How To Remove A Brick Chimney
Chimneys can be a double-edged sword. Yes, on one hand the fireplace tin can be this eye slice of your living room, and besides a very useful source of rut. It provides that romantic feeling and a focal betoken where the family tin gather around and take a beautiful evening.
On the other hand, if it is unused, it can really cause more harm than expert. It provides a point for the warm air to escape through, and the cold air to enter your home. It might compromise on the efficiency of your heating system, and your HVAC system volition take to work extra to run across the heating demands.
Also, it might be taking upward crucial space in your living room that can be used for other means. In this article, we volition take a look at how to remove a chimney.
Why Would You Remove a Chimney?
Now, the question might arise why one would remove a chimney from their house. Actually, many house owners who initially decided for a fireplace so decide to remove the chimney and the fireplace equally it is using also much infinite, or they are simply causing the estrus to escape through information technology. These are the most common reasons for removing a chimney.
They may damage the fireplace
Chimneys can, after longer periods of no usage, provide the entry points for various leaks and damage can occur, especially if the chimney starts crumbling. You might avoid additional costs that you would need to consider if the fireplace would get damaged. Various cracks and leaks are relatively like shooting fish in a barrel to repair, although additional harm can occur.
They are out of fashion
Paradigm source: Grace Colina Design
Yes, fireplaces were one time, the but heating source for the household or the family living in the firm. Today, there are and so many different types of heating that fireplaces are very rarely used for heating the house.
Instead, they often play a more decorative part with occasional opportunities to light it upwards, for example, during the festive season. But some don't fifty-fifty utilise it for that, and it can go a nuisance instead of presenting added value.
It takes up essential space
Prototype source: 1000&Y Interiors
Chimney breasts and fireplaces take upwards a lot of space. Many owners decide to refurbish or completely remove the fireplace and apply the space for other reasons. Peradventure they want to move the piece of furniture in that location, or they use this infinite for shelving, storage, or other means.
If yous have a fireplace in a bedroom, this is an even more significant effect. If yous don't employ information technology, then you should consider removing it altogether.
Yous are losing energy
Image source: Hearth & Habitation
Unused chimneys tin can be costing you coin without you fifty-fifty realizing. They permit warm air escape through them, making your heating system work overtime to provide the additional heating that escapes through the chimney.
Moisture might creep in
Chimneys are a expert way for moisture to offset coming into your home. And that is non a expert affair, equally you can take farther bug from that. Mold can beginning to grow, and you will soon have additional costs. Perhaps a fractional sabotage would help with the moisture.
Should I Remove it Completely or Partially?
Image source: Ryan Wicks Photography Ltd
Speaking of fractional or permanent removal, you will accept to decide what to do based on your needs and specifications. The methods of how to remove a chimney volition alter significantly for either procedure.
Simply a chimney is a complicated structure consisting of two main parts: the chimney breast within your home, and the chimney stack that is visible from the outside.
In whatever example, you will have to remove the chimney stack. But some people still opt to proceed the chimney breast or the fireplace that is contained within the business firm. This depends on your preferences, your budget for removing the chimney, and how the chimney is installed.
The chimney breast tin be kept for decoration, if you lot wish to do so. It is not unusual to see them without a chimney.
Full removals tend to be far more circuitous and volition take a lot more time, as you will have to remove the whole construction. You volition be left with a large gap in your domicile, be prepared and institute what to practise with it beforehand.
Prototype source: Fifty&R Suburban Landscaping Inc
But, as we said, full chimney removals are a circuitous procedure. The neighboring walls and structures can be especially vulnerable and at the risk of getting in the harm's way. To back up any masonry or neighboring architecture, it would not be unwise to install support beams in order to forbid the whole structure from getting harmed.
You should pay special attending to areas where the chimney is connected to a wall or to a neighboring holding. On a fully discrete business firm, removing the chimney from an external wall might make sense; full removal might weaken the entire wall, though.
How to Remove a Chimney
At present, permit'due south motility to the meat and potatoes, to how to remove a chimney successfully without causing damage.
Removing a chimney should exist considered only past more than advanced DIY enthusiasts and those who have some feel with this sort of work. How you volition remove the chimney depends on your chimney construction; if it has its own construction, it will be relatively easy to do so. If the chimney is a part of a bigger structure or of the whole structural projection, and then it might be a bit trickier. Here's how to do it.
Preparation and Research is Key
If you are going to remove the chimney yourself, you lot should prepare properly and deport some research before you offset. Also, take some precautionary measures to reduce the hazard while doing it.
- You lot might need to obtain a permit before you move onto removing the chimney itself.
- Detect or buy safety equipment: dust mask, gloves, eye protection, sturdy piece of work boots, safe harness, and a helmet also wouldn't hurt.
- Around the working area, hang flooring-to-ceiling plastic to prevent pieces of debris and dust from inbound your domicile.
- Consider renting a scaffold from your local home supply shop. The scaffold should exist condom and stable, and should have safety rails. Scaffold attachments also requires some skilled hands, and you might profit from a professional.
How to Remove a Chimney
Here is a step-by-footstep process of how to remove a chimney.
- We'll offset past removing the chimney breast first. You will need to support the chimney properly. The gallows bracket illustrated below is a very common method of doing that.
- Starting at the top, start removing the bricks 1 by one using a hammer, masonry chisel, and sledgehammer. Don't throw the bricks down; instead, pile them on the scaffold until you get a pile. You volition be able to lower them to the ground using a v-gallon bucket and a rope.
- One time you lot make your style below the roof, you will notice that there volition be gaping holes that will require additional renovation costs later on. This might include patching the roof, framing, and finishing soffits and eaves. On the wall, the siding will also demand to exist filled, and gaping holes might also start to appear.
- The structure of the business firm should still be intact, though. However, that is not the case below the floor line. Here, we are looking at floor framing fixes and other foundation works, depending on the damage.
- Removing the chimney breast can be done without altering the external structure. Some owners make up one's mind to keep the chimney breast.
What are the Costs of Removing a Chimney?
If y'all are non a DIY skillful and y'all don't how to remove a chimney, then yous might demand to consult a professional person. Although you won't take to exercise any work, there will be meaning costs to the procedure.
Depending on the rates that a professional charges, or the calibration of the works, at that place might exist varying costs. A structural engineer should too be considered.
- $500-$2000 for partial chimney removals.
- $4000-$6000 for complete chimney removals.
All the same, there are different considerations and aspects that tin can change the cost. These include:
- Full or partial removal
- Size of the chimney
- Is the chimney a office of the structure or not?
- The materials that are used for building the chimney
- The amount of debris
- The contractor fees.
Choosing the correct removal service is important. A professional service should be considered, and a reliable one too.
If y'all enjoyed reading this article about how to remove a chimney, you should read these as well:
- How to pick the best countertop water filter
- How much does foam insulation cost?
- Decorating ideas for a kitchen with breakfast bar
Source: https://www.impressiveinteriordesign.com/how-to-remove-a-chimney/

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