​​If you use a log burner or open fire, you’ll know that the quality of your wood is everything. Wet wood is slow to light, smokes heavily, and delivers a miserable heat. The secret to a perfect fire? Seasoning. And the key to great seasoning is a well-designed log store.

The four pillars of perfect firewood storage

A durable, well-ventilated log store is designed to protect your wood from the elements while maximising air circulation to speed up the drying process. Here are the core principles to follow:

When and how to call a carpenter

While the DIY approach saves money, hiring a professional carpenter or joiner is a smart investment if you value a flawless finish, require a completely bespoke design, or simply don’t have the time or tools.

When to hire a pro

• Bespoke Integration: You need the log store to integrate seamlessly with an existing garden wall, fence, or shed, requiring tricky cuts and non-standard sizing.
• High-End Finish: You want high-quality cladding (like cedar or shiplap), a tiled roof, or a build designed to be a prominent architectural feature in the garden.
• Time Constraints: You need the store built quickly, reliably, and with guaranteed quality without dedicating your weekend to the job.
• Peace of Mind: You want professional selection of the best pressure-treated timber and weatherproof fixings, often backed by a guarantee against rot.

Professional considerations and costs (UK)

Vetting your tradesperson

1. Get Multiple Quotes: Always get at least three quotes from different local tradespeople (using platforms like Checkatrade or MyBuilder).
2. Ask for Specifications: Ensure their quote specifies the timber dimensions they will use and the roofing material.
3. Check Previous Work: Ask to see photos of other external timber builds (sheds, decking, log stores) they have completed to assess the quality of their joints and overall finish.

Step-by-step DIY construction guide

This guide focuses on a typical UK-sized log store (approx. 1.2m wide x 0.6m deep x 1.5m high at the rear).

Step 1: Site Selection and Foundation Prep

1. Choose your Spot: Pick a location that gets a good breeze and a reasonable amount of sunlight. This is your seasoning engine!
2. Back Gap is Key: If placing it against a fence or wall, leave a small air gap at the back to allow air to circulate freely.
3. Create a Level Base: Lay a solid, level foundation. Gravel, compacted hardcore, or paving slabs are ideal as they allow water to drain away.

Step 2: Building the frame (The Bones)

Timber Recommendation: Use a sturdy, pressure-treated timber for the main frame.

1. Cut the Uprights: Cut your four upright posts. To create the essential roof slope, ensure your front posts are shorter than your back posts .
2. Assemble the Sides: Build two rectangular side frames and two rectangular base/roof frames.
3. Integrate Bearers: Before securing the base frame to the uprights, bolt thicker timbers underneath the base. These bearers are the sacrificial part that makes ground contact and elevates your store.

Step 3: Cladding for Maximum Ventilation

1. The Slats: Use pressure-treated boards for the sides and back.
2. Attach the Slats: Start at the bottom and work your way up. This is where precision pays off! Use a small piece of offcut timber as a spacer to maintain a consistent gap between each slat.
3. Slatted Floor: The base should also be clad with these slats, spaced slightly apart, to prevent logs from sitting on a solid sheet of wood and allow moisture to escape downwards.

Step 4: The waterproof “hat” (roof)

1. The Overhang: Construct the roof subframe so it extends at least 10cm past the frame on all sides—especially the front—to deflect rain.
2. Waterproofing: Cover the subframe with a robust, waterproof material.
   • Best Options: Overlapping feather-edge boards or a sheet of Exterior Grade OSB3 covered with quality roofing felt.
3. Secure It: Fix the finished roof securely to your frame.

DIY vs. buying: A quick cost comparison

While lumber costs fluctuate, building your own can offer significant savings and a higher quality product.

With Rated People, you have the power to get it done. Find a trusted, local tradesperson today.

The post The perfect log store: Building a durable, ventilated wood store appeared first on Rated People Blog.

The prices in this guide are accurate as of 2025* 

If you live in a period property, there is a good chance you have a chimney. For many people, a chimney is a beautiful addition to their home, that can also offer an extra heating source.  

However, chimneys also take up a lot of valuable space, especially in bedrooms where the occupied wall could be used as extra storage space. 

