How to Take Down a Chimney From Inside a House : Remove Fireplace and Chimney

Taking down a chimney from a house is no small task. You should need a structural engineer for input as chimneys often support or are built into the support structure of the house. Our specific task was figuring out how to remove a chimney from inside a house. First we had to remove the top portion of a chimney from the roof - the top 2-3 feet. Once that was complete, we could start dismantling the chimney inside the house interior. For us theis was a DIY task - removing the chimney brick by brick starting at the top
There are a number of parts that make up a chimney. Each of these has to be removed in turn: So we had to make sure we knew:
- how to remove the chimney above the roofline.
- how to remove a chimney flue.
- how to remove a chimney wall
- how to remove a chimney breast surrounding the fireplace downstairs
We also had to include :
- how to remove a chimney from the basement
- how to remove a chimney damper on the main level
This all involves significant "how to" deconstruct skills. That mean know how things are constructed is a huge help!
This kind of construction / deconstruction knowledge is involved in renovation. On the deconstruction side, we had to remove the chimney and flue from above and just below the ridge line of the roof. Then demolition inside the home, brick by brick. Much of the smaller debris got tossed down the clay / teracotta flue. Waste larger than bricks had to be carried down many stairs and out to the dumpster.
On the main and basement levels, the chimney had a brick chimney breast on both sides of the fireplace.
The chimney support at the basement level was on a concrete slab. The chimney structure above the floor of the main room was built upon the chimney structure below plus a steel reinforced concrete base that we had to jackhammer up to remove it. The chimney from the bedroom to the attic room was simply a 2 flues surrounded by cinderblock.
The brick chimney breast removal
how to remove
how to remove chimney breast remove and the natural stone chimney breast removal was straightforward. However carrying the debris was hard hard work!
Because chimneys are integral to a house structure, you need to be familiar with many related topics.
If you want to do further research, before taking on such a task, research and become familiar with the following terms: removing a chimney, chimney demolition, brick removal, stone removal, masonry demolition, remove fireplace, gallows brackets, steel rebar reinforced concrete, chimney pot, chimney removal before and after, remove of a fireplace hearth, chimney breast removal, home improvements, how a home is constructed, and how a home works,
We did not get a price quote on how much does it cost to remove a chimney or fireplace. But it is safe to say that this job would likely have surpassed $20,000 including the beam installation to carry the loads the chimney used to support.
Thanks for watching!
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[@radiogeek89]

Wow so much more open!!!

[@Housebarons]

Hey radio… Thx for watching!

[@randykautzman7848]

I am impressed you are wearing the proper mask as that chimney or some parts of it may contain asbestos, also a helmet. Bricks really do hurt when they land on your foot.

[@hannahleasongs9830]

dmn good job. how long did this take?

[@loriadams2204]

Amazing transformation! And just the two of you did all that work? How long did it take?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Lori, That’s a great question - at least 4 days but that does not include putting in the 20 foot beams which occurred mid project in the chimney demo. Thx for watching!

[@annawilliams1746]

Awesome video! Is a fireplace ever structural? We have a very small one to remove in order to have a little more space in our kitchen and we’d really like to not hire it out (minus canceling at the roof) but have a hard time telling if that would compromise the structure at all. Thanks!

[@annawilliams1746]

(We do not plan to remove any structural walls btw!)

[@Housebarons]

Hey Anna, The huge fireplace was structural in our case. Can’t say every other one will or won’t be. To be safe, a structural engineer could come in and tell you. Possible, you’ll have to remove some drywall / ceiling to diagnose. If it was structural, there are ways to remove it and not permanently hurt the structure. Again - structural engineers are a great help. If you know AND trust a local contractor, they could help diagnose, but they don’t generally have the ability to do exact load calculations if you need to support the remaining structure if the fireplace is load bearing. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@alexill]

That was a lot of work!

[@Housebarons]

Hey Al, For sure! We were in great shape when we got done! Thx for watching!

