Chimney Removal in Akron, Canton and Northeast Ohio
You've got a chimney you don't use, and it's costing you anyway. Maybe it's leaking around the flashing every spring, maybe the bricks up top are crumbling into the gutter, or maybe it's an old stack on the outside wall that's pulling away from the house. Chimney removal starts to look like the answer, and then the questions pile up fast: is it holding something up, what happens to the furnace, and who fixes the roof after.
- Owner-operated
- Owner on site for the work
- Free site visit and free written estimate
- Fully insured, $2 million general liability and workers comp
My name's Vental Waggoner. I run Zenith Excavating, a two-man demolition outfit, from 3397 E Waterloo Rd in Akron, and on a chimney job I'm there from the first walk-through until the last load of brick leaves. Most of the chimneys people ask me about are on older houses in Akron, Barberton, Canton and Massillon, and we take jobs in all seven counties from Summit and Stark out to Mahoning and Columbiana. Hauling the brick away is included, and if it was an outside chimney, we backfill and finish grade the spot where it stood as part of that same number.
Why chimneys come down in Northeast Ohio
Most of the people who call about a chimney haven't lit a fire in years. The fireplace is decoration at this point, or it's been boarded up since before they bought the house. Meanwhile the chimney is still a big hole in the roof. Warm air goes up it all winter, the masonry pulls cold into the wall, and every crack in the crown or the flashing is a chance for water to get in. Some people want the space back inside, especially when a chimney breast (the part of the chimney that sticks out into the room) eats a corner of the living room. Some just want the old stack gone before it becomes a bigger problem.
Around here, the weather does a lot of the damage. I've seen plenty of these winters. We freeze and thaw over and over every winter, and every time water soaks into the brick and mortar and then freezes, it pushes things apart a little more. Masonry in Northeast Ohio wears out faster than it would somewhere milder, and old chimneys show it first.
Remove it, rebuild it, or cap it
Before anything comes down, it's worth thinking through the three choices, because removal isn't always the right call.
If the chimney still serves a fireplace you love, rebuilding the damaged part above the roofline might make more sense. When the damage is all up top, rebuilding and removing can end up closer in cost than people expect. If you never use the fireplace, though, removal is usually the cheaper long-term answer, because you're done paying to keep up something that does nothing for you.
The third option is to leave the chimney where it is and seal it. That means closing the damper, capping the top and sealing the fireplace opening. It's the cheapest route by a long way, and for an exterior chimney that's sound but unused, it can be the smart one. I'll tell you plainly if I think sealing it beats tearing it out, and I'll also tell you if your job is more of a mason's job than a demolition job.
Think about resale too. Getting space back inside can help a house. Losing a working fireplace can cost you with buyers who want one.
Load-bearing chimneys and structural support
This is the part that has to be right. In a lot of older houses, especially ones built before 1900, the chimney isn't just a chimney. It can carry part of the weight of a floor, a wall or the roof. Newer houses usually aren't built that way, but you can't assume.
If a chimney is load-bearing, it can't just be knocked out. Temporary supports have to hold things up while the masonry comes out, and then a permanent beam or new framing has to take over the load. That's a question for a structural engineer, not a guess from the ground. On a job where the chimney might be carrying weight, an engineer should look at it before work starts.
Gas lines, furnace flues and venting
Plenty of chimneys aren't just for the fireplace. In a lot of older Northeast Ohio houses, the furnace and the water heater vent up the chimney too. Before the chimney comes down, anything venting into it has to be disconnected and given a new way to vent, and a gas fireplace or insert has to have its gas line shut off and capped by a gas plumber.
That raises a question most people don't think to ask until it's too late: once the chimney is gone, where does the furnace or water heater vent, and who pays for it? The venting has to be redone some other way. It's heating work, it's a separate cost, and it should be lined up before the chimney comes down so you're not without heat.
Permits, asbestos and lead
Many places require a permit to remove a chimney, and historic districts may limit what you can change on the outside of the house or block removal altogether. Rules vary between Akron, Canton and the townships, so check with your city or township before the work is scheduled.
Homes built before the 1980s may have asbestos in or around the chimney, and old flashing can contain lead. Say the test turns up asbestos. Then a licensed abatement contractor removes that material before we start, because asbestos is outside what Zenith does. I work out the order of things with them, and the chimney stays standing until their part is complete. Asbestos removal is usually priced separately from the demolition.
How chimney removal works
The first step is a free site visit and a free written estimate. I look at the chimney inside and out, how tall it is, how many flues it has, whether it's on an outside wall or in the middle of the house, what vents into it, and how we get to it.
If a brick comes down wrong, you want the contractor's insurance answering for it, not yours. Ours is $2 million in general liability, and we carry workers compensation as well. Ask anybody you're thinking about hiring for their insurance papers before the work starts, especially on a job that involves brick coming off a roof.
During the work, the inside of the house has to be protected. Brick dust and debris can fall down the flue into the fireplace, and an interior removal makes a mess of the rooms around it if nothing is covered. We bring the masonry down, load it and haul it off.
The footing below grade
If you're taking down a chimney on the outside of the house, there's a part below the dirt that most people never think about: the footing, the concrete or masonry base the chimney was built on. When the chimney comes down to the ground, that footing is still sitting there under the soil. It can be dug out, or in some cases left in place and buried. Either way, the ground where the chimney stood needs to be filled and leveled so water runs away from the house instead of toward it. Backfill and finish grading are included in our price.
Siding, roof and walls afterward
Taking a chimney off leaves holes. A stack removed at the roofline leaves an opening in the roof that has to be patched. An outside chimney leaves a gap in the siding or the wall where it stood. An interior chimney breast leaves walls, floor and trim that need finish work. I'll be straight with you about this part: patching siding, roofing and finishing drywall are other trades. Plan for it from the start so the house isn't open to the weather.
Questions People Ask
Can I keep the brick?
Old brick has value to some people, and masons sometimes want it, or you can post it online. Saving it means slower work so it doesn't get broken.
How long does chimney removal take?
Taking a chimney down to the roofline is often a day or two. A full removal, top to bottom, can run several days.
I live in a double. Can you take out my side of the chimney?
That one takes care. In a lot of doubles, both units share one chimney with separate flues inside it, so taking it out affects your neighbor's furnace and fireplace too. Talk to the other owner first.
Can I stay in the house while you take out a chimney inside?
A lot of people do, but plan on noise and dust. The usual way to handle an interior job is to seal the work area off from the rest of the house with plastic, and brick dust still tends to find its way around, so anybody with breathing trouble, a new baby or pets might be better off somewhere else for the loudest part. We'll talk it through for your house at the site visit.
Will falling brick damage my gutters, shrubs, driveway or my neighbor's house?
It's a fair worry, because a chimney is a lot of brick sitting high up. Zenith carries $2 million in general liability insurance.
Do I need to tell my insurance company?
That's a question for your agent, and I won't guess at what your policy says. Call them before the work starts.
Request a Free Estimate
Done with that chimney? Use the form to let me know whether it's on an outside wall or in the middle of the house, how many stories it climbs, and whether anything still vents into it. Press Send My Request and I'll get back to you about coming out to look at it, or call me at (330) 690-6842.
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