Hello,just wanting to open up my fireplace so I can have a wood burner put in.the chimney breast is 60inches wide and I'm looking to open it up to around a meter wide. My questions are: Do I need acrops for this job?or as its only a meter should it be okay to remove the current lintel and replace higher up with a bigger one. On the image I have uploaded above the fire place are verticle bricks.6 or so.what it the purpose of this? At the back of the current open fire are large bricks which have been cemented in place.they are not neatly positioned.are they somehow helping support the chimney breast. fInally if I were to put the lintel higher do I put a new little in place before making the hole wider/higher or make the hole wider/higher then put a new lintle in. I do have a builder coming to do this job put the more o do he cheaper it will be.obviously though I don't want to collapse the chimney so just asking some questions. Thanks
Prob best to put new lintel in first, especially as it all looks A bit 'loose'. Stitch drill out the beds with a 10mm or so masonary bit to create a pocket for your lintel. Doesn't take too long and hopefully will prevent bricks coming loose. You can put some temporary packers in to support the bricks above until the pocket is to size.
Look at a multi fuel stove instead of just a wood burner stove, you'll be able to burn a wider range of fuel, brickettes,coal,solid fuel wood, peat, etc. The soldier course of bricks, are basically serving the ppurpose of a small lintel & distibution the load downwards, which you couldn't do with courses of bricks,as they would drop. You can fit a lintel without acrows, but I alway like to use them with strongboys, as I never trust old brickwork. Just make sure you have 150mm minimum bearing each end for the lintel.
Good you have a builder coming, I would let him decide the best approach for the job, trying to save a few pounds doing some of the job yourself, could end up expensive in the long run.
Plenty of info on here also... http://community.screwfix.com/threads/fire-place-project.175884/ And images.
From the picture it looks like you still have a bit deeper to go. The loose bricks at the back just look like infil. Builders opening prob goes on beyond them. As KIAB says though I would wait for the builder. Taking out a few more bricks or putting in the lintel prob won't knock much if anything off the guys price. You could always put an oak lintel in. Looks great but you would need to check the stove specifications of how far away from combustables it needs to be as they all vary. Good luck