Frod cortina

Hello, We have insulated the whole of our 1940 house from the inside using rigid fibreglass bats and plasterboard. Its previous insulation value was very poor in solid brick. We are on the last room which has a large stone fireplace with a wood-burning stove in it, on an external wall. We use this in winter but not everyday. I do not want this to be a cold spot when not in use and a huge heat loss when it is in use. I have about 4 to 6 inches to play with and still maintain a good air gap behind the stove but I am not sure what materials to use for both maximum efficiency and fire safety. What suggestions do members have for this scenario? I should add that it has a flue pipe through to the top of the chimney with a proper watertight top plate and an insulated one at the bottom. Advice would be most appreciated

Hello everybody, Here's hoping there is someone who can help with this.... I am converting the loft in my old house that has exposed beam (joists) ceilings. I need to make a stairwell opening. I do not want to use joist hangers or brackets as these will be visible. The joists are 3x8 inch (8x18cm) oak joists in very good condition, no worm or rot at all. The span is 4M and joists are at 52cm. I hope you can see my sketch. My plan is to support and cut back 2 joists to form the opening. To reuse one to form the header and the other the length of the opening, to reduce the opening width. I do not have the space upstairs to have the wider opening to the next full length joist. Please could I have you advice on this plan and will nailing these be adequate? I hope that makes some sort of sense...... thanks for looking.