Hi all,
I’m looking for a bit of advice and would really appreciate any help.
I’m currently selling my house, and our buyer’s survey has come back with the following comment about the chimney structure in the loft:
"Some chimney breast masonry has been removed and the remaining elements above are not supported.
This is a safety risk and urgently requires supporting in accordance with current building regulations."
I’ve had a look myself, though I’m no expert, and I’ve attached some photos. The house has one fireplace on the ground floor. Could the unsupported section mentioned in the survey be due to a second fireplace having been removed at some point, or is this column shape fairly typical?
What kind of support would usually be needed in a situation like this? We’ve lived here for nearly 10 years and nothing was flagged when we had our own survey done. We’re also not sure whether there was ever a second fireplace in the property.
The bricks and render all seem to be in decent condition.
Any advice or pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated. Thanks.