# Missconception of cost of chimneys



## elkimmeg (Nov 3, 2007)

A post yesterday guoted a cost of $5000 for a chimney block  chimney? 
 Here is a sample of cost a chimney block cost $7.75 ea and is 8" high
 an 8/8 clay flue 2' long cost $9.20 

 an example of a 16"  chimney block chimney would require 24 blocks and 8 flues

 material cost of $387.60 missing is the motar and some  cement ties all told the materials cost would be  about $450 excluding labor

 given one mason and a helper should be able to complete it in one day Mason at $50 per hr and helper at 25$ per hour labor cost $600 the entire chimney could be built under$1,100

 now start equating that to a class A 16' chimney with a tee clean out box and your finding would be surprising

Remember for appearances appeal a combination of chimney block and brick construction also can be had For instance the chimney block could be used for a center location and converted for appeal to brick above the roof line  The fire place location also could be brick and blocks passing threw the floors above. Not all situations need be class A venting within a building or even outside.   

 A word about the pricing I called my masonry supplier this morning to get these quotes. 

 there was a post a day or so back  where the top of his chimney had been eliminated a chimney block  or brick single 8/8 flue chimney ,may make the most sense and it should not cost $5000


----------



## JohnnyBravo (Nov 3, 2007)

a proper brick and block chimney will require solid support. you cannot just start building on the wood floor. each situation is different. i could see costs getting quite high if there is a developed living space below the planned chimney. before my mason starts the fireplace at a house we're building he wants to talk to the engineers from the floor joist co. standard residential floors here are designed for a 60lbs/square foot. some places reqire 100. either way i would not just start stacking blocks w/o checking things out. i can see  my chimney install costing huge had someone else done it. i removed sections of truss, added beams and rebuilt the front corner of my house. guys i work with said the ceiling was going to have to come down. i spent 60 bucks on hangers and lumber but i would not have touched this job for less than $2500.


----------



## elkimmeg (Nov 3, 2007)

True footing requirements but outside a home not that big an issue the post was for discussion where a block chimney may be an alternative may not.


----------



## hearthtools (Nov 3, 2007)

Any Rebar in that? At least in the first 2 feet?


----------



## webbie (Nov 3, 2007)

This goes back to the "cost of lettuce in a restaurant salad" point. Block it cheap. Cement is cheap. Human beings are expensive.

We live in an area I would describe as moderate incomes (other than our street, which might be higher) and our builder, who is always building one house or another, just paid $12,000 (wholesale) for a subcontracted masonry fireplace in a two story house he is building.

I think one of the posts in question (not the attic extension one) was a very tall chimney. So comparing apples to apples, how much would a 30 foot (from ground) chimney cost, including through the wall done right, and also something (decent stucco or brick) face to make it look good? Maybe there is a guide to this stuff (like the blue book), but with most decent masons it is probably a matter of all the work of getting set up and spending a week at the job (considering digging, foundation, etc.)....at least a week, with two people or more....plus scaffold.

Not even considering insulating the chimney correctly (as a class A is).

Using a rough calc of $500 a day for the mason and his helper, that is $2500 plus the materials - and then you have to add profits. Folks like us who do a lot of DIY work are not used to figuring things this way, because we rarely pay them! But since I wrote the checks for 20 years to our installers, I got used to it!

Lots of ways to skin the cat, but builders today tell me that masonry fireplaces are not even considered on houses under $700K....as a very general rule. And I hear of many multi-million dollar homes using all prefabs!

Things were different back in the 70's when you could find tradespeople who worked for labor alone. But these days profit on top of the labor is figured in (and rightly so).

Thread is a bit confusing because of the "build it on top of cut down chimney" in the attic part. This was a rare situation.....and I remember hearing about a steep roof. Heck, it would be a good mason that can scaffold and prepare that whole situation, go up through the roof, flash, haul all that stuff up, and finish that in a day. At least the class A has pre-made flashing, etc.

I think the bottom line is that if someone wants a decent looking chimney (nicely finished chase, or brick or otherwise faced masonry), it is gonna cost them.


----------



## begreen (Nov 3, 2007)

We're seeing similar inflation here. The local market won't support it, they can't afford such prices. But there are so many people moving here from California that are used to outrageous prices, the contractors can get away with it. Especially if the homeowner is clueless as to the real costs and labor involved. 

OTOH, I wouldn't consider an exterior block chimney without encasing it with insulation. Then it needs sheathing, so there is that cost too.


----------



## hearthtools (Nov 3, 2007)

hourly labor is one thing
but the cost of labor is not the same.
for *every $100* I pay someone 
$14.65 in state and Fed Taxes Employer Expenses (Penney's less after I reach $7,000.00 on each employee.)
$18.00 for Workers Comp.
so that $100 in labor is really $132.65


----------



## begreen (Nov 3, 2007)

Good point Rod, and there are even more hidden costs in having an employee. Things like sick time, extra hours, hiring interviews, vehicle (and vehicle abuse), theft, carelessness, etc. all have to be dealt with. 

Coming back to the gold plated chimney - At $5000 with ~$500 for materials, that leaves $4,500 for labor. Let's say it took 2 days for all the work, prep, pad, cleanup, etc. That's $281/hr for labor. Hopefully the helper saw a bit more than $25/hr of that, but probably not.


----------



## EatenByLimestone (Nov 3, 2007)

I agree that a masonry chimney is cheap.  

For a foundation mine required 1 ft thick, 6" around the outside of the chimney.  I dug the hole below the foundation and laid in the form.  I filled it with cement mixed in my wheel barrow, bag by bag.  It didn't really take that long.  I put a few pieces of rebar sticking straight up so they would go into the chimney base when I built that up.  After the foundation dried I used regular chimney block to get me above ground level.  I then backfilled (carefully and constantly pouring water over it in order to get rid of any air pockets) around the chimney block and poured more concrete into the center of the chimney blocks.  After that it was just a matter of trying to set the chimney blocks directly on top of the one below it.  Which isn't all that easy when on a ladder.

My chimney, thimble, hearth and 1st stove cost just over $1000 to install.  Maybe 1200?  I ended up replacing the cat stove with a Century during the lowes sale.  I maybe have $1500 in the setup with replaced stove pipe, etc.  The thimble was surprisingly expensive, but it's not something to skimp on the quality of!

Here is the thimble I used:  http://www.dalsinmfg.com/insulflue.html



Matt


----------



## JohnnyBravo (Nov 3, 2007)

laubor is cheap when you work on your own house. thats why my house is such a mess, no one will pay me to fix it up.


----------

