A few photos of the current chimney hole,

After some advice about what needs to be done, what i need to be aware of and any idea of costs. (Gloucestershire, i guess location matters a bit)

I may be able to get the wood burner cheap through work, so that part is covered, it is the piping, hearth, making good etc i am more concerned with

Thanks

No idea why but there are a couple of steel rods across the top of the hole, and i can see an arch about a foot up the chimney, where the rubbly bit ends. Floor has concrete in front and fire bricks inside for at least some of the opening. yes it needs a good clean, but i guess the 70’s gas fire indicates the last time the fire place was used to burn coal.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xgfVFr]IMG_1561[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xdWpdG]IMG_1560[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wYD7ko]IMG_1563[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wjowuD]IMG_1562[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/xdWqhf]IMG_1566[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wYCR3b]IMG_1568[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/wYCRff]IMG_1569[/url] by mr_mo12, on Flickr

Take a look at part j sections 1 and 2

oki doki.. what you have is a cracking class one flue/chimney.. probably the best and easiset you could have hoped for.. the steel rods are supporting the brick work.. not unusual and no issue..

first step get a fella in and get it cleaned good and proper and smoke bombed.. that ll cost you 40 quid and be the last time you need anybody to do something for you..

get some stone paving stones about 2 inch thick to use as a hearth, cut them with a standard angle grinder seat on sand and cement mix.

scrub up the visible block brick work..

get a burner and a starter length of flus ( about a metre) sit that according to the instructions make sure it has an opening so you can clean it out with a brush..

get a cracking big debris plate and some angle iron.. screw the angle iron in the brickwork to make a frame to mount your debris plate, seal it all up with liberal quantities of fire cement and you ll be toasty in the autumn.

If any good, a good friend (and bike enthusiast) in Bristol fits wood burners and does chimneys etc. He’s qualified, been doing it for years. Let me know if you want his number/email for advice, cheers

Totalshell is obviously ok with the possibility of killing his family. If you aren’t, I recommend taking advice from someone who actually has a clue what they’re on about.
Redstripe’s offer is sound.

The arch you can see inside is the builders opening/arch, the opening has then been closed down to a standard open fire. I like a nice big open fireplace so personally I would consider knocking out the rubbly bit supported by the iron rods. (although it looks quite wide already so)

I think it looks better than a stove shoved into a tiny hole with hardly enough space to get your hand down the side…plus it makes space for the stove implements/stove top fan etc.

So gears suck …. What parts so going to potentially kill total shells family then ?

You and I both know theres a lot more to making a safe installation than listed there buddy. Or are you testing my knowledge? 🙂

I get the feeling most of what he wrote was takin the piss….

I don’t know? It’s hard to determine inflextion in written text. It reads like a poor set of instructions to me.

unless my eyes decieve me i dont see a class 1 flue – thats what makes me think hes taking the piss.

Haha. I’m not sure who’s taking the piss now.
It was a serious question and misleading the op may prove a bad ides. If I don’t see the humour and he may not either. Again, I refer him (OP) to an expert, there seems to be few here.
Fitting any appliance which requires products of combustion to be carried away by a flue with limited know how is extremely dangerous.
Besides, if he wants to sell his house in the future, it would be prudent to ensure he has adhered to building reg’s and has the correct documents/tags to show it has been fitted competently.

For the benefit of the OP.

Class 1 Flue

A brick chimney is easily recognised by a chimney stack, with either a pot or gas terminal on your roof, which relies on the natural circulation of air through the room and up your chimney to expel the products of combustion. The minimum internal diameter will be 7” (or greater) and it may have had a real solid fuel fire in previously, especially in the case of older properties sometimes identifiable by an existing chair brick at the back of the fire opening.

Note that your chimney may or may not have a terminal(pot) this would be part of advice you need on how to remedy.
Also, your chimney looks to be of stone blocks and brick. It’s still a class one. Totalshell was correct on that score.
If you read up and are a quick learner, there’s no reason you couldn’t show yourself to be competent to building control and complete a safe installation. If you have any doubts, call someone in. There’s more to know than is worth trying to list here.
Its not cheap, but it’s worth it being done right.
Incidentally, £40 to test the integrity of flue seem a little low to me. I wouldn’t do it for that. It’s not worth the trip out.

My chimney looked a lot like that and I used a rigid stainless non-insulated flue pipe all the way up the chimney with plates top and bottom. I initially used a stainless hat at the top of the flue but it made so much noise in the rain that I replaced with a traditional clay chimney pot. No-one has died yet. The top and bottom plates are bolted in so I can take the whole lot out for cleaning in half an hour. I burn pine in a Jotul with the air control fully open so it burns hot enough to avoid problems with creosote deposits. Cleaning yields dry soot bottom to top.

I fitted ours myself after getting some obscene quotes for running a tube in and writing the bill.
Dragged a SS flue up and clamped it to the pot clover was the hardest part. measuring the hearth and tiling it in slate and connecting it all together. I’m sure the local council would jump on my head, the weren’t interested in visiting to inspect the work for notification whatsoever the lazy sods. So I’m going to take the thing with me when we move.
Money making and wood burner go together well.