# Removing brick fireplace--DIY or hire a pro



## ToastyToes (Aug 12, 2009)

Here's a picture of my fireplace.  As mentioned in my other posts, it is too deep to put an insert in (41 inches front to back), so we are taking it down.  The chimney is located outside the house, and according to the fireplace company our fireplace is built in front of the chimney, and the chimney ( also built from brick with a clay liner) has its own footing outside so removing the fireplace should not affect it at all.  The guy said the fireplace is built with "Chicago brick" and should pop right out.  We tried removing one brick and it came out fairly easily.  Before we go and start tearing it out, are there any potential issues we should look out for?  Is this a DIY job or should we hire a pro?  We have done a lot of work ourselves around the house and we are pretty handy, but we don't want to create a disaster if we don't do this right.  Another question is the inside firebox is made from a different type of brick.  Are these tough to dismantle?  

Thanks in advance.


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## begreen (Aug 12, 2009)

It can be a DIY project, my sons and I took out a fireplace and a furnace chimney a few years ago. Success will need some good preparation. 

This will be a very dusty, job. The amount of cement dust generated by our old fireplace removal was impressive. To contain the dust, I tented off the area from ceiling to floor between the fireplace and a large, openable window. This was on the first floor so we could chuck the bricks out of the window. I protected the window sill and edges with heavy cardboard. 

We had many, very stout boxes on hand to remove the chips and cement debris. When full, these boxes will be heavy. A good handtruck helps for moving them. Other than that, have good masks and ventilation. Put an exhaust fan on the tent (I used an old box fan) to keep the dust down and keep negative pressure in the tent. Also, a spray bottle with water in it can help keep down the dust. Then just start at the top and disassemble, one brick at a time using a chisel and hammer. Once you get the first couple courses down, it can go pretty quickly depending on the condition of the mortar.


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## TreePapa (Aug 12, 2009)

If you have a friend or relative who is a contractor or construction pro, have him (or her) over, buy a six pack or two of their favorite beverage, and ask them to take a look and tell you what they think the job will involve.

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 12, 2009)

That is not a fun job and fixing the hole you leave is going to cost some more time and money in addition to disposing of the chimney.  I assume you are after more than just gaining a little living space?  That is going to be an expensive few square feet.


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## ToastyToes (Aug 12, 2009)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> That is not a fun job and fixing the hole you leave is going to cost some more time and money in addition to disposing of the chimney.  I assume you are after more than just gaining a little living space?  That is going to be an expensive few square feet.



I'm removing the fireplace so we can put in a wood burning stove, and connect the stove to the existing chimney.  The fireplace is getting removed, but the chimney stays.  There is no other place in the house where a wood burning stove is feasible.  We've put up drywall before in the house, and I know fixing the hole is going to take some time but having had lots of practice taping/mudding/sanding drywalls I'm not too worried about that, or maybe I should be?  Anyway I can see the concrete foundation blocks and framing of the exterior wall behind the fireplace, there are a few inches of space between the back side of the fireplace and the exterior wall.  There is fiberglass insulation on the exterior wall but no interior drywall.


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## caber (Aug 12, 2009)

try it yourself.  Bast case - you are able to do it and you save a big chunk of cash.  Worst case - you do part, then hire the contractor.  there is nothing really to lose.  Life is an adventure, go for it.


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## Highbeam (Aug 12, 2009)

The hardest part of your proposal is the fact that you want to keep the old chimney but remove the fireplace. That is not good mojo. Rip it all out and either replace with steel or build a new masonry chimney from the old footing. Every fireplace that I have seen offers part of the support for the chimney and bad things happen when you try and take legs out from under a table. 

I hired out the demolition of my interior fireplace and chimney and will second BG's statement about the dust. For us the dust was black as it included flue dust and junk. I am now much more happy with my steel chimney than I ever was with the old masonry unit.


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## ToastyToes (Aug 12, 2009)

Highbeam said:
			
		

> The hardest part of your proposal is the fact that you want to keep the old chimney but remove the fireplace. That is not good mojo. Rip it all out and either replace with steel or build a new masonry chimney from the old footing. Every fireplace that I have seen offers part of the support for the chimney and bad things happen when you try and take legs out from under a table.



