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've got chimney specialists at your house.

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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?

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're going to 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.

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.

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: £3,000 to £4,000.
• 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.

If you're thinking of hiring a painter and decorator to carry out the re-decorating work for you, then you can expect to pay them around £8 to £15 on average per hour.

You may also need some roof repairs if you've had your chimney taken away as you'll need something to patch the gap left behind.

The cost of replacing roof tiles depends on your tile material - with slate being more expensive than clay or concrete - but typically costs around £200 for five tiles.

Roof repair costs are likely to be one-off fees, however, so you typically won't need to add this to your ongoing fees if you have a competent roofer repair your roof the first time.

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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 £3,000 to £4,000 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 damage to the internal decorations.

Removing the internal chimney breast will, however, create a lot of mess. A lot of dust and debris will fly away during the process, so the room should be protected accordingly.

Also remember that any plumbing, gas, and electrical services that link up to the chimney breast should be isolated and altered before the job can begin.

If the upper sections of the chimney are going to remain, then these will need to be held up with Strongboy steel wall supports before you can begin to remove the chimney breast below.

This support will need to be kept in place before a new permanent fixed support is put in place. The permanent support will need to be designed by a qualified structural engineer.

You may also need to remove the chimney stack. In some cases, this part of the chimney may be part of a shared central chimney system. With this in mind, you may need to adhere to the 1966 Party Wall Act. This will make the overall job more complex, and it will take longer to complete, which can add on some considerable costs.

Once the chimney has been broken down and removed, you will need to clean up the mess and re-plaster the wall ready for re-decorating. Removing a chimney generates a lot of dust and debris, and so this part of the job can take a long time. If you are employing a plasterer or decorator, then this will also add some extra costs to the overall price of the job.

Along with structural support, you will also need to have appropriate insulation fitted, and the area will need to undergo damp-proofing. These costs are usually included in the overall price; however, this can vary depending on the type of materials that are used and the complexity of the job. The type of materials that you choose will likely depend on your specific needs and your budget.

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.

Planning Permission for Removing a Chimney Breast

Planning permission for removing a chimney breast is only likely to be needed if your building is listed or located within a conservation area.

However, it is advisable to contact your local council who will provide further information on whether you need planning permission for your particular chimney removal job.

Building Regulations for Removing a Chimney Breast

There are building regulations that you need to take into consideration when it comes to removing your chimney breast.

The building regulations require the building to be structurally stable after removing the chimney. You will need to adhere to building regulations that ensure that the home is safe and stable after the work has been carried out.

It is recommended that you contact your local council who will provide accurate information on the type of building regulations that you need to adhere to for your particular type of chimney removal.

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 contract 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