In the house I just bought I have a fireplace in the living room. I'm not a fan of fireplaces, but cost of total removal is too high so I bought few plasterboards and will simply cover entire chimney breast, plaster, and hang a TV on it.
About the chimney itself, I heard two conflicting theories. One being that if I block it off with something like chimney balloon, it will help the room retain heat which it currently is losing very very fast. Another theory I heard is that you cannot do it, and that after I put my plasterboards around it, I should make a small vent at the bottom to let chimney breathe.
Which one is correct? I would personally prefer to completely close it off and improve room's thermal efficiency, but at the same time I don't want to do something that may cause me issues in few years time...
About the chimney itself, I heard two conflicting theories. One being that if I block it off with something like chimney balloon, it will help the room retain heat which it currently is losing very very fast. Another theory I heard is that you cannot do it, and that after I put my plasterboards around it, I should make a small vent at the bottom to let chimney breathe.
Which one is correct? I would personally prefer to completely close it off and improve room's thermal efficiency, but at the same time I don't want to do something that may cause me issues in few years time...