Can You Remove A Chimney Breast Wall?

So, you bought a new home. The living room is on the smaller side and the chimney breast wall is both a major focal point and also takes up a significant amount of square footage. Do you have any options to expand your living space? What about taking down that wall we just mentioned? Can you remove a chimney breast wall? Let’s talk about that.

What is a chimney breast wall?

First, let’s define a chimney breast wall. This is essentially the enclosure around your chimney. It sticks out a foot or two beyond your living room’s outside wall. In some cases, internal masonry or concrete will make the breast wall obvious. In other cases, it’ll use the same type of building materials as your room: plaster or drywall.

A chimney breast wall may be a part of your home’s primary structure. It surrounds the flue that transports gasses and fumes from your firebox to the outside.

Why would you want to remove a chimney breast wall?

Most often, this question comes up during a home remodel or chimney restoration. Frequently, newer homeowners who purchase an older house will realize how much space is at a premium in these older structures. Are they pretty with lots of character? For sure. But were older homes built with space in mind? No. Therefore, removing a chimney breast wall is a consideration for some homeowners.

So, can you remove a chimney breast wall?

Our Chimney Solutions Indiana technicians can help you decide for certain if you can remove a chimney breast wall in your home. However, there are a few situations where you can make that call for yourself.

First, a chimney breast wall will be purely cosmetic with no functional purpose. These are often the traditional room materials we mentioned: plaster and drywall. Unless the wall has a load-bearing purpose in your home, you can easily remove this type of chimney breast wall.

What about a breast wall that’s tied to a non-functional or inactive fireplace? The answer is less straightforward. If you are the original owner and know that there is no load-bearing role with your breast wall, it’s likely you can remove it.

But should you remove a chimney breast wall?

First, understand that this is likely to be a very messy remodel. There will be significant dust and debris throughout your home by removing a chimney breast wall. Often, this is a remodel best done with the home vacant or the living room sectioned off.

Second, there can be some safety considerations. Those include wiring, plumbing, and even gas lines (especially if you have a gas-powered fireplace).

Finally, jumping the gun on a demolition project can lead to significant damage to your home. Working with our certified chimney experts can help you make the right choice with this type of remodel.

Call a professional first!

This step is the most critical part of the entire process. Depending on the age of your home and other design and construction factors, the chimney breast wall could be a major structural support. Choosing to jump into a DIY project without consulting a structural engineer could have disastrous results and we would highly encourage you to not take this on by yourself.

Do you need help deciding if your chimney breast wall is integral to your home? Then let us know. Contact Chimney Solutions Indiana at (317) 757-6979 or through our easy-to-use contact form for more information.