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It's been there for 18 years with no problem?
Is it going to gain weight somehow?
Start heaving and moving all of the sudden after sitting there quietly all this time?
Send out tendrils that will infiltrate the shingles and cause leaks?
Supporting masonry with a wood structure is a code violation. In your case, I'm not certain it is truly an issue to be too concerned with - The masonry on the chimney appears to be holding up and functioning fine.
And as already stated - this may actually be a "lick and stick" brick facing product - in which case, the assembly is fine.
If you like the house, and this is the only issue, use it as a bargaining chip to knock off a few bucks off the sales price.
I have a feeling, by looking at the pics that is just a prefab chimney , probably something like thin strips of material made to look like brick , it is a little hard to tell though by the pictures, I can not see anyone building like that out of solid brick, that would be beyond comprehension . .
Have someone go up on the roof and just tap on it , that would tell you right away, either that or remove the chase cover if ther is one .
I am thinking whatever is up there is very light with no substantial load to worry about , let us know though, that is interesting indeed .
I'm agreeing with everyone who is voting for face brick (the really thin stuff that is applied like tiles.) And I've seen some manufacturers that will match & color texture accross brick, paver and face brick sizes so that is a possibility.
Have it looked at by someone of your choice with you footing the bill for inspection. I also suspect it is a double flue as someone mentioned earlier. A good residential contractor could sort it out fairly easily.
It might be the flashing is the only issue and if its the original roof you will probably be addressing that in a few years when you reroof.
Mmm Hmm, I agree with the flashing comment , I only noticed something that looks like mortar where the bottom of the chimney meets to roofline , not a very good seal if that is all that is there , but there might be some metal flashing under it ?
Hard to tell from just these pics, often times if there is a chase cover you can pull it off and take a peek inside and sometimes you're able to see evidence of flashing .
Wood burning f/pl- and there is no chase in the attic?! Big code violation there.
And the roof is made of 2X4 trusses- no extra bracing.
And no counterflashing at the brick.
I know this is an old thread but I have the same issue.
The home was built in 2006, purchased in 2016. The chimney is a large brick around a plywood chase. The fireplace is a small gas insert that rarely is used. I was having a weather station mounted to the chimney and the roofer said the decking was sagging, chimney was leaning and it felt like it moved when he leaned on it.
Inside the attic there is little support. What is there is bowing/cracking, one horizontal support has already snapped under the weight.
I know the chimney needs to be removed before it crashes through the house. The original builder came out to inspect it today after a call yesterday. I was concerned about safety due to the size and weight that's bulging support members in the attic.
We discussed what it would take to shore it up in the attic, just not sure that much weight can be bushed back into alignment and being the attic was not designed for it at all I think the best solution is to remove it.
Unorthodox and not an acceptable construction condition at all and probably not properly flashed as there is no indication of any cap flashing.
It’s really not a huge deal to remove the brick and correct the situation. You first need to very the chimney pipe to insure it’s a Class A which requires a 2 inch clearance, which it probably is.
Once verified, remove the brick, reframe the chimney ( wood framing could be there & properly constructed ) clad the enclose with your choice of siding or veneer, properly flashed at the roof line and your good to go.
Another consideration would be the age of the roof, will it need a new roof within a few years?
If so, that would be the ideal time to re-do the chimney enclosure. It all involves some dollars but if you really want the house, it’s not a reason to walk.
I can't wait to see who this builder is...
Here in GA!
He’s probably proud of himself for using Real brick!
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