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| 04/12/03 |
Bloomin' chimneys |
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| The saga of trying to find an acceptable way of removing my chimneybreasts continues with a phone call to Building Control... |
Having dwelt on it for most of the day after our meeting with the Building Control Officer (Mr Brown), I decided to bite the bullet and call him. I just could not remember whether I had told him the neighbours had already taken their chimneybreasts out and were supporting with gallows brackets. I suppose I already new what was coming next: No the gallows bracket method was not suitable, neither was the other Building Control Officer's (Mr Smith's) recommendation. The only answer is steels running front-to-back of house, sitting on the front, back and internal middle walls. It is so frustrating. Were the Mr Smith responsible for my area, the job would require installation of a manageable 6ft steel and gallows brackets. The whole lot could be taken up through the loft hatch and installed relatively easily. Mr Brown's demands require almost 8 meters of much heavier steels (because of the greater span), joined in at least one place and almost certainly coming in through the roof by crane. It's only a modest chimneystack! Worst still is all the conflicting information. Mr Brown says the chimneybreast is structural and is buttressing the party wall. Mr Smith says that the chimneybreast is unlikely to even have proper foundations just a hearthstone so it can't be structural. My friendly builder (father) says that houses are built to send forces downwards, ditto the chimney and it's so well bonded into the party wall it isn't going anywhere. So, despite telephoning three times and meeting with the Control Officer directly, were still getting nowhere. The last word from Building Control was to get a structural engineer involved. Straightaway, I'm seeing big pound signs! I think my next tactic is to talk to the sensible Mr Brown and appeal for his help in convincing the rather less pragmatic Mr Smith. I'll let you know how that goes... |
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