What the hell am I supposed to do with this fireplace?
Posted by ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 206 comments
Posted by ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 206 comments
Old_Man_Benny@reddit
I would strip the paint and see how it looks and pop in one of these https://salamanderstoves.com/product/the-hobbit-stove/
Spearcrush6@reddit
Unfortunately, woodburners are terrible for air quality inside and outside houses. Best to avoid where possible.
2xw@reddit
Still nice if you're not bothered about the air quality, which I'm not
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Fuck breathing right.
2xw@reddit
You can quit smoking, drinking, drugs, fatty food, red meat, having a fire, vaping, being near a road, and choose live the ascetic life of a monk and you will die regardless.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Everyone dies some sooner than others and some with 20 years of pain and suffering until they finally get release.
However these are all choices people can make, breathing in smoke from neighbourhood of cuntish wood burners however is forced upon everyone around you.
It is estimated that they lead to the early death of more than 400,000 people across Europe each year.
Eco design wood burners create 450x more pollution than gas centre heating.
Old stoves (now banned) 3700x est
22% of all PM 2.5 in the air in the UK is produced by cunts with wood burners because fashion. Fucking disgrace.
LevelSecret3537@reddit
400000 people across the population of Europe is around 0.05%.
There are real financial benefits to wood burning now that we've all been shafted by big energy, so they don't lose out too much in the inevitable switch over to EV's. Loads of poor folk have wood burners now so they can still heat their homes after they've been cut off.
I'm pretty sure there are worse pollutants in diesel than wood because I've never seen a wood stove with a catalytic converter.
Your stats probably don't take into account the absorption of CO2 by the forest the wood grew in, which is very biased. But I get that if you had seen someone you care about die painfully over 20 years and attributed it to air pollution, then you're gonna be biased.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Indeed however 20,400 people died in car accidents in Europe last year. And people seem to really care about car safety.
Wood is around 7p per kWh and less efficient than gas, gas is around 5.50 kWh.
Burning wood produces far more polluting than diesel etc its PM values are multiples and it causes acid rain. There is a reason London doesn’t get smog anymore.
2xw@reddit
Haha. I don't have any neighbours. If any choose to build near me, that's their choice - the house has been there burning wood since the c16th.
I get that the modern obsession with longevity without life quality can be emotionally persuasive, and that this coupled with living in a city can make folks err towards authoritarianism, but persuaded I am not.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Firstly not a “southerner” secondly don’t live in a city. Pollution from wood burning stoves travels hundreds of miles.
Yorkshire is full of towns and villages pumping out more pollutants than the bloody m62
2xw@reddit
None of which are my problem - sorry, but you have not been persuasive. Have a good evening!
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Exactly! It’s always “not my problem” when it comes to the environment. People think if they’re not directly affected, they don’t have to care. But that mindset is why things are getting worse. Whether it’s plastic waste, pollution, or deforestation, everyone’s passing the buck instead of making small changes. It’s everyone’s problem, but too few are willing to act.
2xw@reddit
There's nothing I can do as an individual about any of those things. Legislate against me, stop spending time on Reddit talking to strangers and write to your MP.
I enjoy your optimism however, I did a PhD in environmental science. There's nothing we can do about any of those things you mentioned, as a species we are fucked. Enjoy yourself in the time you have left, earth will be better without us.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
I get where you’re coming from, and it’s easy to feel powerless when faced with such massive issues. But dismissing individual action just feeds into that defeatist cycle. Yes, systemic change is key, and pressuring leaders is crucial, but change also happens from the ground up. Collective small actions can shift cultural norms and put pressure on the powers that be. While I respect your expertise, giving up entirely isn’t an option for a lot of people who want to leave the world better than they found it, even if the odds are long.
Old_Man_Benny@reddit
I just couldn't give it up. I do my best and use smokeless coal were I can, we are a very eco house and we do our best but I grew up around camp fires, chewing the fat around a fire is one of my favourite things to do.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Burning just 1kg of smokeless coal releases up to 40g of cancer-causing polyaromatic hydrocarbons, posing severe health risks with prolonged exposure.
Beebeeseebee@reddit
Okay but this "ban everything I disapprove of" business has to end somewhere.
Dick_in_owl@reddit
Ok, who said ban anything? Person I replied to said we are “an eco house”. Which isn’t in line with burning coal
Splodge89@reddit
I hate that this is true.
PharoahZCurse@reddit
Make a fire.
aBlastFromTheArse@reddit
Brick it up obviously
Atschmid@reddit
Start by really cleaning it up.
Do you rent or own?
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
Own, so we can do whatever we want with it.