[@philribaudo4126]

WOW! I thought I was looking at a daunting task, but after seeing what you all did-GREAT JOB!!! Can I ask you how long it took for the entire job (work time) and also how long it took for each section: above roof, attic, first floor massive, and basement massive? Thanks for putting up this video!

[@Housebarons]

Hey Phil, I checked the log where my brother faithful recorded everything : My brother and I removed it. We worked between 9-10hr each day -so figure 20 man hrs per day to be safe. 1 day / removing facade stone and putting up 2 temporary walls on the main floor as the chimney supported the 2nd floor and above. 1 day / removing chimney from above roof and the attic level 1 day / removing chimney from 2nd floor bedroom level ( including meeting w/ an architect ) On the attic and bedroom levels, we also had to remove drywall and framing as the chimney was hidden behind walls - so that slowed us down some there. 1 day / removing chimney from main level 1/2 day / using demo hammer on concrete base on main floor level 2 days / building temporary walls in basement and removing the chimney at the basement level. Probably could add to this 3+ more days of just hauling debris from piles to the 40 yard dumpster ( filled it ) Then we spent a number of days filling the gaping void in the middle of the house including 3 -20ft+ lvl beams in the basement and 3 -20ft+ on the main floor as the chimney was part of the structure of the house. Sometimes houses are built around the chimney but in our case, the chimney and fireplaces were central and functioned as a supporting column. Hope that helps. Thx for watching!

[@philribaudo4126]

@@Housebarons Keep up the great work and thanks for answering my questions, recording the process, and putting it up for others to learn from! To say you guys rock is an understatement (and also would be a play on words-lol)

[@dr.timothyr.morris5389]

Nicely done! So how long for just the demo/removal of the 41" of double chimney and debris?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Dr., You are talking about the upper portion? We were removing it from the inside of the house and could let some debris fall through the flu of the chimney 4 floors to the basement. I would guess 2 days for 2 floors plus maybe another day for lugging debris to a dumpster. That’s for 2 people. All depends on how clean the work environment needs to be. We were reno- ing the whole house & moving walls. Was pretty dusty. It’s a workout to say the least! We filled a 40 yard dumpster for the entire chimney. The entire chimney took a week? Somewhere in the previous comments, I listed the hours…. Thx for watching!

[@Crushin123]

Ugh - this looks like something I will be doing this fall or spring - not looking forward too it lol ...end result looks great though

[@Housebarons]

Hey Beaver, Thx for watching!

[@riffdex]

Can chimneys contain asbestos?

[@HollisKevin]

Hi, I'm renovating my family home and the home has three fireplaces. The house was moved to its present location about 40 years ago. How can I reinstall the fireplaces. I would like them to be bricked or blocked. The opening where the fireplaces were use to have gas heaters. I want to put the fireplaces back and use gas inserts. Do I need to speak to a structural engineer. Its an older home that was built between 1930-1940, I can send you pics of the existing fireplaces so you have a better idea

[@Housebarons]

Hey Kevin, I see 2 options. Build complete fireplaces and chimneys like old days - need a mason and a room full of money! Or you could add a modern ventless or vent fireplace w/ a brick surround. We did a ventless - kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXaaeqJ9nqZkec0 No need for exterior vent or chimney. I guess it all depends on how original you want to go… or not. Large masonry work will likely need an engineer and contractor - big job! Thx for watching!

[@allenzackery1639]

Almost looks like a Frank Loyd Wright 70's ? Just guessing !

[@Housebarons]

Hey Allen, Sorry - built in 1980. Thx for watching!

[@CumminsCat]

How much does this cost to remove average?

[@mikeengstrom6352]

How much would a project like this cost?

[@Housebarons]

Hey Mike, Likely in the 5 figures range if you hired it out. We removed 3 walls and added 6 LVL beams to accomplish it all. Its a massive undertaking but very affordable if you don't have to hire it out but can do it yourself. Thx for watching!

[@kmac0001]

I'm just confused why you anchored yourself to the thing you were dismantling...lol