removed a chimney from a house? Project started with pics

[Buda]

  My wife and I bought a house that is at least 100 years old about 5 years ago.  Story and a half with a chimney rite up the center of the house....the chimney is no longer used for anything and we would like to take it out.  Anybody have any experience with a project like this?    
  I know its a strange question for a motorcycle board but its worth a shot....alot of experience around here.
Thanks
Tom

[Canuck]

You will probably find that the chimney is part of the structure.  Floor joist and rafters will be pocketed into them or attached.  Most of the time, without much structural upgrading, you can't remove them.  In the old days... they would build the chimney first and build the house to it.  Nowadays, there is a seperation (air space) between the two.  Thank God they don't build them like they use to.

If you can get into the attic or  check the basement, you will probably be able to see how it was built.

[fudgie]

Is it totally brick or has it been lined? Usually you take it apart brick by brick. A liner would make it harder to do. Not to mention the $$ you will have fixing the roof, repairing the inside walls, etc to have it removed. Unless you just remove it to below the roof line. I myself would use it for a wood burner, get it inspected 1st, or leave it. Just put a cap on it to keep the weather out.

[fudgie]

  Nowadays, there is a seperation (air space) between the two.  Thank God they don't build them like they use to.

I like my old chimney. We use the wood burner in the basement and it heat the entire brick of the chimney. Makes the rooms warmer.

[F6MoRider]

Yes, post pics of what you're dealing with and you'll get feedback more specific to your needs.

[bscrive]

Canuck is correct.  The older homes will probably have the floor joists integrated into the chimney.  You just have to put up some beams in the basement to carry the load of the first floor before you remove the chimney.  This will have to be repeated for the second floor right above the basement beams.  The chimney will have to be removed brick by brick.  It will be a pretty slow messy job but it will give you more floor space when you are done.  The posts and beams that you will install in the basement and first floor will be a permanent thing so make sure you put them in a place that you can live with and is structurally sound.  The posts, in the basement, will have to have a good concrete base, about 2'x2' and 7" thick, to carry the load.

[Jess from VA]

Just leave it, block it off entirely for heat loss, and put a couple potted plants in it. 

[scoobydoo]

just took one down at a house at our church, knocked a hole in the side at the bottom in the basement and took it apart one brick at a time dropping them down the middle. Took all day Sat. and part of Sunday. It was boxed around and the joist where not a problem, but was a real mess. We gutted the whole house so the plaster didn't matter. Quite a job, but it did make more floor space, as the whole living quarters was changed. Good luck

[Hotrodwing]

Ditto on what Scobby did.    Did it a few times myself the same way.

[Buda]

Thanks for the answers guys.....mite be this summers project.....need to do a bit of lookin at it....let you know how it turns out.
 

[MP]

Took one out of our 1895 house before we moved it.  Brick by brick from the top.  Nothing was connected to it.

MP

[Jess Tolbirt]

Bev and I are buying a 1900 home. It has 3 chimneys and they are capped off at the roof with sheet metal and tar,,,the inside is packed with insulation,,i plan on putting one of those fireplaces you can buy at lowes in the hole in the living room and run it off propane,,will still have the look and the stacks out the top of the house look neat to me...

[Buda]

Just looked at it from the basement.....it goes in between the floor joists not connected in anyway I can see from down there.  Also it looks to be the same size from top to bottom....not sure if that makes any difference?  If it was structural would it  be wider at the base?.....I for sure don't know what I'm talkin about

[Dogg]

An older home will have small pieces of steel or some type of metal banding the lat to the chimney. My house built in 1910, had that as did the 4 previous older homes I have restored. It would be larger at the base if it was structural support. You have to do it from the top down, no other way. Better make sure it doesn't make any turns. The way the chimneys were built from late 1850s to early 1930 when block was invented was simple, in a. Balloon construction home, the chimney was built at the same time as the first floor, the built up as the interior of the house was built. Like the sears kits tho, the chimney was built before the rest of the interior was built in. Usually, if the chimney didn't off any structural support, it was built as the house went up. But all lathe board is connected by little metal stringers. Held everything together. Well, at least in the upscale homes of the day.

 It took me and a friend to take the chimney down, clean the mess and pop the first beers about 4 1/2 hours total. And that is a chimney of about 40 feet tall.

[R J]

Did one many moons ago when I was a lot younger and stronger.

Father-in-law was a home builder and he was the biggest help I've ever had on any project.      RIP Dad, thanks again for you assisitance.

We started at the roof line and went down.   Nice and slow and easy.

Being as how it was part of the house structure, we capped off the chimney at the roof line, and made decorative flower pots out of the 2nd and 1st floor openings.     Was that way for almost 29 years.      We were able to close it off at the ceiling and fill it with cement.    Never again will I carry cement from the ground in buckets and pour it down the opening.     If, I'd have to do it over, I'd of fixed the chimney and used the fireplace(s).

[The Anvil]

Something to remember; quality used red brick is worth MONEY...

[Ice]

You may want to check the DIY network or whatever it is called, I know about a year ago I was watching one of the DIY channels and there was a home with a chimney through the middle of the house and they knocked the whole thing down. They may have some pointers for you on the websites. It was one of those do it yourself home improvemnet invasions. Good luck

[Hotrodwing]

Yea what Ice said, plus if you do it the DIY or the  this old house method it will only take you a half an hour.

[Patrick]

I've only removed 5 chimneys including some in my own 180 yr old home.. All have been built differently and all have been structurally related in some respect and were a royal PITA to take down except one that was built right on the 2nd story floor.. That chimney came down quickly and easily but jacking the rest of the house back into place took awhile..

[bigguy]

Took one out of our 1895 house before we moved it.  Brick by brick from the top.  Nothing was connected to it.
MP

Same here. It was about to fall off any way, plus it was in the way of the carport I wanted to add.
Mine was full of straw from top to bottom from generations of bird nests.

Click for album

[JimC]

I've done two.
The house I live in right now the roof was leaking around the chimney so we took it down to just under the the roof line. There was nothing wrong with it from under the roof, and there was plaster attached to the brick so I did not want to mess with each wall that touched it.

The house we are rehabbing (foreclosure) we took the whole thing down. One of the reasons was the weight of the chimney in the last 100 years was settling down into the earth and pulling the floors down with it. All of the floors in the center of the house that were attached to the chimney were about 1 1/2 inches lower than the outside walls.   

Be careful, the chimney that we took down had a slight curve in it in order to take it off the ridge line of the roof. After removing it from above the roof line, it toppled over onto the attic floor. That created quite a mess, luckily no one got hurt. We were gutting the entire house so we just sat back and laughed about it.

It is a lot of work, and very messy, but to hire someone else to do it would cost a small fortune.

Jim

[bscrive]

Perfect time to put in a fire pole.  Just think of the time you will save in the mornings.

[Buda]

Chimney project starts on monday....wish me luck 

[Rams]

Hmm, well I did something kind of like this once in a home on a farm I purchased in Ohio.  Cept, when I was done, the only thing left standing was the fire place and chimney.  We took the house down.  I doubt this is much help though but should you decide to alter your plans and need my assistance, I've got a plan and experience.   

[Buda]

Gone a bit farther but its lunch time now.....back to it