Have you ever seen old homesteads where the house has collapsed due to age, fire or other damages? Usually the only thing that is left standing and still intact is the old chimney. That’s because they are built self- standing and can generally withstand anything you throw at them. I don’t know if it was because of the extreme drought conditions and cracking ground, or some more of my great luck that caused my old chimney to need knocking down.
We noticed the old chimney separating away from the house at the roof line first. Previous owners used the chimney for a wood stove. The owners before me had installed a gas fireplace in that area, so the chimney was no longer functional, but it did add a quaint quality to the exterior of the house. The chimney has probably stood there for more years then I can count, but here it was, pulling away from the top of the house and starting to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Okay, so it wasn’t really that pretty or interesting, but it was starting to get scary as it continued to inch its way out.
Ideally you should call a contractor if you are not sure how to knock down an old chimney. Contractors cost money and that seems to be in short supply for everyone these days, so you do the next best thing and family for help, especially if said family member has knowledge of all things construction. We checked to make sure the old chimney was not attached to the house by any substantial means. You don’t want to knock down an old chimney and rip out a section of your outside wall. At the most, they may be attached with some old mortar or plaster. Whatever was holding my old chimney securely to the outside of the house wasn’t doing it anymore because you could see daylight between them for several feet down.
A small brick chimney can be chiseled from the top down if you are not sure how it is attached. Chimneys are constructed with varying sizes and types of fire bricks. The small red brick type would be the easiest to start from the top and chisel between the mortared areas between the bricks. This would be take a lot of time, but you would be able to remove the front and sides of the chimney to get a clear idea of how the backside is attached. If you can see daylight between the house and old chimney like I did, you know it isn’t attached and is a hazard that needs to come down immediately. The chimney blocks on my house were large 4 sided blocks that were stacked on top of each other. This made them a little more challenging and the chiseling wasn’t going well.
We considered tying a rope to the top of the chimney and pulling it down. My back yard is pretty big and there were no obstacles in the way, so pulling it down seemed a pretty sound choice. If you attempt to pull down an old chimney using a rope and a tractor, make sure you have plenty of room and that you are far enough away from the chimney because the bricks will bounce when it comes down. Be sure to check for power lines and tree branches that might be in the way. Obviously, knocking down an old chimney in this way can’t be done if you live in an area where you have houses close to you. Always observe the surroundings closely and if you can’t do it safely, don’t do it.
My son went up onto the roof of the house to attempt chiseling brick by brick. We were amazed, and a little shocked, to see that just a little pressure caused the chimney to sway outward. Maybe we are lucky that we have had no storms or winds in quite a while because they would have probably knocked the old chimney down. He observed the surroundings, warned us to move way back, sat down on the roof and shoved with his feet. The old chimney came tumbling down with a crash. Considering that the chimney was right at the door we use to get into the house, it was pretty scary that it came down so easily!
Be sure to inspect your old chimney to see if it needs to be knocked down. If you have an old chimney on your house, make sure it isn’t starting to lean and pull away. I don’t know if the drought and cracking ground caused it, or if time caused it, but mine pulled away at the top and that can be a dangerous situation. Go up on your roof and inspect how your chimney is attached. If you can see any pulling or daylight, you need to do some mortar work or consider your safest options to knock the chimney down. Don’t wait until you are out of options and it is threatening to fall down on its own. If you are going to attempt it yourself, make sure you can do it safely. Remember that there is no siding behind the chimney and you will have to figure out what to do about that gaping hole. I am still working on that and may tell you what I did in a later article.
More by this contributor:
How to Make your Patio Look Bigger
Winter Maintenance Projects to do During the Summer
Fun and Rewarding Kid Friendly Landscaping Projects
