I have a fireplace in my kitchen which i want to raise so that i can put in a cooker or small range. There is a lintel just over the current fire place which would have to be raised. My dad was hoping to do the work for me but is concerned because the chimney is not just straight up but narrows into a V just above the existing lintel. Even if he was to knock through the wall above the lintel and replace it with one higher up he would have to take out the sides of the chimney which narrow to make a large usable opening. He and i am afraid the house will come crashing down around us but i'm unsure who to get advice from. Some sort of structural engineer type or a builder? Have to say I paid quite a bit for a structural survey before and my plumber noticed more from looking around the house than they seemed to so suppose have lost a bit of faith in them. Any ideas???