Atschmid@reddit
hoow big is the room? Is it the only source of heat in the room?
It's weirdly positioned in the corner. I assume the chimney has other openings in other rooms that are more esthetically pleasing? If so, I would close this one up. But if not, then maybe call in an architect and see if it could be redesigned?
OldManAndTheSea93@reddit
I would either restore the chimney and add a wood burner (if allowed to do so in your area). Then put a single shelf above it and use it as a mantle.
Or block off the actual chimney bit and have some candles in bell jars. Maybe a couple of plants if there is a good amount of natural light.
It’s a really nice feature to keep so I can understand the want to keep it. I would maybe post in r/interiordesign and see what they are saying to it
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
Thanks, I'll give that a go
Autofish@reddit
Strip off the paint, I bet there’s more of that nice maroon tile under there. Looks like this was added in the 30’s, very art deco. So I reckon if you wanted to back to the earlier style there’d be room for it if you took this bit off.
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
Thanks, that's really helpful !
AlternativeFair2740@reddit
You are supposed to restore it to its original glory. What else could you do?
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
But that's part of the problem, what would it originally have looked like? Harth? Surround? Which parts are original and which have been added more recently?
artfartfar@reddit
That is so cool I've never seen a fireplace like that. I'd Def try and restore the brick. Is it functional?
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
It is yeah, would just need cleaning out.
SmegmaSandwich69420@reddit
Is the chimney open all the way up?
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
Yeah
DementedDon@reddit
Would there not typically be a stone slab under the brick hearth? Took two fireplaces out of my last flat and that's what I found, a right bugger to level!
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
I took it out yesterday. There was some bits of wood, loads of cement and then eventually the tiles on top you see there. Weighed a bloody tonne!
Sad_Explanation_6419@reddit
That’s a really cool and unique art deco fireplace - If it were me I’d definitely keep it!
I think you could get a decent builder to strip off the whitewash and either reveal whatever red tiling is underneath or repaint it to match. A good joiner could definitely also build a wood surround and lintel if you wanted, or just put a shelf over it!
Just my 2p but I think it would look lovely done up and it’s such a cool feature - it’d be a real shame to plaster it over or turn it into a more standard one.
You could stick an ethanol fire in there and get a proper fireplace too.
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
Wasn't art deco a lot later that 1900? Though maybe that's why I can't find anything Edwardian that matches ours - because they're not Edwardian a d were added / changed later 🤦🏻♂️
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
House built in 1901. We can't find a surround that will fit over or around it. We'd rather restore it than blank it off and cover it but the keystone at the top protrudes by 1.5".
Any advice or ideas appreciated.
TangyZizz@reddit
I think it may have had a tall, leggy surround originally, something like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134524718726 (not my listing!)
So overall it would look a bit like this: https://pin.it/6wGhTWz7A
If you want something less fussy/more low key you could have a simple shelf: https://images.app.goo.gl/YY1DohZQdDTz4K9e8
Interested in what’s under that awful paint job!
ComicBookPosterBoy@reddit (OP)
This is the type of reply I was hoping for. Thank you so much!
AccomplishedBid2866@reddit
That looks like it should be a nice art deco fire place. Carefully removing the paint has to be your first priority, then you can see what's under there.
We had one similar to that in a house built in 1905. I think the fireplace was a slightly later addition, but I could be wrong.
We managed to find a real flame gas fire for ours, you'd need to find a specialist supplier though. Other option is look in reclamation yards for old grates that will fit in the space. It's worth keeping and persevering with.
Sammydemon@reddit
Art deco was not developed until at least 20 years after that.
AccomplishedBid2866@reddit
Which i thought was what I thought I had said. My fireplace, which was very similar, was put in about 20 years after the house was built, ie sometime in the 1920s.
LauraPa1mer@reddit
Put candles on it of varying heights
GiovanniVanBroekhoes@reddit
Nitromors. Strip off all the old paint and see how it looks after that.
Accomplished-Pen-69@reddit
Visit/google a reclaiming companys they have might have something. A good Woodburner company could offer you some ideas. Gl.
dbxp@reddit
Why not leave it as is? It looks to me like it's not meant to have an additional surround, just needs a bit of a clean up
KeithMyArthe@reddit
Agree, it would look far better if it was stripped back to natural brick rather than poorly applied paint in inappropriate colours.
Meet-me-behind-bins@reddit
Get a stone mason to make you a bespoke surround. It'll be pricy but keep its value if it looks nice.
banglaonline@reddit
Light a fire?
Signal_Cat2275@reddit
Oh my gosh that is adorable! I’d keep the red and white, maybe make the grey bottom bit white too. Then put something cute inside it.
