Non-combustible wall for wood burner

[Halo Jones]

Renovations continue....

We planned all the renovations and submitted plans to BC about 2 1/2 years ago. I engineered in non-combustible walls for a corner woodstove and built said walls last year. LOML now wants the site for the stove to be moved about a metre to the right - just to where the non combustible wall becomes standard studwork and plasterboard, and contains a bunch of central heating a plumbing pipes #-o

Her chosen stove would need to stand out 350 mm from a combustible wall which would intrude far too much into the room. Despite my cries of incredulity and tears at my wasted work there is no going back. So, what is the easiest/lightest way to build out a non-combustible 75 mm thick wall on top of a suspended wooden floor?

H.

 

[Jacob]

Easy peasy - panel of fireproof plaster board attached to exisiting, with 1/2" gap behind.
Having the stove well out from the wall helps too - and is good for heat dispersal.

 

[Halo Jones]

Scottish building regs state that the non-combustible material be 75 mm thick, so the air gap doesn't count.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

You need a Hetas registered fitter anyway unless you're get it inspected, so ask him. I was advised with mine to get a fitter as the BCOs are less experienced so likely to more demanding to cover their backs.

 

[Jacob]

Scottish building regs state that the non-combustible material be 75 mm thick, so the air gap doesn't count.

I'd expect that to be "deemed to satisfy" but not mandatory i.e. other ways of doing it are possible. Your 350mm from the wall would be important part of the calculation too.

 

[MikeG.]

Scottish building regs state that the non-combustible material be 75 mm thick, so the air gap doesn't count.

I'd expect that to be "deemed to satisfy" but not mandatory i.e. other ways of doing it are possible......

I'd be very careful talking about Scottish Building Regulations. They are a very different system to those of England and Wales, and in my short experience, more prescriptive/ less flexible. Whereas UK Building Regs are actually extremely short and vague and that which everyone thinks as being the Regs are actually Guidance, my experience of the Scottish system was quite different, in that it appeared the Guidance part didn't exist, and the requirements were technical and detailed. I may be mis-remembering somewhat from the one project I've done up there some 8 or 10 years ago, but nonetheless, I'd urge caution. (Which is why I haven't offered a solution to the OP).

 

[Halo Jones]

It really is fun that things are just different enough up here to make things interesting!

These are the relevant sections from the Scottish Domestic Handbook:

The BCO was really helpful last time and approved the walls that I had previously built which is why I am more than a little annoyed at LOML changing her mind!

 

[MikeG.]

Did you try "sorry, it can't be done. We discussed this, remember, and this is where we agreed the woodburner would be located. Moving it now is impossible"?

 

[Selwyn]

Easy peasy - panel of fireproof plaster board attached to exisiting, with 1/2" gap behind.
Having the stove well out from the wall helps too - and is good for heat dispersal.

Doesn't adhere to regs though

 

[Halo Jones]

Did you try "sorry, it can't be done. We discussed this, remember, and this is where we agreed the woodburner would be located. Moving it now is impossible"?

I have had exactly that discussion but the excuse was she "hadn't been able to visualise the space" - nevermind that I had even made a mock up of the stove she wanted at the time (which has also changed) . An impass has been reached but I feel I should at least explore if there are any possibilities. I really don't want to take out a section of floor and insert a dwarf brick wall up to the required height which is why I was wondering if there was a lightweight wonder material I could just add to the wall!

 

[MikeG.]

Sounds like setting it forward 150mm is your best bet. Or, rather, your partner's best bet.

 

[davin]

I just self fitted a woodburner into the corner of a room next to my kitchen, I fitted the stove and ran all the flue through a flat roof.
I just had it signed off by a hetas engineer.
One wall was external brickwork, and one wall was studwork and plasterboard. I fixed hardie backer to both walls and then ceramic tiles on tile (very large tiles that I drilled and screwed rather than use adhesive).
He was very satisfied and said that it went beyond regs.