Can i remove chimney

There are a host of reasons why people choose to remove the chimney from their property, including:. Prior to removing your chimney, you must carefully consider whether the resale value of your property will be affected. For example, the value of an older period property may be majorly impacted if the chimney is removed, as it takes away some of its traditional charm. If you only decide to remove parts of the chimney rather than the whole structure, strong support beams will be required to hold any overhead masonry in place.

This is crucial as it will prevent any structural damage or, at worst, the collapse of the building. If your chimney is located on a partition wall shared with a neighbouring property, then you are obligated to follow the appropriate guidelines set out in the Party Wall Act.

When it comes to building work, following this act dutifully will help prevent any disputes between you and your neighbour while the work is being carried out. Note that removing any portion of a chimney breast will require structural reinforcements for that floor and the one above, as well as possible reinforcement of the outer wall.

When people think of a chimney, this is the part they tend to picture. It is the portion which protrudes from the roof, ending in a cap. Leaks and structural damage are the most common reasons for wanting to remove a chimney stack, and in such cases, you will have the option of simply covering over the rest of an unused chimney when you extend the roof over the gap left by the stack.

There are a number of things to consider before planning out a chimney removal beyond the project itself. These include both short-term and long-term effects from the removal, as well as setting goals and informing neighbors of the project before beginning. When tearing down chimneys, artifacts left over from the original builders may often be found. These include signed or dated bricks, trinkets collected by animals who took up residence in the flu, or other surprises.

In some cases, these may prove of value, either directly or historically, so always keep an eye out for anything unusual. When planning to remove a chimney, you may be looking primarily at cost estimates from contractors or planning to remove the chimney yourself to save money.

However, there is also a long-term impact on the value of your home. This is especially true of an older house in which chimneys are an aesthetic highlight, or you are in a neighborhood in which most homes have chimneys. In such cases, it may be better to seal the flu and replace the stack and cap with a purely decorative faux chimney.

You should keep in mind at all times that chimney removal is a lengthy, difficult process which can potentially lead to serious structural concerns.

It is best to have several people working on the project at once, and having experts on-hand may significantly reduce the risk of complications. If you cannot afford a contractor to do the job, you may wish to hire a consultant for professional advice as needed. All of these are valid reasons, although some require additional considerations, such as whether a full removal will be necessary or if the removal will cost more than simply repairing or maintaining the chimney.

Pollution ordinances are more common in the UK than the US, but often revolve around the type of fuel being burnt, as well as the amount and quality of emissions being produced. To a much smaller degree, a chimney which is still in use may also have some minor impact on your efforts to gain LEED certification on a home renovation. This is almost invariably tied to emissions and heating issues. Sometimes sealing the flu or changing the type of fuel you use will remedy this problem without the need for a costly removal.

Simply having a chimney will not affect your ability to pursue a LEED certification rating. Whether you do the project yourself or hire a contractor, be warned that removing a chimney is time-consuming work, especially traditional brick ones. A brick chimney must be carefully disassembled one brick at a time to avoid structural damage.

This not only equates to a long involvement on your part, but may significantly impact your budget when hiring help. Removing a chimney is a full-blown project, as the visible stack is only one small portion of a much larger structure. Even if all this is true in your case, we recommend hiring a professional to remove your chimney to ensure it is removed as efficiently and safely as possible. To safely gain access to the chimney, you can rent a scaffold from your local home supply store, like Home Depot.

Make sure that the scaffold has stable flooring and comes equipped with safety rails. Before climbing up onto the scaffold, triple check that it is securely attached to the building. Then, equipped with a hammer, masonry chisel, and sledgehammer, begin removing the bricks one at a time, starting at the top. If you have no use for the bricks, the most efficient way to get rid of the bricks is with the help of a 10 yard dumpster.

Instead of stacking up the bricks on the scaffold, simply toss the bricks into the dumpster, or lower the bricks directly into the dumpster using the bucket and rope method. It may be a little more cumbersome to chip away the bricks below the roofline, but the process is still the same.

If you hope to turn your current fireplace into a gas log fireplace, the firebox will need to be in solid working shape. If it is, the firebox will simply need to be sealed using a fireproof material. From there, you can install a ventless log set or a direct vent unit.

If you decide to go the ventless route, have a carbon monoxide detector installed. There are many aspects to the chimney removal process that will affect how much your project will cost:.