If you have central heating and are looking to create more space in your home, removing your chimney breast could be a great solution. Alternatively, you may be looking to remove your chimney breast because your chimney is damaged or has deteriorated over time. Removing a chimney can also improve your home’s insulation. 

This guide covers everything you need to know about removing a chimney breast, as well as the cost to remove other parts of your chimney, and whether or not you’ll need planning permissions and a structural engineer.  

Chimney breasts often have a structural function, so you’ll need to hire a professional to ensure your chimney is removed safely. If the upper part of your chimney breast is not supported properly, a removal can cause uneven loading on your wall. 

You could pay anywhere between £2,900 and £4,500 for a chimney breast removal. 

Chimneys come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Some are located in the centre of the home, whilst others are connected with a neighbour’s chimney. It is difficult to estimate how much your chimney removal will cost, as it will depend on a range of factors, including how easy your chimney is to access, and where you live in the UK (cost of labour rises in London and the South East). Removing a chimney breast across a ground and first floor will cost more than removing it from just a ground floor.

For a more accurate quote, speak to a skilled tradesperson today.

What does a chimney removal involve? ↓

What does a chimney removal involve?

A chimney breast is the part of your chimney that you can see from inside your home, and which projects outwards from the wall, creating the necessary space for a fireplace. The chimney breast starts at the hearth but continues upwards through the rooms and loft above it until it reaches the base of your chimney stack. 

Homeowners tend to remove the brickwork chimney breast and leave the stack when they want to free up space in the home, but without costs rising too much. In this scenario, the stack is left supported (avoiding disruptive work such as roof alterations), whilst the breast is removed and then plastered over.  

On the other hand, the chimney stack is the small structure that projects from your roof, and which directs smoke out of your home, via what is known as a chimney flue. Homeowners tend to remove stacks because they’ve been damaged, causing a risk that the stack might fall and injure someone.  

You can have one or multiple chimney breasts removed (just the one on the ground floor, or a bedroom chimney breast as well). Or you could opt to remove the chimney breast but leave the stack. You could also remove just the stack and nothing else. 

You will need to hire a structural engineer to come and assess your project before you begin. If you remove a ground floor chimney breast, the stack above it will need to be sufficiently supported. Additional structural support won’t be needed if you remove both stack and chimney.  

If your chimney breast is part of a load-bearing wall, you will need to ensure that removing it doesn’t compromise the structural integrity of your property. A structural engineer will be able to advise you during your consultation and will tell you whether your chimney breast is supported or not.  

Old chimneys can cause damp to penetrate your home. Removing your chimney can create a more regular space, generating more opportunities to style your room and organise your furniture. 

You will need to consider how removing your chimney breast will impact noise insulation, ventilation, the potential effects on a neighbour’s chimney, and possible fire safety breaches, particularly in relation to party walls. A skilled tradesperson will be able to help you ensure your removal is carried out safely. 

Usually, as well as structural support, your chimney remover will also ensure the space is appropriately insulated and that it undergoes damp-proofing. 

Removing a chimney breast is a messy job that will create a lot of debris and dust. You should clear your room of all furniture and seal it off from the rest of the property before works begin. You may also want to hire a post construction cleaning specialist to professionally clean your room after your chimney breast is removed. 

You can hire a chimney breast remover here.

FIND A CHIMNEY SPECIALIST Close section ↑

How much does it cost to remove a chimney breast? ↓

How much does it cost to remove a chimney breast?

How much your chimney breast removal will cost depends on a range of factors, including: 

• Whether the chimney is spread over multiple floors (such as a living room and the above first floor bedroom), or whether it is on one floor only 
• How many parts of your chimney you are looking to have removed, such as whether you want the stack removed as well 
• The type of chimney you have, and the materials it is made from (some are harder to dispose of than others) 
• Whether your chimney is part of a load bearing wall 
• How easy your chimney is to access, and its size 
• How old your chimney is, and whether your chimney is damaged or rotting 
• Potential planning permission fees 
• Additional costs such as the right finish and any painting needed (if these aren’t included in your quote) and cleaning services after the chimney has been removed, as well as skip hire (one six-yard skip costs around £250 to hire) 
• Where you live in the UK, with cost of labour rising in London and the South East by as much as 20% on average.