JohnNedelcu@reddit
Get a builder to fill it in if you don't want to keep it. But before doing so, please, please get a small skeleton (one that looks really realistic and put it inside.
ohnobobbins@reddit
Or you could go full on psychedelic (this is from George Harrison’s house ‘Kinfauns’ in the 60s! 😂 🌈
ohnobobbins@reddit
I’d clean it up and see what the original tiles are like and then depending on what your chosen colour scheme is, I’d either leave the tiles as is or paint them. Then I’d add a one or two colour halo or rainbow paint effect on the wall around it so it’s integrated into the room. Maybe carry the colour through around the bottom half of the walls.
sookmaaroot@reddit
Turn it I to a pizza oven
NoCeilings213@reddit
Go straight to hell.
InternationalCod3604@reddit
I usually like starting fires in them personally.
betweenpaperandink@reddit
Paint the bottom part white and the arch a pastel rainbow also paint the skirting a pastel shade like blue or lilac and stain the floors a dark walnut or something.
Marmite54@reddit
Omg is it actually tiny or just the weird shape making it look small? Was it for the borrowers?
Valuable-Wallaby-167@reddit
Fill it in and add this as a mural
Otto1968@reddit
image
Marmite54@reddit
Oh no! I couldn’t find the nope outta there button and had to keep looking at it for longer than I should have
RedDomino1282@reddit
I find that image very disturbing. 🫣
Gonna need more therapy now! 😩
Valuable-Wallaby-167@reddit
NO
BuzzAllWin@reddit
And this scene here is the one that lets you know the rev Audrey was a fucking psycho…
‘i know’ he thought ‘i’ll write about an engine who is scared his new fresh paint skin will be damaged by the rain, like his old one.’
‘Then to teach teach him a lesson about hubris we wall that cunt up in a tunnel and tell the passengers to mock him’
Chevalitron@reddit
You have a special sort of mind that this is the first thing you thought of.
Valuable-Wallaby-167@reddit
Thank you. I choose to believe that that is an unambiguous compliment.
Chevalitron@reddit
It's an impressive talent for pattern recognition!
Steelhorse91@reddit
Nah part fill and do it as a diorama
Valuable-Wallaby-167@reddit
Way to escalate the childhood trauma. Well done
ukboutique@reddit
Fat controller did nothing wrong
DeanyyBoyy93@reddit
'I think he deserves he punishment dont you'
Fuck you Ringo
DragonBornLuke@reddit
When I was a young kid, I ran into the kitchen balling my eyes out. My mum just about managed to calm me down and asked me what was wrong. I just about managed the words "Henry's... stuck in the tunnel!!!" and then I resumed balling my eyes out.
david_leaves@reddit
Extremely appropriate response, you captured the horror of the moment well 👌🏻😆
PeevedValentine@reddit
You've been a very naughty engine.
Jabberminor@reddit
Normally that would be a sexy comment, but knowing the background of this image, maybe not so much.
Dependent_Desk_1944@reddit
Yeah good old Britain and false imprisonment is just what we need to teach the kids a good lesson
tinyfron@reddit
This is the best thing I've ever seen on Reddit
turkishhousefan@reddit
Trigger warning next time, please.
baghdad-hoebag@reddit
Right, why is his nose so damn pointy 😭
Sleepybeez@reddit
This took ages to load for me but I hoped it was this. I was not disappointed.
Frugal500@reddit
Knew this would be top comment before I even opened the comments
Helpful_Librarian_87@reddit
I had to put my cup down, I just laughed so hard
Competitive_Alps_514@reddit
Ah, that's when management knew how to treat the workers.
MasterBlasterJamm1n@reddit
Sacrifice a goat to Baal.
Goldman250@reddit
Add a bunch more chevrons, and a blue screen inside the fireplace. Have your very own Stargate.
aidanmacgregor@reddit
A Stargate? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within your *Living Room!?
Goldman250@reddit
… yes.
mcgrst@reddit
I was thinking a nice coffee table shaped like a dhd.
heilhortler420@reddit
The Russians already stole the table for Putin's 50th Dacha
BemaJinn@reddit
IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACK SWING?
ImpulsePenny@reddit
He read the report?
Unobtanium4Sale@reddit
Yeah this thing needs some runes
AdThat328@reddit
WACKO.
Sid_Vacuous73@reddit
Found the Goa’uld planning to jump in and enslave us.
ChestUnusual@reddit
Indeed.
JackDrawsStuff@reddit
Looks like a fucking MRI machine that, mate.
Open yourself up a clinic.
