Fireplace Fitter St Andrews Scotland (KY16): A wonderful way to add a bit of charm to any St Andrews home is by installing a new fireplace, or renovating an existing one. If your fireplace is combined with a back boiler you'll even be able to enjoy a plentiful supply of steaming hot water too. Chilly winter evenings can be a pleasant experience as you relax beside your fireplace listening to the pleasant crackle of firewood.
There are some vital considerations you must keep in mind to achieve a safe and efficient fireplace, before you start smashing down the walls of a blocked up fireplace. The Part J building regulations for combustible appliances for example, which applies to any work carried out on flue linings, fireplaces, chimney breasts and hearths. Planning permission may also be needed before work begins if your property is listed or in a conservation area.
PROFESSIONAL OR DIY FIREPLACE INSTALLATION?
When refurbishing an old bricked-up fireplace, there's a fair likelihood of running into structural issues, therefore even if you are an enthusiastic do-it-yourselfer you could struggle with this sort of work. You could be lucky when you expose the old fireplace and find out you need little more than a good clean up of the hearth and a quick chimney sweep in order to get a roaring fire once more. However, a stopped up flue and old, crumbling brickwork that calls for structural reinforcement is what you're more likely to discover.
It is usually best to draw on the know-how and experience of a professional fireplace fitter in St Andrews, on account of the severe health and fire risks that can be caused by an incorrectly installed or renovated fireplace. Airflow has to be satisfactory in any room in which a fireplace is to be installed; and it is a key requirement of the Building Regulations that this is so. Carbon monoxide fumes (which are dangerous can build-up and become an issue in a poorly ventilated area where an inefficently burning fire is installed.
To allow the fireplace to get enough oxygen to combust safely and effectively all the time, it may be a requirement for a specialist fireplace installation engineer to fit airflow vents in floor and walls. Moist, condensed air can get trapped inside unused or blocked chimney flues which might also require improved ventilation, to prevent problems with damp inside the chimney breast.
BEFORE WORK COMMENCES
Huge amounts of dirt and soot will enter a room when you are having a fireplace opened up. To make certain that your possessions don't get impaired by the grime, dust and soot that is emitted during the fireplace installation work, removing carpets, rugs and furniture in advance is recommended. If it's just a part of a larger restoration project, re-opening an unused fireplace ought to be one of the first tasks that you tackle, due to the mess that's involved. If other work has already been finished, this may be affected by soot and other chimney related dust.
STRUCTURAL & CONSTRUCTION WORK
Once you've opened up your fireplace you will have a better understanding of what work is necessary, and also be in a position to sweep the chimney and clean any parts of hearth that can be re-used. One of the first things on your agenda should be to bring in a proper chimney sweep who covers the St Andrews area. They'll be willing to provide expert guidance on the flue and chimney after sweeping, as to the state of the chimney structure and if you need to switch the existing liner.
Following a chimney sweep's assessment it may be necessary to install a new liner and/or strengthen the chimney breast as laid down in Part J of the UK Building Regulations. This is not going to be the type of work that can be accomplished by a DIYer, therefore you will need to employ a competent builder who has experience in good working practices and is familiar with the relevant Building Regs.
It's quite possible that a steel or concrete lintel will need to be installed, if the original fireplace is of a size which is bigger than your needs. And after that process, upgrading the fireplace hearth should be the next stage of your fireplace renovation project in St Andrews. Once upon a time the hearth would be set into the floor, but current regulations demand that it's raised slightly above the normal level of the floor. To achieve this, there are pre-made, ready to fit options in concrete, marble or stone, or you may prefer a made to measure, bespoke hearth to complement your room design, which your St Andrews fireplace builder should be happy to help with.
DESIGNS AND STYLES OF FIREPLACE
Browsing on the internet or checking out the nearest fireplace dealership will quickly make you realise that there is a huge selection of different styles and designs of fireplace for your home. It's entirely possible that due to your existing chimney, flue and airflow to the room, that certain fireplaces may not be appropriate, and it pays to follow the recommendations from the fireplace installation company with respect to this.
A multi-fuel stove or a wood burner might be appropriate for some rooms and homes in St Andrews, whilst an open fireplace will be more suitable for others. If you are fortunate enough to have a property with an inglenook fireplace for instance, this can be a perfect position for a cast iron wood-burner stove. This won't just deflect any heat that's generated back into the room, but will also highlight the charm and character of the stove itself.
You still have options for a fireplace feature by installing a wood burner, even if your St Andrews property doesn't have an existing chimney. Since a stainless steel flue can be channeled through an exterior wall and doesn't need an existing chimney, it is still viable to put in this style of fireplace.