The chimney is outside, and has its footing outside as far as I can tell.  The original builders basically "curved" the clay liner to connect to the fireplace.  The chimney goes all the way to the ground on the outside of the house right against the wall.  Do you still think removing the fireplace will affect the chimney?


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## mellow (Aug 12, 2009)

How tall is your chimney?  This is going to factor in on where you want to put your connector in, it will have to be low if your chimney is only say 12ft tall.


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## ToastyToes (Aug 13, 2009)

mellow said:
			
		

> How tall is your chimney?  This is going to factor in on where you want to put your connector in, it will have to be low if your chimney is only say 12ft tall.



It's in the lower level of a split entry house, and goes above the roof.  probably at least 20 feet total height.  

I'm most worried about the comment that the fireplace provides support to the chimney.  I'll double check to make sure the chimney is indeed free-standing.


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## begreen (Aug 13, 2009)

One clue would be to go in the crawlspace or basement under the fireplace and see what is supporting the interior portion. If nothing but the floor joists, then it may not be structural. However, the best way to answer that question is to have a well qualified mason or inspector come in and examine the structure. From our armchairs, we aren't going to see what they're going to see. That's an opinion worth paying for.

PS: After revisiting the previous posts, I'm not finding dimensions for the fireplace interior or pictures of its interior so I am not really sure if removal of the fireplace is the only option. Best to be really sure first. Can you provide dimensions and also the distance from the face of the fireplace to the beginning of the opening for the damper?


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## Highbeam (Aug 13, 2009)

Even if the chimney and fireplace are on seperate foundations, the blockwork is likely interlaced or else the chimney would surely crack at the joint. You know that game Jenga? Where you take a block from the bottom and put it on top? Not cool with a 20' chimney.

I also find it hard to believe that your fireplace is too deep for an insert. Usually the problem is that they are too small. The insert does not need to set up against the back wall.


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## Wet1 (Aug 13, 2009)

It sounds pretty screwy to me too.  You might want to get a second opinion...


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## TreePapa (Aug 13, 2009)

Even if you want to do the work yourself, get a construction pro out to give you some pointers before you start.

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## wellbuilt home (Aug 14, 2009)

I think you could remove the fire place easy enough.  Just go for it . What could possibly happen ?  
 Start at the top . Get a large sledge hammer and whack it 10 times . remove louse brick ,  Hit it again  then remove louse brick .  when  brick is gone have a cold beer.
  There will be concrete block around the clay flue  (chip it away ) You need to find out if the clay flue is supported from the bottom  on the out side  foundation  wall or if its   sitting on the fire box smoke chamber .  Be very careful  the entire flue could drop out on the floor but most likely you will have support under the turn . The hard part is to add a thimble for the stove.   The flue is very hard to cut in place.  Now i would have a chimney sweep take a look . Once the thimble is in place you could     start  rebuilding the wall .     John


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## billb3 (Aug 14, 2009)

I don't get the '41 inches is too deep, either'.


I've done what you are proposing.
Fireplace flue and oil burner flue in one chimney.
Mine came out because the hearth (extension)was a fire hazard.
The wood under was charred when we started pulling that apart.
Fireplace had its own foundation in the basement which stayed.
We wanted the space in the tiny tiny room to turn it into a bathroom / laundry.

The flue tie-in was the trickiest part, luckily I had done some concrete block mortaring/ wall building.
Did not _look_ pretty when I was done, but it was safe and got sheet rocked over.



You _are_ losing a heat sink.


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## branchburner (Aug 14, 2009)

My stove sits just in front of my fireplace opening, and my big, brick fireplace acts as a heat sink, but I like that - the brick radiates heat back into the room for hours after the fire is out. But I have a center chimney. The big heat loss in this situation would be the outside chimney.

I'm wondering, roughly what is the maximum horizontal run of stovepipe from a rear-venting stove to the back of a fireplace that would make it reasonable to put a freestanding stove in this room?


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