Old Brick Chimney Removal in Boise: Roofline Down or Full Tear-Out

Chimney removal for an old brick chimney in Boise is very doable: an unused one can come down safely, either cut off below the roofline or taken out all the way to the footing.

The work starts with checking what still vents through it, getting any gas line capped and sorting out permits. Then it comes down by hand from the top, and the debris gets hauled away.

Nobody plans to take out a chimney. It slowly goes from a feature to a liability, and one day you're done patching the chimney.

Chimney removal for old brick in Boise

On older houses, like the early bungalows in Boise's North End, an unused chimney often leans a little, the mortar has gone sandy, and every windstorm drops a few more chunks into the flower bed.

Usually the reason to take it out is simple. Nobody uses it, and it keeps costing money just to keep it standing.

Plenty of older houses on the Bench, in the North End and in the older parts of Nampa and Caldwell have chimneys built for coal or wood stoves. Decades of Treasure Valley weather are hard on them. Water soaks into the mortar, freezes in January, expands, and everything starts to shift.

The roof is the other big one. If you're putting on new shingles anyway, a dead chimney is one more thing to flash around and one more spot for a leak. A lot of people pull it while the roof is already open.

Some folks bring up earthquakes too. The 2020 Stanley quake was felt all over the valley, and unreinforced masonry is one of the first things to crack when the ground moves. That's a fair thing to weigh.

Roofline down or all the way out?

This is the first real decision, and it changes the size of the job a lot.

Taking it down below the roofline means the stack is cut until it's flush with or below the roof deck, capped in the attic, and the roof gets patched over the opening. It's faster, and removing only the top keeps most of the mess outside. The rest is still there, just out of sight.

Full removal means the whole thing comes out, sometimes all the way to the footing in the crawl space or basement. You get the floor space back and there's nothing left to crumble. It also means opening walls and ceilings, and hauling a lot more debris.

How much more? Usually more than people expect. A two-story chimney can take up a good chunk of a truck on its own, and masonry is heavy.

So which one makes sense for you? If the chimney runs up the middle of a room you'd like to open up, full removal usually wins. If it's on an outside wall and you mostly care about leaks and falling pieces, roofline down is often plenty.

Before and during the job

Getting ready

A few things need to happen before anything comes off the top.

Start by finding out what's still hooked up to it. A lot of old chimneys around here still vent a furnace or water heater, even though the fireplace hasn't been used in years.

Heads up: If a furnace or water heater still vents up that chimney, it needs a new vent run before demolition day. Have your HVAC company or a plumber check it first. Pulling a chimney that's quietly doing a job is how carbon monoxide ends up inside the house.

If there's a gas insert or gas logs, the line has to be shut off and capped properly. Intermountain Gas or a licensed plumber handles that part, not us.

Then there's permits. Chimney work opens up the roofline and sometimes your framing, so check with the City of Boise building department, or your own city or county if you're in Meridian, Kuna, Star or out in Canyon County. We're glad to help you figure out what your address needs, and we can handle the permit application for the demolition work.

Last, line up a roofer. We take the chimney down and haul everything away, but the roof patch is a roofer's job, and opening or patching walls and ceilings inside the house is a job for a general contractor. Try to get them scheduled right behind us so you're not living under a tarp.

Worth asking: Should the fireplace go too? Fireplace removal usually goes with a full tear-out, since the firebox, hearth and mantel tie into the same masonry. Removing the hearth also leaves a floor surface that needs patching.

Demolition goes smoother with a clear work area. Move cars out of the driveway, pull patio furniture away from the house, and keep kids and pets inside while work is going on.

How chimney dismantling actually goes

Chimney dismantling happens from the top, by hand, a few bricks at a time. Nobody pushes the chimney over. That's how a chunk ends up through the neighbor's window.

We protect the shingles and the ground around the house, lower the pieces down a chute or in buckets, and keep the area roped off. For a full removal, the room inside gets sealed off with plastic, because mortar dust gets into everything otherwise.

Other elements tied into the stack come out along the way, like old flashing, the crown and cap, any metal liner, and sometimes framing that was built around it.

A roofline-down job is the quicker of the two. Full removal takes longer, depending on building height, pitch and how much plaster or drywall has to come off around it. You'll get a realistic timeline at the estimate.

What happens to all that masonry? Solid, clean pieces get a second life as garden edging, patios and fire pits. The rest gets recycled or goes to the landfill, depending on condition.

If you want a stack for your own project, just say so.

What moves the cost up or down

We price by volume, by how much truck space it takes. These are the main things that move the size of the job and the price:

• Height and pitch. A tall stack on a steep pitch takes more setup and care than a short one on a low slope.
• How far down it comes. Going to the footing means more hours and a lot more debris than stopping below the roofline.
• Interior work. How much of the stack, hearth and mantel sits inside the house.
• Access. An open path to the street helps. Tight side yards, fences and landscaping slow things down.
• Property type. A single-story ranch, a two-story house and an occupied rental each set up a little differently.

That's why we won't guess at a number over the phone. The estimate is free, we look at the chimney in person, and you get a firm price before anything gets touched.

When you compare removal services, ask each one the same things: who checks the venting, who hauls the debris, and who handles the patch. A chimney service that sweeps and inspects is a different trade from a crew that takes one down, so it helps to know which kind you're calling.

An old chimney nobody uses is usually worth taking out before it turns into a leak or a pile of debris in the yard. Figure out what's venting through it, get the gas capped, check on permits, and get a roofer lined up for the patch.

Yes, we'd love the job. But if you mostly want an honest opinion, give us a call at (208) 593-2877 and we'll come take a look. Sometimes the answer is that it can wait, and we'll tell you that too.

Frequently asked questions

Can an old brick stack be taken out safely?

Yes. It's taken apart by hand from the top down, with the shingles and yard protected, once any furnace, water heater or gas line tied into it has been dealt with.

How much does it cost to take one down?

It depends on height, pitch, how far down it comes, interior work and access. A free in-person estimate gets you a firm price before any work starts.

How hard is it to take out the fireplace too?

It's a bigger job than stopping at the roofline, because the firebox and hearth sit inside the house. Removing them means dust control, opening walls and patching the floor.

How long does an old brick flue last?

Related reading: Concrete Slab Demolition: Can You DIY It, or Should You Hand It Off? and Chicken Coop Removal in Boise: Dust, Wire and Old Posts.

There's no set lifespan. Water getting in, freeze-thaw cycles and the condition of the mortar decide it, so a stack that leans, drops pieces or has sandy mortar is near the end of its useful life.