Steel BeamInstallers
Ground-floor chimney breast removed with a short steel beam carrying the breast above

Chimney breast removal · Edmonton

Chimney breast removal in Edmonton

Steelwork, approvals and making good for chimney breast removal in Edmonton and nearby.

  • Itemised written quote
  • Beam sized by a structural engineer
  • Covering Edmonton and nearby

Free survey in Edmonton

Tell us about the chimney breast removal job in Edmonton.

Please enter your name.
Please enter a UK phone number.
Please enter a valid email.
Please enter a UK postcode.
Please tell us a little about the job.
  • Free survey visit
  • Engineer's calculations arranged
  • Building control handled
  • Fixed written price once scope is agreed
  • England, Wales, mainland Scotland & NI

Planning chimney breast removal in Edmonton

Planning chimney breast removal in Edmonton? Our team covers E4, EN1, EN3, N9 and N13 and the streets around them. We also cover the surrounding towns and villages in London. You get one written quote for the calculations, approvals, propping, steel and making good.

We cover the survey visit, structural calculations from a qualified engineer, building control, party wall notices through a party wall surveyor where needed, temporary support, removal, the steelwork and making good. Whether you are taking out the ground-floor breast only or the full height, the itemised written quote shows each stage.

Worth knowing before you start

  • A chimney closed off at both ends can trap moisture and cause damp patches on the walls. Where part of a flue remains, a vent at room level and a ventilated cap on the pot keep air moving through it.
  • If you remove the breast in a ground-floor room but want to keep a fireplace or the breast in the bedroom above, the steel underneath must be designed for that load. Its ends need solid bearings, which may mean pockets cut into the party wall.
  • Older fireplaces sometimes contain asbestos in flue linings, fire surrounds, hearth boards or heat-resistant panels. In buildings from before 2000, suspect materials are identified with a survey before removal so they can be handled correctly.
  • The price depends on how many floors the breast spans, whether the stack is kept or removed, the support method the engineer specifies, roof and scaffold work, and how much rubble needs taking away. Each is listed separately in the quote.
  • In England and Wales, cutting away a chimney breast attached to a party wall is notifiable work under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Notice must be served on the neighbour before work begins, and their response decides whether party wall surveyors need to be appointed.

Four stages, one team

  1. Look and measure

    We check the wall, the span you want and what the wall is carrying, and photograph anything the engineer needs to see.

  2. Design and price

    Calculations come back from the engineer and we confirm your fixed written price, line by line.

  3. Building control

    We submit a building notice or full plans application to the local council's building control team, so approval is in place before the wall is touched.

  4. Fit, inspect, finish

    The work is propped and the steel installed and packed tight. After inspection the opening is boxed, plastered and left clean.

How much should I budget in Edmonton?

As a guide, budget £1,900–£3,850 including VAT for chimney breast removal (ground floor) in Edmonton, based on published UK cost guides adjusted for London prices (+28%).

JobTypical guide rangeWhat it usually covers
Chimney breast removal (ground floor)£1,900–£3,850Ground-floor breast removed, steel to support the breast above, building control and making good
Plastering and making good£380–£1,540Boxing the beam, bead and skim, reveals, floor infill where the wall stood and tidy-up
Party wall surveyor (agreed surveyor, per neighbour)£1,150–£2,550 per neighbourSchedule of condition and award where a neighbour dissents; serving notice alone, where the neighbour consents, costs far less (England and Wales only)
Loft conversion steels£3,200–£7,700Supply and fit of floor and ridge steels on padstones, including lifting into the roof space

Figures include our approximate regional adjustment for London prices (+28%) and are rounded. How these figures are worked out.

Approvals in Edmonton

For Edmonton, building control is provided by the local council's building control team, or by a registered building control approver if preferred. We send them the engineer's calculations with a building notice or full plans application and book the inspections. Work done without approval can cause problems at sale and is far dearer to put right later.

Terraced and semi-detached homes often need party wall notices, because cutting into a shared wall to take a beam end is notifiable under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Allow at least two months for the notice period unless your neighbour agrees sooner.

Building rules in England

Chimney breast removal near Edmonton

Local questions answered

Do you also work near Edmonton?

Yes. We also cover nearby towns including Tottenham, Enfield Town, Chingford and Walthamstow.

Can you work on older or listed homes in Edmonton?

Yes. Older homes often have lime mortar, timber lintels or shallow footings, which the engineer allows for. Listed buildings need listed building consent for internal structural changes as well as building regulations approval, and that must be in place first.

Can I remove a chimney breast on the ground floor only?

Yes, but whatever stays above must be properly supported. The structural engineer designs that support, usually a steel beam bearing onto walls that can take the load, and building control must approve it before work starts. Leaving an upper breast or stack without adequate support is dangerous and is a problem surveyors look for.

Do I need my neighbour's permission to remove a chimney breast?

Not permission as such, but in England and Wales you must serve notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 if the breast is attached to a party wall, and your neighbour can consent or dissent. You cannot remove their half of a shared stack. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no equivalent Act, so the title deeds and general law apply.

What if my chimney breast was removed without support?

Get it checked by a structural engineer as soon as possible. If the upper breast or stack has no adequate support, it may need propping straight away. A support can usually be fitted retrospectively, and in England and Wales a regularisation application to the local authority can be used to get the unauthorised work approved.

Planning to take a wall out?

Book a free survey visit. You get an itemised written quote covering calculations, building control, steel and making good.