costs are usually included but depend on materials used and job complexity, which vary by your needs and budget.
• Clean-Up and Finishing – After removal, clean-up and replastering are needed to prepare walls for redecoration. This can be time-consuming and may increase costs if hiring plasterers or decorators.

Removing the chimney stack could also be a necessary step and in the event of a shared central chimney system, the job needs to be handled in compliance with the 1966 Party Wall Act due to the neighbouring property. This adds complexity, time, and potentially an additional cost to the process.

Can I Remove a Chimney Breast Myself?

Removing a chimney breast is a difficult job that affects the structure of your home. It requires more than one person to effectively and safely complete the job.

With this in mind, it is not recommended that you take on the task of removing a chimney breast yourself. Instead, you should hire a qualified and experienced set of tradespeople to carry out the work for you.

Each individual part of the job should be carried out by a qualified and experienced tradesperson, and they should adhere to all of the building regulations and health and safety requirements.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission to Remove a Chimney Breast

Removing a chimney breast is covered by certain building regulations as it affects the structure of your property and should only be carried out by an experienced professional. In particular, tradesmen need to take note of Approved Document A, which ensures the building remains safe and stable after removing load-bearing elements.

In order to follow these regulations, the work may require installing supports such as steel beams or gallows brackets.

In most cases, planning permission isn't required for the removal of a chimney breast, unless you live in a listed building or your property is within a conservation area. In which case you may also be charged a fee of around £100 to £200 per application.

In certain situations, fire safety rules (Approved Document B) or the Party Wall Act may apply, especially if the chimney breast is on a shared wall. As with any work relating to your chimney, it is always advisable to contact your local council to ensure you receive the right information before carrying out any work.

Checklist: Hiring a Chimney Specialist to Remove a Chimney Breast in the UK

There are several things you may need to consider when it comes to hiring someone to remove your chimney breast.

Here's a list of all of the things that you should think about before making a decision on the right person to take on the job:

• Be sure to get the quote in writing so that you know exactly what you can expect to pay once the chimney breast removal is complete.
• Always obtain at least 3 separate quotes for the job so that you can ensure you’re getting a reasonable price from a chimney specialist near you.
• Ask for a breakdown of costs on the quotes so that you can be certain that you’re getting a fair price for each different element of the job.
• For any payments you make, always get a receipt.
• Ask around for recommendations on good contractors in your local area.
• Find out what materials the contractor will be using for their work – you don’t want to skimp out on quality to save a bit of money upfront. This may result in you having to spend more on repairs in the future.
• Find out how much experience the contractor has in removing chimney breasts.
• Ensure that the contractor knows of any building regulations that need to be followed.
• Ensure that the contractor has adequate safety equipment for the job.
• Find out if the contractor has any insurance against damage to themselves or your home during the process of the job.

FAQs

Sources

http://hyltonchimneys.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Charnwood-Chimney-Stack-Removal.pdf