Rebuilding chiminey head HELP please

[richard.w]

Hello we have found that the chimney on our house blew down in the last tempest a few years ago (before we bought the house) and the hole in the roof was rebuilt over with tiles I have been on the roof today and moved the tiles aside to look in the hole and it is quite clean the opening is rectangular We have another chimney on the roof that is not connected to a fireplace but is on the wrong side of the house and was used before the house had a bathroom this chimney is quite high and is very thin on the side it is one brick wide whilst the front is two brick across now I want to rebuild my missing chimney as winter cometh I have never worked on chimney and have a few questions for any friendly knowledgable people out there 

 first is what is the regulations on the hight as they seem quite a bit higher than the apex of the roof

 

second does the top of chimney need to be built out of fire bricks it is on the roof of a two story whilst the fire is on the ground floor

 

Third does the chimney have to be lined with somesort of fire cement as the layers are built

 

forth is it legal to stick a metal pipe on the top instead of bricks as I have quite a bit or fire pipe I bought from Emaus for a different project  I doubt this one but it would be the easiest  

Thanks a lot everyone== richard

[Nick Trollope]

I'll give this a go, too;

first is what is the regulations on the hight as they seem quite a bit higher than the apex of the roof

I think that it is 0.7M, but it is more likely to be whatever it was before, if you see what I mean.

second does the top of chimney need to be built out of fire bricks it is on the roof of a two story whilst the fire is on the ground floor

No

Third does the chimney have to be lined with somesort of fire cement as the layers are built

No, I don't think so. Around here at least, chimneys are lined with a lime-based cement.

forth is it legal to stick a metal pipe on the top instead of bricks as I have quite a bit or fire pipe I bought from Emaus for a different project  I doubt this one but it would be the easiest.

Probably, but I suspect that you will need a Declaration de Travaux to replace the chimney in any form - if it fell down a few years ago, then you can't reasonably claim that you are making necessary repairs. So apply for whatever you want. It costs nowt & the worst they can do is say no!

 

[Alcazar]

I'd be careful how you finish it off too: water comes down mine, which has a flat slab on top of it, held up with four thin metal rods.

It's causing a mess and rusting my woodburner.

Alcazar

[richard.w]

Thanks a lot Nick that is very helpful I am going on the roof again tomorow if the weather is all right I have never been up as high as that roof and the double wooden ladders which are a lot longer and more solid than my aluminuim ones just reached it but my knees wobbled when I got near the top and I could not do it however when I went in the attic there was a skylight and once up there I loved it it was warmer and I could have fallen asleep on the ridge tiles

 I found when I was up at least ten canal tiles in different places that had slipped down but the roof has never leaked even in storms I was amazed by the simplicity of the roof desighns there is chestnut lathes on rough oak beams and tiles with no nails, no lining and as it works I do not intend to change it at all  

I am hoping to take enough tiles off so I can stand in the atic to build the chiminey, have you any advice for building such a chiminey I have noticed some chimineys have steel reinforcing tyes through them is this an option you would recomend  Thanks again===richard

[zeb]

Hello Richard - our chimney had been blown down in the tempest of 99 (before we bought the house) and it was rebuilt, but is nowhere near as high as our ridge (and several metres in front of the ridge). It's never been a problem.

If it's any help, around here in the Charente, standard chimney tops are available from builders' merchants. Over near Leroy Merlin at La Rochelle there is a chimney manufacturer, sorry can't remember the name (begins with P) and their chimney tops were actually advertised in Leroy Merlin.

Hope this helps..........zeb

[Mysfloss]

40cms minimum above the highest point of the roof for the height of the chimney(source dicobat page763)

[sandt]

hi if you go to your llocal bricomarche or bricolageor builders merchants you should be able to buy chimney elements in varouse sizes .these are made out of concrete usually about 20cm high and come in small square and oblong. also sold are matching hats for the top of the cheminee, oops chimney. it is also possible to but complete units for wood burners made in clay if you want to build a complete new one. or if it is for a woodburner why not use stainless steel double skinned flue with a rain hat

[richard.w]

Thanks again what a very useful and friendly forum this is and i like the reference to some sort of regs "40cms minimum above the highest point of the roof for the height of the chimney(source dicobat page763)"  that is perfect  could I ask does this dicobat cover other types of building regs as the next task is to connect to the main sewer I have dug the channel through all sorts or rock a bit at a time but wanted to know if there are any regs about depth of the pipe and whether it needs anything other before it goes into the main sewer as i can not afford to pay to have it connected and have seen at least three other people in the town doing it themselves but always the final bit   Can we buy these regs  because there is nothing better than building to regs  thanks again ==-richard