or will the chimney breast in the flat upstairs come crashing into my kitchen?

Would it need an RSJ to hold it up?

A structural engineer will give better advice. £150 well spent.

I’ve got an end terrace that I’m doing up. Next door has removed the chimney breast and it improves the back room no end. Unfortunately, as the gable is single brick my chimney breasts are effectively buttresses holding up the whole street.

There are some videos on youtube of people removing chimney breasts that might help make your mind up

Your local council website will have lots of information with regards to things like this.

Its likely you will also require Building regs permission and inspection to show the work has been done properly.

A structural engineer will give better advice. £150 well spent.

Many years ago in the last house we lived in I finished decorating our bedroom and while standing back admiring my work it occurred to me that there wasn’t actually a chimney breast in the room below. Closer inspection showed that nothing had actually been done to support it.

A structural engineer will give better advice. £150 well spent.

a friend had his removed and then discovered that it was an integral part of the stability of the wall so had to put something back in to stabilise it. This stuff isn’t always obvious 🙁

Thanks, I’ll get in a structural engineer.
Though we’ve recently put in a basement underneath the kitchen and there isn’t anything obvious down there supporting the chimney breasts!

Though we’ve recently put in a basement underneath the kitchen and there isn’t anything obvious down there supporting the chimney breasts!

By ‘put a basement in’ I assume you mean renovated an existing one rather than dug a new one? If it’s the later the struct engineer who did that design should have made comments about supporting the overlying structure.

Go SE route

flat upstairs come crashing into my kitchen

definethly with someone else upstairs, also you can be sure they haven’t ‘modified’ it further on up

id personally get a builder in to quote for it, if their cost is 20% above what it would cost me to do it id pay them and not have the worry of it (but im a wuss and diy numpty)