Almar_Foodish@reddit
Paint it to look like a bingo hall. Retro chic.
AllOne_Word@reddit
Fill it fill of caviar and sing it songs
thatblondeyouhate@reddit
Hobbit Hole Door!
GeordieAl@reddit
Was the first thing that came to my mind too!
Kira9420@reddit
Put a fire in it.
beckmann63@reddit
A pizza
Interesting_Fold9805@reddit
Put some coverstones on that thing. That way they can’t dial in
FullTimeHarlot@reddit
a massive glory hole with the neighbour
pikkoi@reddit
Keep it and decorate the whole rest of the house like the set of Holy Mountain.
oh_no3000@reddit
Make a short door for it. Tell everyone it's the goblins bedroom
thenumberfourtytwo@reddit
Astray
jackbarbelfisherman@reddit
Jolee2014@reddit
You can find ideas on Pinterest then do a refurbishment. It will look good. Good luck
AssignmentFrosty6711@reddit
burn things.
_ThatsTicketyBoo_@reddit
Chevron one is locked.
Ok-Tomorrow-7158@reddit
Feed it artillery shells
Steelhorse91@reddit
I’d paint it matte black and keep it as a feature. Might be possible have a tiny wood burning stove fitting in it. Guessing this is a bedroom, so it’d kick out plenty of heat for the size of the room.
Roysterini@reddit
Burn it with fire!
....oh wait...
rmeechan@reddit
Burn it!
Damnamas@reddit
Get stuck in it, or leave agape for Santa's easy access
Drew_Borrowdale@reddit
Find the 6th chevron and Dail home I guess.
Ecstatic_Stable1239@reddit
I’d try taking that back to original brick, I bet that would look much better than a tube line.
SpecialistGeneral794@reddit
Tiny pizza oven
Mythrndir@reddit
Turn it into a hobbit hole
AmaroisKing@reddit
If you don’t want it, remove it , brick it up and plaster it.
kolbflyer@reddit
Build a fire in it !
Freeflight89@reddit
When I was little I had family friends who had a fireplace that looked just like this. They never turned it on. It was just full of candles and the occasional incense. With a nice Persian rug next to it, that was my favorite place to cuddle and fall asleep or read a book while my dad drank wine with his friends.
NeatCandle6856@reddit
Pizza oven
ThugLy101@reddit
Keep it! Shes a beaut
Front-Ad6148@reddit
Flare it, art deco style. Or Aztec zig zags. Rays of the sun to meet a long mantle..
hfa1905@reddit
Generally you would put wood, coal or another flammable substance inside and set it alight in order to provide heat for the home. Hope this helps!
Vapi_Foxi@reddit
Pizza oven
Tetraneodrome@reddit
Makes pizzas
melodiouscode@reddit
Decorate it as a Stargate.
LowKeyDoKey2@reddit
Cook pizzas in it
lostlad-derwent@reddit
The Sackville's baggins might be interested in it!
night_sparrow_@reddit
I would see if I could remove some of the paint off the bricks. Clean it out and put a cauldron in it. I would let creeping vine plants climb down the brick. Just a green cottagecore witch vibe.
lookhereisay@reddit
Turn it into a little hobbit house style door.
WowSuchName21@reddit
Really unique art deco fireplace. Looks stunning, you should be able to strip the paint back and see what is underneath, I imagine it is tiling?
A joiner should be able to make a shelf for it if you want, even if it’s not going to be used as a fireplace it’s a beautiful feature for a room.
banxy85@reddit
Maybe light a fire?
Thick_Suggestion_@reddit
Mini golf?
Fewest21@reddit
Am I the only one who thinks it's grate?
Realistic_Pressure64@reddit
Cook a small pizza
-You_Cant_Stop_Me-@reddit
Paint over it so it looks like a Hobbit door and stash your weed behind it.
dai4u-twonko@reddit
Add a big native Indian head obviously
spund_@reddit
light a fire in it?
tamhenk@reddit
It'd need a proper flue putting in but that's absolutely what i'd do. We love ours.
ShrappleThwack@reddit
Have a fire?
BocaSeniorsWsM@reddit
I hate to say it, but that is not a keeper.
SoYorkish@reddit
Paint-the-brick-work-with-a-RAINBOW!
GentlemanJoe@reddit
Turn it in to a stargate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb31ENScU8Y
hunter9@reddit
Put a dial home device in front of it.
Shan-Chat@reddit
Hobbit house?