ELECTRIC, WOOD, OPEN, GAS OR MULTI-FUEL FIREPLACE?
If this sort of fireplace isn't feasible within your St Andrews home, what other options are there?
Open Fireplaces - This is the timeless fireplace, that can provide a great focal point for your room or living area, and can be used to burn a number of different solid fuels, such as coalite nuts, wood, coal and briquettes. In the old days regarded as being smoky, inefficient and draughty, a professionally installed modern open fireplace can be a joy to behold.
Multi-Fuel Stoves - Provides you with the option of burning wood, coal, gas and oil to furnish you with a multipurpose stove for any house in St Andrews. Some types, such as the AGA range of multi-fuel stoves, can also be used for cooking, providing hot water and heating your whole home.
Gas Fireplaces - More heat efficient than wood burners, gas fireplaces come in a wide variety of styles to complement your property in St Andrews. The installation and maintenance of gas fires should only be carried out by a Gas Safe certified tradesman in St Andrews.
Wood Burning Stoves - These stoves come in contemporary or traditional designs to match your decor, and they have become very popular in many properties in St Andrews. When used in combination with a back boiler, these types of stoves can provide added heating possibilities by transferring the heated water to cold areas of your home by way of a radiator.
Electric Fireplaces - Any person who is relatively competent can safely and quickly install one of these fires, and the wide range of models make these an extremely popular choice for householders in St Andrews. An electric fire can be successfully installed in your home, even if you have a regular fireplace, and many of them look pretty much like a genuine fire with dancing flames and even crackling sound effects.
It's not only in St Andrews where you're able to access fireplace installers - neighbouring places like: Kingsbarns, Dura Den, Blebocraigs, Crail, Leuchars, Kemback, Kincaple, Strathkiness, Ceres, Dairsie, Largoward, Balmullo, Guardbridge are also covered. It's very likely that any fireplace builders in the St Andrews district is going to have the phone code Dialling code 01334 and the postcode KY16. Clicking on the "quote" banner or form will enable you to acquire any aspect of fireplace installation info for your area.
Practical Ideas On How To Preserve Your Open Fireplace And Lower Your Heating Bills
The traditional fireplace seems to have lost some of its glamour due to environmental concerns but it is still loved by many people in St Andrews. There's nothing like feeling the natural warmth of a fireplace on a chilly winter evening. There are many upsides to having a fireplace although there are also several negative aspects that might need to be taken care of. With energy costs increasing each year, your fireplace needs to give out heat in a very cost-effective way. When you have a fire going in the fireplace, it can literally extract warm air away from the room, making your heater work harder. The hearth damper is supposed to keep cold air from entering your home when you don't have a fire going in the fireplace. Unfortunately, fireplace dampers can often be inefficient in keeping warm air in the dwelling and cold air out.
Many house owners that have fireplaces in their property in St Andrews do not understand how the fireplace can have an effect on their utility bill. Instead of keeping heating costs down, it could actually do the complete opposite if one is not careful. You will find there's a way to take your inefficient fireplace, and make it into a heat creating system that your budget will love. There happen to be four simple steps that you can take to turn your fireplace into a cost-effective heat resource. Each of these will make your fireplace very economical and more efficient.
The first tip is to replace your existing fireplace damper with a new top sealing damper. This style of damper is mounted at the top of the chimney, and operates like a storm door. It does a good job of preserving warm air in the house during winter and cool air from escaping in the summer months. The damper is straightforward to install, and can be obtained on the internet. Next, you ought to have a fire-back in the rear section of your fireplace. A fire-back consists of cast iron and it is actually meant to shield the back wall from fire damage, while making your fireplace look stylish. The fire-back reflects the heat from a fire, and radiates it back into the room, increasing the overall efficiency of your fireplace.
Another means to cut down on fuel bills is to use a fireplace fan/heater, which heats the room by pulling the air into a heat chamber and returning the air back into the room. These heaters are enclosed systems, so no smoke is emitted, and they can really make a huge difference to the temperature of your property. The last thing that can be done is to install glass doors, which could be the most expensive option. Hunting around, you ought to be able to find a great deal, and with clear instructions, you can put them in yourself. Such glass doors form a buffer between the hearth and living space, not only making the area less for the fire to heat, but also affording some protection to the inhabitants.
The guidance we've just given is not difficult to implement, and most of the required products can be readily purchased online. Just do your utmost to keep your fireplace efficient and notice your heating bills plummet.