As a result, it’s not really possible to accurately predict how much your chimney removal will cost. However, on average, a chimney breast removal could cost you: 

Type of chimney removal	Average cost	How long will it take?
Chimney breast removal (ground floor)	£3,000	2 – 3 days
Chimney breast removal (first floor)	£3,200	3 – 4 days
Entire chimney breast removal (but not the stack)	£4,400	4 – 5 days
Entire chimney breast removal (+ stack removal)	£4,800+	Roughly a week

For a more accurate quote, let us know about your project, and get some free quotes today.

FIND A CHIMNEY SPECIALIST Close section ↑

Does removing a chimney breast devalue a house? ↓ 

Does removing a chimney breast devalue a house?

It is difficult to give a concrete answer about whether or not removing your chimney breast will devalue your home. 

In general, more modern properties benefit from the removal, in that it offers more space and doesn’t really detract from the “character” of the home like it does for period properties. 

With older properties, there is the possibility that removing your chimney could lead to your property losing some value. However, if your chimney is old or damaged, it could be unattractive to potential buyers. 

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Conclusions

Removing a chimney breast is no easy task and requires skilled tradespeople who will be able to dispose of your chimney without causing structural damage to your home.  

We do not recommend you attempt to DIY, as this could put your home and safety into danger. Make sure you contact your local authority before you begin work on your chimney. 

How much you’ll spend on your chimney removal depends on a large range of factors, from the size and age of your chimney to structural considerations and ease of access. For this reason, it’s hard to say with accuracy how much it could cost.  

For a more accurate quote, and to speak to some skilled tradespeople in your area, let us know what you have in mind.

*The Rated People cost guides are produced in collaboration with the quote-building platform PriceBuilder, and a range of tradespeople across the 30+ trades on our platform were consulted. Please note that the prices included are for guidance only – how much you end up spending will depend on the specific requirements of your project.

The post How much does it cost to remove a chimney breast in 2025? appeared first on Rated People Blog.

So, you’ve tidied the garden, decluttered the inside of your home and feel ready for the prying eyes of potential buyers… it’s time to put your home on the market! 

Or is it?

When the time comes to sell, sprucing up your home is essential but make sure you haven’t overlooked any big mistakes which will devalue your property; if you’re leaving jobs like damp or adding insulation to be tackled by buyers, they will take the cost of these renovations off any offer they make.

5 big mistakes which will bring down the value of your home:

 1. Structural and water damage

Cracked mortar, uneven flooring, damp patches and mold are all big red flags to anyone  viewing your home and will put them off. Make sure you tackle these problems, which can be easier to solve than you think, by getting professionals in to do the jobs before you list your property. 

Looking for a damp proofing specialist? Find vetted, professional tradespeople by posting your job on Rated People. 

2. Not taking energy efficiency seriously

With energy prices as high as they are right now, and growing awareness of the need to reduce our impact on the planet, buyers will not be interested in properties that do not have a good energy efficiency rating. They will be looking for sound insulation (walls, floors and loft) as well as good ventilation, a good boiler and high quality windows – double or triple glazed. Houses with their own means of producing energy, such as solar panels, are even more popular with buyers as at the end of the day these features will save them a lot of money on their bills.    

3. Smoking indoors

It sounds obvious, but the effects of smoking indoors – the lingering smell, the stains on walls and surfaces and the negative impact on air quality – are a big turn off for buyers. If your home does have signs of smoking you will need to get it professionally cleaned and consider redecorating with fresh paint to eliminate the effects of smoke damage.   

4. Ignoring traffic and noise pollution

While there isn’t much you can do to solve traffic build-up near your home, there are steps you can take to tackle the resultant unwanted noise pollution and poor air quality that will put buyers off your home. Make sure you have double or triple glazing on your windows and install an air purification system. It’s also worth checking that your gas boiler has had a recent service as old boilers can add to poor air quality. 

Looking for a heating engineer to check your boiler? Post your job on Rated People. 

5. Removing a chimney breast  

Removing a chimney breast, in search of more space, can devalue a property. Chimney breasts and fireplaces are seen as a desirable period feature, popular with buyers, and they may also have concerns if one has been removed as they are often an important part of the load-bearing capability within a structure. If you have removed a chimney breast make sure you have documentation to prove it was done professionally, in the correct way.   

The post Big mistakes that bring down the value of a property appeared first on Rated People Blog.