Removing a fire place

HI folks
We live in a recently renovated (not by us) weatherboard.
Does anyone know how easy/difficult it is to remove a fireplace and render the wall completely flat. As lovely as the fireplace is, we simply will not use it, and it is taking up a wall that we could really use for furniture/TV or cupboard space. Currently, it is rendered (probably brick underneath but not sure) and it appears the previous owners/renovators have put a little plinth/timber panels and then set new black tiles on top (same tiles as in our bathrooms)

So I guess I'm just wondering if it is easy enough to do?

Also, we have polished floorboards in that room (I think they are Tas Oak or similar), once the tiles at the base of the fireplace are lifted, will it be easy enough for a 'floor guy' to sand and match the rest of the floor?? I don't want to have to re-do the entire floor.

OH, also, one more question, if we then used the said blank wall to mount our TV (effectively on the wall that has the chimney behind it)... can this be done? Ie can the wires and electricals and arial etc all be wired through the wall/chimney??

Thanks for any help/info.

Ceebs

Is your wall flat other than the actual fireplace at the bottom? The only reason I ask that in our house the actual chimney itself protrudes from the wall all the way through the ceiling as it's on an internal wall.

If it's just the actual fireplace itself, you should be able to remove that - my parents did it a couple of years ago in an old shop they bought and sold the fireplaces on ebay. You'd want to make sure that it's sealed at the top before you go and seal the bottom though (we found many a mummified mouse in the bottom of our chimney).

Lol (kind of) about the mouse. But yes, good point. I'm sure this one would just be sealed at the bottom - previous renovators did it to sell so they didn't do anything more than they had to. And yes, the chimney is on the outside, it is just the actual fireplace that has been rendered and painted - so not exactly sure what is underneath.

I guess my two concerns are whether a good plaster should be able to fill the gap and not have any seams or tell tale signs of a previous fireplace/hole. And, whether it shouldn't be too much of a task to match the floorboards under the tiles.

I might ask in a separate post about that.....
Thanks again mswilmot....

I have removed one, in my old place, about 4 years ago.
It was a double-brick house, with floorboards.
After removing the fireplace, I bricked up the cavity, rendered with mortar until approx 2-3mm under the wall surface.
Then apply plaster, and sand, sand, sand. Use a long flat object with sand paper taped to it. This way the finished surface is smooth (no lumps & bumps). Seal the plaster, then paint.
For the floor, the length of the my wall wasn't very long. So, I removed about four rows of floorboards, and put in new ones. Stained to match existing floorboard.
I wouldn't say it's very hard, but it's not for the faint-hearted.
Chris