Stoves without a chimney: false chimney breasts & twin-wall flues
No chimney? We build a false chimney breast with the flue straight out through the back wall, or run a twin-wall flue inside or outside the house.
Option one: a twin-wall flue
A twin-wall flue is an insulated stainless steel chimney in sections. It can run straight up through the ceiling and roof, or out through an outside wall and up the side of the house. It comes in stainless or matt black, and we can match it to the stove. Most twin-wall installations take about two days, including making good.
Option two: a false chimney breast
If you want the look of a proper fireplace rather than a visible flue pipe, we build a false chimney breast: a timber-framed, plasterboarded chimney breast with a recess for the stove, a hearth, and the flue running inside it and straight out through the back wall. Finished and decorated, it looks like it was part of the original house. This is the job we are asked for most in Stevenage and on the newer estates around Hitchin and Letchworth.
Where it works
- Kitchen and rear extensions
- Conservatories and garden rooms you want to use in winter
- 1950s to 1990s houses built without a chimney
- New-build homes
- Rooms where the old chimney was removed years ago
What we check at the survey
Where the flue can run and how far it needs to clear the roof or neighbouring windows, whether the wall is suitable, where the hearth will sit, and whether the location needs planning permission (an external flue on a front elevation in a conservation area sometimes does). You get a clear answer before anything is ordered.
Questions we get asked
Is a twin-wall flue safe inside a house?
Yes. Twin-wall flue is insulated specifically so it can pass through ceilings and roofs with the correct clearances, and it is installed to Approved Document J and certified by us as HETAS installers.
Does a false chimney breast take up much room?
It projects into the room roughly as far as a traditional chimney breast would. We design it to suit the wall and can include alcoves or a mantel.
How long does it take?
A twin-wall flue installation is usually about two days. A false chimney breast with stove and finishing is typically two to three days, plus decorating.
Do I need planning permission for an external flue?
Usually not, but there are limits on height above the roof and restrictions on front elevations in conservation areas and on listed buildings. We check your address before quoting.
Be by the fire before the next cold snap
Peak season books up fast. Book a home survey and you’ll have a clear written quote to think about.