Chimney Removal, Done in the Right Order

Plenty of chimneys in the metro have nothing left to do. A high-efficiency furnace now vents out the side wall, the water heater went electric or power-vented, and the fireplace was closed off years ago. The stack still catches snow, still needs flashing and still loses brick to frost. Removing it ends the upkeep and can open up a closet, an attic or a basement corner.

The order of work matters. Before anything comes down we trace every flue in the stack, because in older Minneapolis and St. Paul houses a single chimney can hold a fireplace flue, a furnace flue and a water heater flue side by side, and a duplex can have two furnaces sharing one stack. If anything is still connected, it has to be revented or lined somewhere else before removal starts.

Signs you need this

• The furnace and water heater both vent out a side wall now
• A sealed-off fireplace or a chimney that serves nothing
• A stack that needs a rebuild you'd rather not pay for
• Recurring leaks at an old chimney during roof replacement
• A brick chimney taking up space you want back inside

How we do it

1. Trace every flue, freeWe confirm what each flue serves, from the basement to the top, and photograph the stack and roof.
2. Check historic status and city rulesWe check what your city requires and whether the house is in a designated district, where removal can need full preservation review.
3. Take down from the topBrick comes off by hand course by course and goes down in buckets or a chute, with the roof and yard protected.
4. Close the roofWhen the stack is cut below the roof, the opening gets decked and tied into the roof covering, so the roofer or our crew can shingle over it.
5. Finish inside if going lowerFor a full removal, we take the masonry down through the house and leave openings ready for framing and drywall.

Below the roofline, or all the way down?

Cutting the chimney off below the roof deck is the most common choice. The part outside the house is the part that leaks and loses brick, and once it's gone there is nothing left for snow and frost to work on. The masonry inside stays where it is, capped and closed.

A full removal takes the masonry down through the attic, the living space and into the basement. It frees floor space but involves more demolition, debris and finish work, and on some houses the chimney carries part of a floor or roof framing that has to be supported first. We tell you at the inspection which applies to your house.

When a chimney cannot come down yet

If a gas water heater still vents into the chimney, removal waits until it has a new vent. The same goes for a boiler or a furnace on an older system. That rerouting is HVAC or plumbing work, and in Minneapolis most heating and gas work needs a mechanical permit, so it has to be planned before the masonry crew shows up.

Historic houses are the other limit. Minneapolis and St. Paul both review exterior changes in designated districts, and taking a chimney away changes the roofline, which is the kind of alteration preservation staff look at closely. We help you prepare photos and a scope and check status before we quote a date.

What removal costs

We don't print a range for chimney removal, because we haven't found a reliable published figure and the job varies too much: height, number of flues, how far down, roof type and whether the chimney is structural. It is priced at the free inspection, with a written number before any work starts. If rebuilding turns out to be the better value, we say so and show both prices.