I’m going to remove a brick chimney from the center of my 1910 home.. it isn’t in use any more, and it is right in the way of where I intend to put a doorway.
This chimney goes up 2 stories, through the attic space up through the hip roof.
What tips would you veteran chimey demolition experts have to share with me before I get started?
Geoff Hazel, Bellevue, WA
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Replies
Don't know if I qualify as a "veteran", but I've done a couple.
Done it 2 ways - Knock the bricks off the top, and drop them down the chimney. Then clean out from the bottom chimney cleanout as needed. Less mess, as it keeps the dust and stuff confined a bit. But can be slow, depending on how big the chimney is. And the mess typically has to be hauled out in 5 gallon buckets.
Or you can get a dumpster and set it by the house. If you feel lucky, you can simply throw the bricks at the dumpster. But missing and having bricks bouncing around can be hazardous. Building a plywood chute or having estranged Wife try to catch the bricks can reduce the hazards a bit............(-:
Political speeches should be like pizza - Delivered in 30 minutes or less.
"Building a plywood chute or having estranged Wife try to catch the bricks can reduce the hazards a bit ...."
I'll be happy to donate my ex.....
What Boss Hogg said sounds good, plus make sure you have a really good dust mask. I just tore down a story and a half chimney and a huge fireplace made out of red brick. My most effective tools were a small sledge, a masons chissel, and a concrete blade on my skill saw. I avoided the saw if possible because of all of the dust.
You've needed a chisel and saw?
Every chimney I've helped tear down was so bad it took a tap from a 16 oz. hammer at the most to knock the bricks loose.
Maybe it's a regional thing.....................(-:
If 2 men meet and exchange dollar bills, they both go home with one dollar. If they exchange ideas, they both go home with 2 ideas.
Yes, I've only demolished one chimney and the mortar was still good and strong throughout much of the chimney. I'm in Colorado, it's pretty dry here.
Start at the top.
Rich Beckman
"Start at the top."
Now why didn't any of the rest of us think of that?
When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
Well, I did, and I was up late, so it would have been the first response, but I just got dinged for being a smart@$$ on another forum and figured, Why ask for trouble?
If you start at the bottom, it will bee tough going for a little while, then it will come apart VERY quickly!
Do NOT try this at home!
T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Did this just recently and about the most important thing to mention is to work carefully. I found that once I removed all of the bricks above the roof the chimney became very unstable. The mortar between the bricks was fairly brittle so the bricks came lose petty easy. When using the sledge hammer I found a tapping motion was enough to loosen the bricks without sending the entire chimney crashing to the floor.
Good luck.
I use a two or three pound hammer and any of several cold chisels. (I keep a selection of chisels handy and switch off as the situation demands.) I take off one brick at a time, starting at the the top. I always set up a system to remove the debris as I work; it can be annoying and hazardous, especially above when working on the roof. In my experience, the mortar is usually soft and it is easy to take the chimney apart. On the last two chimneys I took down, I cleaned and stacked the brick. On one of these jobs, I ran an ad in the paper and sold the brick, with the buyer picking up the brick. On the other, I left them stacked for the homeowner, who wanted to use them for gardening and such. In both cases, the mortar was quite soft and it was easier to knock if off the brick than it was to haul the debris away.
Geoff -
Tip #1 - in 1910 it was VERY common to have wood frame bearing on a chimney, even a small one. After fire and building codes became more widespread, building practice move to a 'clearance to combustibles' approach. Make sure there is no framing bearing on the chimney before you start.
T. Jeffery Clarke
I think that it is important to leave the top half intact, above the roof. if at all possible. aesthetically it should probably remain if it's in good shape, but i like to see chimney's.
Edited 6/18/2002 6:02:18 PM ET by jimi b
what i am trying to say is if your not doing a total remodel. and you take out a center chimney there will always be a big patch in your roof . to sure up the chimney up in the attic,will allow your roof to stay intact, no gaping hole to patch up.
Edited 6/18/2002 7:25:25 PM ET by jimi b
This is my first entry so take it easy.
I took out about 10 feet of chimney that started on our second story. The house is about 130 yrs old that had gone through a few modification/remodelings. It was no longer in use and had been taken down into the attic during a previous reroof.
I was "suprised" to see the entire weight was supported by a 20" square limestone block balanced between floor joists. Those joists were starting to buckle in on themselves from the weight. By the way, how unusual is it to have a second floor chimney "floating" on joists and not on a bearing wall?
The main thing I learned is to plan for the soot. It's a dirty job. I made the mistake of punching a hole right away through a patch of concrete at the bottom where a stovepipe connected. The soot flowed like water! Then, whenever I accidentally dropped a brick down the middle, it pushed even more out. Start at the top.
I've only seen a couple done like that. Makes me wonder if it wasn't done by a DIY way back then...............(-:
The last one that comes to mind was in an old country school that was being restored. Apparently they wanted a wood stove in the middle of the school instead of a fireplace at the end. So they built a chimney up in the attic, and ran a stovepipe up into it. The joists supporting it were buckled badly just like yours.
The guys who did it were probably heard to utter phrases like:
"That ain't goin' anywhere"
"Looks good to me"
"Can't see it from my house"
Or - In the case of the schoolhouse I mentioned -
"Close enough for government work"
You can't have everything. Where would you put it?
I tore down a chimney a few years ago that began at the ceiling. It was supported by iron brackets hooked over the ceiling joists. Newspaper stuffed between the chimney and the joists indicated it was built in 1934. I surmised that it was a makeshift solution to heat the house during the grimmest days of the Depression. Somehow the chimney--and the house--survived for over six decades.
Make sure to take it all the way down. You never know what someone might try to hookup in the future, to a chimney that ends in an attic, etc.