I have a Victorian terraced house of the type that is very common in most UK towns and cities. Like a lot of these properties, the fireplaces were blocked up by a previous owner, but, as far as I can see, incorrectly.The standard procedure is to include a vent in the wall to keep the stack dry and to keep the humidity levels in the room to an acceptable level and avoid condensation problems. However, the four fireplaces in my house do not have vents, and I would like to add them.All but one of the fireplaces still has the recess where the fire would have been. In the living room, which could benefit most from venting, the flue is covered over with what appears to be plasterboard and then painted.A tradesman has advised me to drill holes in the plasterboard to introduce airflow, then cover the holes with a hit and miss vent cover. However, my research suggests that removing bricks from the front of the chimney breast is a more common approach, but would be uglier (a vent in the recess would be hidden) and would require some replastering and redecorating.On top of the stacks (two, each shared between two fireplaces) there are three pepper pot cowls and one that is not visible (the surveyor believes it to be a recessed cowl, but couldn't be sure). There is no evidence of water ingress from any of the stacks.What do you think of the idea to drill holes? I reckon it could just create a hole for soot and debris from the chimney to come into the living room.How disruptive is adding a vent to the front of the chimney breast?Any alternatives? via /r/DIY http://ift.tt/2DTiIq3
