Effective Victorian Fireplace Removal

So remember this fireplace?

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After getting the chimneys fully inspected it turned out this this was never going to be a usable fireplace. This made us sad. Since it was taking up a whole corner of the room we decided to do away with it. We’ll just have to deal with a Victorian house that has TWO working fireplaces instead of three. So, being the experienced demolishers that we are we set forth to get that fireplace out. We started off with a few handy tools:

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And got crackin’

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You can see here that there was no way to get a liner down there. That little hole was all that connected that fireplace to the main chimney itself and not only was the angle to steep the hole itself was too small.

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So down it came. Even my mother got in on the act.

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And we’re at floor level! Unfortunately that isn’t it. If we’re going to turn this into a regular corner we’re going to need to put in joists later. WE HAVE TO GO DEEPER!

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I must admit, this was a perfectly constructed arc. No one piece was in charge and I had to chisel out the entire thing one brick at a time. I was amused and displeased all at once.

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The aftermath. I ended up selling them all for $.25 apiece. One guy came in a really old Bronco, loaded it up until it was riding 2″ off the ground and drove away. Fine by me!

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And here’s our fresh, open corner.

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Watch your step.

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Oh and I sold the mantle itself to someone down the street. He installed it that day so it lives on. I was quite surprised when it came out in one piece.

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