False Chimney (around existing chimney) - First Time Project

zanic

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Happy Good Friday

After drooling over many False Chimney's on these forum's I have finally started working on mine.

I am going to have a carpenter build the False Chimney but I am going to prepare the chimney.

The chimney did have a Gas Fire, which has been capped. I then set to work removing the decorative brick work in the opening ready to be boxed to house the AV equipment.

Here is a picture as I had just set to work, the gas fire is still in place and I have just started taking the front row of decorative bricks.



I then continued to remove the decorative bricks curved around and down.

I am now concerned that I may have removed too many bricks? Please could I get your advice.

Ideally, I wanted to removed the remaining bricks at the bottom to form a square opening, but as you can see the front bricks exposed are length ways with half exposed and half in.





Thanks in advance
 
You could get a stone cutter/grinder and cut them off flush.
 
Is there any danger to the structure? Have I taken off too many? Also I expected to find a floor but did not?
 
Hi, chimney openings should be supported by either an arch created with bricks (usually in older properties) or a concrete lintel. I can't really see clearly but there appears to be neither unless they are further up but i would doubt it looking at the pics. I would cut off the plaster either side at the top of the opening in line with a brick course, remove the brick allowing 100mm either side for the lintel to sit into the wall. I would then fit a pre stressed concrete lintel on a bed of mortar either side where you have cut out the plaster and brick. The lintels are available in various sizes. Pack with mortar and slate between the top of the lintel and the old brickwork providing it is not loose and the jobs a good'n. That way you have a supported opening. If you are capable of doing it yourself it wont cost you more than around £15 and an hours work or so. As for the bricks at the bottom you should be ok to remove/cut off and re lay them to create a retangular opening or re-brick up on either side to make a smaller opening. Depending on what your plan is for using the chimney breast. If there is no constructional hearth i.e. concrete slab you could dig out the loose rubbble/soil etc to around 4" - 6" and put some concrete in.
Hope that helps.
James
 
Hi all

I just wanted to revive this thread and ask for your expert advice.

The chimney breast is now widened and the initial framework is up to home the tv and a custom av unit (yet to be built).

The challenges I am trying to get my head around now is how do I:

A) feed cables from the left of the chimney breast into the bottom recess (left and rear speaker cable run)
B) As above but feed cables in from the right of the chimney breast into the bottom recess. Including right speaker, sub and electric cable spur

The idea at the moment is that the exposed brickwork will simply be covered with plasterboard, but I'm thinking that I may actually need to frame it out further to allow cables to run along the wall inside the recess and fed through the back of the plaster board?

Thoughts welcome before I progress any further.

 
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If it were me, I'd just drill out half a brick from either side and run the cables through that.
 
That's what a friend suggested to drill through either side and drop the wires down the chimney flue. My only concern is the electric wire from the right hand side - will this cause interference?
 
Would you be able to draw on the picture where the cables are coming from? I was under the impression you just wanted to go horizontal...just vertical.

Not saying it's wrong, but I'd hate to comment if I don't fully 'get' the problem.
 
Thanks for your input so far.
Attached you can see where the plug socket currently is on the bottom right hand side, and the path of the electric chase in green.
I was then going to make use of the hole on the right hand side of the Chimney to also feed the right speaker cable.
And replicate the hole on the left hand side to feed the left (and rear speakers) and Sky cable (orange)
 
Cool project! One thing though, you shouldn't chase cables for power like you've designed, you can only go horizontally or vertically from visible outlets or up and down the edges of walls. Google electrical 'electrical safe zones' to find out more. Good luck with it!
 
Thanks for your input so far.
Attached you can see where the plug socket currently is on the bottom right hand side, and the path of the electric chase in green.
I was then going to make use of the hole on the right hand side of the Chimney to also feed the right speaker cable.
And replicate the hole on the left hand side to feed the left (and rear speakers) and Sky cable (orange)

You should be fine with that zanic....you may get interference, but you can use a few strategic screws or a bit of conduit to keep them away from each other. Even if they don't interfere, it's good practice anyway to keep them split.