You_are_Retards@reddit
Embiggen into a trendy square shaped wood burner deal?
beerforbears@reddit
A fire…genius
Kathryn_Cadbury@reddit
Worship at it lol
htadd1ct@reddit
Demolish.
mackerel_slapper@reddit
Quirky_Discipline297@reddit
High temp urinal. No more pissing in the sink! It’s like having a sauna in the corner.
coben69lol@reddit
sanamisce@reddit
Burn it
ArCKAngel365@reddit
There’s nothing quite like a floor level pizza oven for those low down pizza evenings with family.
Realistic_Rule7613@reddit
Make a fire
Marble-Boy@reddit
Have you tried having a fire in it?
Tricky_Moose_1078@reddit
Build a cage around it and now you have your very own child prison, I mean time out area
swx89@reddit
VanillaCandid3466@reddit
Give it back to the hobbit you stole it from?
temujin1976@reddit
Go through it to find your other mother.
Otto1968@reddit
'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit'
Silent-Basil-788@reddit
Oh I love it!
PM_THE_REAPER@reddit
Roast marsh mallows one at a time.
Electronic-Trade-504@reddit
Turn it into a time capsule
Lookingintomy3rdeye@reddit
Cook a pizza in there cheif
Golthobert@reddit
VW log burner
TheDirtylaundry00@reddit
In house pizza oven?
Flaky-Jim@reddit
It's like a portal to Naria's gay midget realm.
Realistic-Bobcat-804@reddit
You're supposed to make a fire in it. But you could use it to stand some plants on, or turn it into a Stargate as someone else pointed out. That would be brilliant.
twonaq@reddit
Run a train to Cockfosters
CuckAdminsDkSuckers@reddit
stuff it with draught excluder and plasterboard over it.
Artistic_Data9398@reddit
I would absolutely turn this into a little den for a cat lol. Heated blanket would have them living in that lol
Tattycakes@reddit
Oh gosh that would be so cute
369_Clive@reddit
Nice.
Seriously_oh_come_on@reddit
Start with scrunched up newspaper. Then kindling on top. A few larger sticks and then coal. Light the paper then once the sticks are burning add a larger log and it will be lovely and toasty.
PipsyDizzle@reddit
My first thought was PIZZA OVEN 😀 my second was whether that would actually work or not lol
Flimsy_Isopod1346@reddit
Well first paint it all a solid color lol
AdThat328@reddit
My first thought was have a train coming out but I 100% support the idea of adding chevrons for a Stargate.
pooshake@reddit
Strip it paint it something you like, loads of candles and plants. Cute
Watsis_name@reddit
Burn stuff in it?
Speckbeinchen@reddit
Start a fire while thinking about what to do.
Moist_Ad_4989@reddit
Build a smoking room around it, duh
shadowed_siren@reddit
You can get brick slips which are basically thin bricks. I would build it out with bricks or brick slips in a rectangle like a traditional fireplace, but keep the rounded bit as a feature. And then finish with a surround.
Cussec@reddit
Pizza oven !!!!
Calo_Callas@reddit
Stargate
-Morbo@reddit
This is the right answer.
AubergineParm@reddit
Pizza
CautiousAccess9208@reddit
I think you put logs or coal inside and then set it on fire.
50_61S-----165_97E@reddit
Put one of those infinity mirror tunnels in it
ARobertNotABob@reddit
Turn it into a diaorama of a grandiose cinema entrance in the 50s.
NafariousJabberWooki@reddit
Pizza oven
charlieatlas123@reddit
I would open it up with a flat lintel higher above and put in a wood burning stove.
Inturnelliptical@reddit
Put some coal in it.
_studio_sounds_@reddit
369_Clive@reddit
Do you want a fireplace for a fire or a multifuel burner? If you do, just get rid of all the brickwork (assuming it isn't special - doesn't look like it) and put a proper fireplace in. The keystone bit is all just decoration and can be removed.
If you don't want a fire there then block the chimney and do something "artistic" with the fire surround. Or get rid of it all and plaster over it.
Worried_Suit4820@reddit
Do you live in Hobbiton?
Fun_Acanthaceae4875@reddit
Burn stuff
CwrwCymru@reddit
r/diyuk might have better ideas.
You could open it all up with a lintel for a traditional square opening but imo it's a cool quirky feature.
I'd be looking to put a small log burner in. Get rid of that hearth. Take out all the non structural bricks. Optionally trim the keystone flush with the other brickwork. New hearth. Plaster. Install burner.
You could make a piece around the protruding keystone. Some cut stone, tile, slate, wood, copper, brass etc would work.
Or you could really show the arch off by getting some stone, tile, slate, wood cut to match the curve on each side of the keystone.
All depends on your taste and budget really.
dbxp@reddit
Jack up the house, attach wheels and turn it into a steam engine
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