Removing unused chimney

[branimal]

i'm renovating the 1st floor of a 3-family house in brooklyn. 2nd and 3rd floor are finished. There's an abandoned chimney stack in building. It was 15" deep on the 3rd floor, maybe 12" deep on the 2nd floor and only 4" deep on the 1st floor. Its 60" wide. On the 3rd floor I left it exposed and did some trimwork around the edges to make it look finished. Way too much work. On the 2nd floor I just framed around it with 1 5/8" metal studs.

Can I just knock out the 4" thick brick to get it flush with the remainder of the wall? Or is it supporting the structure above? Im guessing its providing support. If so, is there a way I can support what's is above with 2x material screwed to the joists?

It sort of kills the layout of the living room.

 

[jack stand]

I'm not sure of the masonry "practices" of the early 19th century, but I can't imagine how a course of brick does not sit on the previous course all the way down to a foundation/footing.
I think you'd be flirting with the possibility of collapse here.

 

[Leon bee]

What's on the other side?

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Does (will) the chimney continue above?

 

[Bert_]

The way it's built is already bad and what you want will make it even worse. No way would I knock the bottom.

 

[Jackfre]

From the pic of the whole wall, you see the portion you want to remove is below those stepped out bricks at ceiling level, which I assume is the hearth of the 2nd floor. Also the proposed removal of the facia brick is problematic. The half bricks you see are tied back into the course behind them. You need to get someone in there who knows what he is looking at and advise. I do like the idea of removing these old chimneys. I did in our last house and it opened up the whole floorplan. It was a center chimney. It was not a small project involving a lot of framing mods, but it was worth it for the final result. There is a lot of weight up there and if it goes it will do it all at once.

 

[mike93lx]

I think you committed to keeping it on the first floor by not removing it from the top down

 

[NUTTSGT]

I think if you wanted to remove any of it, you should have started at the top and tore it down as you went.

I'm in the leave it be camp. I'd frame the wall around, close it in and hide it. Build a stud wall with the 2x4s flat against the brick so you don't lose as much floor space. Just continue to bring that wall out from the corner in the last pic you attached.


Pardon my Sunday am paint skills. Red studs framed like normal, green studs flipped flat.

 

[branimal]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to leave well enough alone.

 

[My Old Tools]

We took one down in a 100 year old house. When we got a close look, the old mortar was gone or crumbling. Gravity was mostly holding it in place. It didn't take long to tear it down to bottom floor level. We used the chase to put in a stainless triple wall zero clearance chimney.

 

[NightSky]

I'm surprised that none of the previous responses have mentioned this, maybe it's implicit in their thinking and in your original description of the varying chimney thickness on each succeeding floor... It looks like someone has already torn out most of the first floor chimney. It looks like an open flue at the top left of your middle image with trail of soot or creosote leading up to it from what was probably the first floor fireplace. What's under this structure in the basement? Your best bet is to sell the place and move out of state... maybe to Ohio.

 

[mike93lx]

I'm surprised that none of the previous responses have mentioned this, maybe it's implicit in their thinking and in your original description of the varying chimney thickness on each succeeding floor... It looks like someone has already torn out most of the first floor chimney. It looks like an open flue at the top left of your middle image with trail of soot or creosote leading up to it from what was probably the first floor fireplace. What's under this structure in the basement? Your best bet is to sell the place and move out of state... maybe to Ohio.

Great catch. I thought the staining was odd but didn't really think through it

 

[rlitman]

...Pardon my Sunday am paint skills. Red studs framed like normal, green studs flipped flat...

You could flip studs flat, but you don't need a full 1-1/2" thick pocket in there. You could just as easily attach hat channel to the brick, shaving another 3/4" off the wall thickness if you're skinning it in sheetrock.

 

[branimal]

You could flip studs flat, but you don't need a full 1-1/2" thick pocket in there. You could just as easily attach hat channel to the brick, shaving another 3/4" off the wall thickness if you're skinning it in sheetrock.

I thot about using Hat channels. Problem is I'd have to use plastic anchors in the brick. The brick is way too soft for tapcons. That's a lot of work for 3/4". And I know some tenant down the line is going to hang a tv off this wall. So having 1 1/2" wood back there to support the tv sets my mind at ease.