Cool project! One thing though, you shouldn't chase cables for power like you've designed, you can only go horizontally or vertically from visible outlets or up and down the edges of walls. Google electrical 'electrical safe zones' to find out more. Good luck with it!

Yes and no....yes you're right in that, that's what the safe zones are, but where the design looks to breach the safe zones, they don't apply as the cables will be inside the chimney breast where depth is >50mm.
 
zanic, is that a full width concrete lintel I can just about make out behind the wooden cross beams, that goes full width?
 
Yes and no....yes you're right in that, that's what the safe zones are, but where the design looks to breach the safe zones, they don't apply as the cables will be inside the chimney breast where depth is >50mm.

You might be right, depends on how you interpret the plan. But to me it looks like the cable will run just behind the TV mount. When the TV is removed there will be cable outside the safe zones in the exposed area the TV would have covered less that 5cm deep in the exposed interior of the chimney.

But the main thing for me is that if I moved into a new place with a big TV shaped hole in a chimney breast I wouldn't be expecting to find cable running up there when I put a new TV mount in.

Could you do a very similar thing with surface trunking inside the chimney? You won't be able to see it with the AV equipment in place and it would be easier too.
 
Hi all - thanks for your feedback.

Ronski - yes it's a full width concert lintel - added for this project.

I appreciate what you are saying sixtoes - and maybe I have not drawn it out quite right but rest assured I am not doing the electrics myself! I have a third electrican round today to assess the plan and see what he can do.

Surprisingly one electrican baulked at the fact he would need to do a lot of drilling!!

Anyway - we seem to have made a breakthrough, being the lintel there is a two brick distance, so that's out entry point just behind. Not sure how we are navigating behind the tv yet but I'll know more later today.
 
You might be right, depends on how you interpret the plan. But to me it looks like the cable will run just behind the TV mount. When the TV is removed there will be cable outside the safe zones in the exposed area the TV would have covered less that 5cm deep in the exposed interior of the chimney.

Sorry SixToes, in my opinion you're going further off the beaten track here. Zanic stated previously that the cables were dropping down the inside of the chimney, hence my request for the drawing.

Whether the TV is mounted on the wall or not doesn't really come into it since it doesn't actually form part of the wall that the 50mm is measured from. If the cables are exposed inside the chimney, again the safe zones don't apply as it's only for _concealed_ cables less than 50mm.
 
Sorry SixToes, in my opinion you're going further off the beaten track here. Zanic stated previously that the cables were dropping down the inside of the chimney, hence my request for the drawing.

Whether the TV is mounted on the wall or not doesn't really come into it since it doesn't actually form part of the wall that the 50mm is measured from. If the cables are exposed inside the chimney, again the safe zones don't apply as it's only for _concealed_ cables less than 50mm.

Oh right - The OP mentioned a cable chase which I took to mean hidden, but if they are exposed inside the chimney rather than chased into the interior of the chimney then yes, do whatever you want. Apologies if I misunderstood. I'll get my coat ;)
 
Hi All

I've updated the title so I can keep updates in here on the progress.

Only had time to fit the wall mount so far, pleased to get it centralised between the framework. Picture attached.

Also attached conduit to the top corners which will sit behind the coving, to route various cables including speaker cables to the back of the room.

Electrician coming on Wednesday to do a first fix on 3 sockets (1. behind TV, 2. Bottom Recess, and 3. Right hand side of framework, for use with a Sub.)

Just ordered speaker cable, "Fisual S-Flex White Studio Grade Speaker Cable 2 x 2.5mm".

Wanted some advice on LED Light Strips. Keen to fit these in the TV recess, as many members have done this and it looks great. I have a Sanus VLF311-BS wall mount.

A) Where should the light strips be mounted?

B) Can anyone recommend a light strip? I took a look in Ikea, and could only find colourful or Warm White. Ideally I would like the option of Warm White with the colours?

 
Holy thread revival :D

Zanic I'm thinking of doing the exact same project and would love to see the finished piece of work. Can you update please?
 

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