Hello,
I have an old timber house from the turn of the century with a decayed chimney stack and chimney. It's in very bad condition and completely unusable. It also doesn't go all the way up through the house but ends on the upper floor, which was added on at a later stage (not by us).
We're considering removing it to free up space, and then installing a regular stove pipe instead. We will leave the part that goes down in the basement.
My question is: Can the chimney stack have a load-bearing function in such a house, and how relevant is it in that case? Is it only in the "vertical" direction or some sort of lateral stabilization?
Follow-up question: Is it necessary / possible to compensate with a new sturdy post that goes up where the chimney stack is today?
What does the knowledge base on this forum think? Appreciate experiences and comments!
Regards,
Dan
I have an old timber house from the turn of the century with a decayed chimney stack and chimney. It's in very bad condition and completely unusable. It also doesn't go all the way up through the house but ends on the upper floor, which was added on at a later stage (not by us).
We're considering removing it to free up space, and then installing a regular stove pipe instead. We will leave the part that goes down in the basement.
My question is: Can the chimney stack have a load-bearing function in such a house, and how relevant is it in that case? Is it only in the "vertical" direction or some sort of lateral stabilization?
Follow-up question: Is it necessary / possible to compensate with a new sturdy post that goes up where the chimney stack is today?
What does the knowledge base on this forum think? Appreciate experiences and comments!
Regards,
Dan
The chimney may have a load-bearing function in really old houses. Here in Värmland, it is unusual in houses built after the year 1890. If the chimney were load-bearing, it can be replaced with some pillars. It does not have a stabilizing function on the house.