Doing a Search Online
When wishing to find services in St Andrews, the vast majority of people these days are inclined to head online for the search engines. It's probable that you are viewing this web page at this moment because you stumbled upon it by doing a search on Bing, Yahoo, Google or Ask, or one of the other search engines. Flaws do however exist with the search engines, and you might find that the results given aren't exactly what you had anticipated. Keying in "St Andrews fireplace installation", "fireplace installation St Andrews", "fireplace installation in St Andrews" or "fireplace installation near me" will normally be the process to follow when looking for fireplace installers in St Andrews.
If you study the page one results, you'll notice that the first and last 4 listings will usually be some form of paid adverts, whilst most of the remainder are often from major lead creation websites such as Checkatrade, Bidvine, My Builder, Rated People, Quotatis or TrustaTrader or web directories like Yelp, Three Best Rated, Yell or Hotfrog. Without any substantial budgets for SEO so as to push their sites farther up the ratings, many fireplace installers are going to be hidden on the 2nd or 3rd pages of the search engine listings.
St Andrews Skip Hire Services
When performing any type of improvement work on your garden or home in St Andrews, there is bound to be a certain amount of waste produced which will have to be removed. Fireplace installation is not like putting in a house extension, where large amounts of waste can be generated, however there will still be a certain amount of waste to deal with. You may need to make your own arrangements for waste removal, since some tradesmen don't include this in their quote.
Regardless of whether the tradesman is sorting this out or you're doing it yourself, hiring a skip will often be the best waste removal solution. You should be able to get a skip which is ideal for you, given that they come in a wide variety of sizes. The volumes of the most widely used skip options are skip bags 1-1.5 yd³, mini-skips 2-3 yd³, midi-skips 4-5 yd³, and builders skips 6-8 yd³.
To arrange your skip hire in St Andrews GO HERE.
Help and Advice
To discover what's occurring in the field of fireplace installation pay a visit to one of the fireplace forums, discussions include things like building regulations, widening a fireplace, stove vents, log burners, pellet boilers and stoves and chimney designs. If you are keen to read up on ideas for fireplaces check this out. To learn about fireplaces on social media, check this out. The dedicated Wikipedia "fireplace" page is the spot to head over to for facts about fireplace heating efficiency, the health effects of fireplaces, the history of the fireplace, the environmental effects of fireplaces, the different types of fireplace and coal burning fireplaces. See an in depth YouTube guide on how to install and restore a Victorian cast iron fireplace here.
St Andrews Fireplace Related Tasks
The assortment of tasks and services that can be completed by your local fireplace installer are wide and varied, and will include stuff like fake fireplaces, Victorian fireplaces in St Andrews, stone fireplaces, multifuel stove installations, fireplace refurbishment St Andrews, fireplace services St Andrews, marble fireplace surrounds in St Andrews, flue liners, fireplace repairs, 3-sided fireplaces, cheap fireplace installation, inglenook fireplace installations, chimney strengthening, classic fireplaces St Andrews, Regency fireplaces St Andrews, traditional fireplaces St Andrews, stone fireplace installation, fireplaces, freestanding stoves, electric fireplaces, fireplace replacement, chimney repairs in St Andrews, open fireplaces, fireplace hearths, the installation of modern fireplaces in St Andrews, tiled fireplaces St Andrews, elm fireplaces St Andrews, the installation of chimney cowls, 2-sided fireplaces, contemporary fireplaces St Andrews, marble fireplace installations, bespoke fireplaces St Andrews, fake fireplace installation, chimney lining, wood burning fireplaces, and others unlisted. This is just a sampling of what can be done by the local fireplace fitter.
Fireplace Installers Near St Andrews
Also find: Leuchars fireplace installers, Kincaple fireplace installers, Dairsie fireplace installers, Dura Den fireplace installers, Largoward fireplace installers, Kemback fireplace installers, Strathkiness fireplace installers, Balmullo fireplace installers, Kingsbarns fireplace installers, Guardbridge fireplace installers, Crail fireplace installers, Blebocraigs fireplace installers, Ceres fireplace installers and more. There are companies who fit fireplaces in all these towns and areas. The adept installation of a fireplace in your property is well within the capabilities of these seasoned tradespeople, given their experience and know-how. These devoted specialists assist residents in achieving the atmosphere, warmth and comfort a fireplace contributes to living areas. Local homeowners can get fireplace installation price quotes by clicking here. So, there's no reason not to get started on your fireplace installation today!
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Fireplace installation in KY16 area, Dialling code 01334.
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