Our New Chimney

The chimney rebuild is finished! When the mason started the project, he estimated it would take two weeks, and he was spot-on. They disassembled the scaffolding yesterday, and they are cleaning up the site today. Rebuilding the chimney was expensive, but we are so excited that we are one step closer to using the fireplaces. A cozier-feeling winter is within our grasp.

Progress Photos

All of these photos were taken before they added the clay flue liners and poured the concrete cap.

It took me a few days to work up the nerve to ask the crew if I could climb up and take photos. I love heights. However, they were so concerned about my kids climbing the scaffolding during their off-hours that I was sure they would say no to my request. When they agreed, I grabbed my phone and scrambled up to the roof before they could change their minds.

In this photo, you can see the three separate flues. The inner chimney, which looks rough, is actually in very good shape. The outer chimney is the new brick, and the mason tied the old and new together with metal straps embedded in the mortar (not shown).

He installed all new metal flashing.

Here is a close-up of the bricks. I love the texture and varied colors. They also stepped out the top two rows by one inch to add visual interest.

I hope you are not afraid of heights.

For the first time, I got a good look at the flat portion of the roof, and it is so much smaller than I imagined! The chimney on the right serves the dining room, and it may also offer a clue to another BHH mystery–more on that later. (I’m terrible; I know!)

The chimney on the left was probably for a potbelly kitchen stove a long, long time ago. Now it vents our water heater. I talked to the mason about tearing it down next year. It has moved beyond spalling (the brick faces coming off) and into complete disrepair. All we truly need is a vent, and it would be cheaper to tear the chimney down at this point. It has outlived its usefulness.

The Finished Chimney

Sadly, it was pretty gloomy out when I took the after photos, but I’m thankful the weather was beautiful while the crew was working.

Here is a good look at the concrete cap, clay flue liners, and the metal flue caps too. I promise I did not photoshop the background out of the photo. I wasn’t kidding when I said the weather was gloomy.

This photo offers a good view of the step flashing and the clean roof.

The finished chimney is about eight feet tall on the longest side. It looks so good, and we are thrilled with the masons we hired.

There is something so satisfying about making an old house structurally sound and ready for another 140 years. Sure, we won’t admire our new chimney on a daily basis, but we know it is there protecting us and everyone else who will live here in the future.

Millie will miss the supplemental lunch the crew fed her every day, but I’ll be happy to get her back on her regular diet of dog food and the occasional treat. She has learned some bad begging habits, and she’s a little fluffier around the middle too.

As always, it’s time to move on to the next project, and guess what it is? Three words: One Room Challenge. I’ll tell you all about it next week.

In the meantime, I’m also wrapping up the front door restoration. You can follow along with that on Instagram. There will be a door update on the blog when it is finished.