Chimney Removal

[APZ]

I have an old brick chimney that runs through the center of my ranch style house.  It's no longer needed and I've removed the top portion so it's below the roof line because it was leaking.  I was planning on slowly removing it completely until I saw one of these fixer upper shows where they were unable to remove the chimney for structural reasons.  I don't see any way that the structure of my house is dependent on the chimney.  It penetrated the roof between joists and it's not attached to anything in the attic or basement.  When I remodel the kitchen I could gain the 9 sq/ft or so it's taking up in the corner.  Think I can just keep taking it down?

[stav]

We had a chimney that was previously used for the furnace from when my house was built in the 50's.  It was in the center of the house and took up a good portion of a closet.  It had been cut below the roof line by a previous owner and I decided I was going to take it out the rest of the way.  I started at the top taking one block at a time down through the attic.  My chimney was made of cinder blocks that were shaped like a square "c".  I just kept going a little at a time until there was nothing left. There was nothing attached to it except drywall all the way down.  If you want to do it, take it slow and evaluate at each layer if you are concerned that it is structural.

[APZ]

Thanks; that was my plan.  The hard part is removing the waste one bucket at a time walking through the attic.

[CLETUS]

Thanks; that was my plan.  The hard part is removing the waste one bucket at a time walking through the attic.

I thought everyone just dropped the bricks down the chimney until it was full.

[APZ]

I thought everyone just dropped the bricks down the chimney until it was full.

Can't start doing that until I'm lower down.  The center just isn't that big.  

[TDKPE]

Thanks; that was my plan.  The hard part is removing the waste one bucket at a time walking through the attic.

Can you break the pieces up small and drop them into the flue for recovery at the bottom?  Open a hole in the chimney where you want to do the recovery, maybe in the kitchen since you want to open that wall up anyway. 

As to structural integrity, unless there are joists or beams bearing on the masonry*, I don't see how it could be a required bit of structure.


*My parents' house has a steel beam in the basement supported by the chimney masonry for instance, at about mid-span. Come to think of it, there is a sister beam directly above it, trimmed out in wood, which also would logically be supported by the same masonry.

[crokett™]

Can you break the pieces up small and drop them into the flue for recovery at the bottom?  Open a hole in the chimney where you want to do the recovery, maybe in the kitchen since you want to open that wall up anyway. 

Years ago I helped someone demo a chimney.  This is what we did.  We busted a hole in the chimney at the bottom and went up top and started knocking pieces down the flue.  We pulled them out through the hole in the bottom.

[Duane N]

I thought everyone just dropped the bricks down the chimney until it was full.

Or you can do what I did.  I was removing the clay liner blocks from my fire place and sat one on the roof...it proceeded to slide down the roof and crush the top of my 1 year old condensing unit. 
  I got the unit for free from our Trane salesman and ended up getting another one for free.    I didn't ask any questions.

[carwashguy]

   

    I removed a chimney from my 1962 ranch this year in order to make room to add a bathroom in my basement.  A lot of hard work but should be worth it.
I sent my family away to Vermont for a weekend so I could remove the section running through my son's room. He is happy with the extra space since he can put his bed in that corner now.

[stav]

^^^^^

This looks very much like what I had in my house for the old furnace.