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rojonogo

Problem? Chimney doesn't seem to reach the ground

last month



I saw this house for sale. I have never seen a chimney like this. Can anyone explain it? Am I seeing it wrong? Are some chimneys built this way, without support from the ground? Was the lower part removed, and the top will fall at some point? The house was built in 1988.

Comments (28)

  • PRO
    last month

    I have few questions , what is the box with the tank on top? Where are you ? The chimney looks lieke they removed the FP but left the chimney . I would run not walk away from that I will say does not look like 1988 build either . That is why I ask where you are in the world.

  • last month

    This property is for sale in middle Georgia (USA). I haven't toured it in person. The inside photos look great, very modern, even newer looking than '88. One photo shows a ground-floor fireplace that looks very old, though. Maybe the house was built around ruins? It's on a large tract of farm land. I really liked it until I saw this photo. This really perplexed me. I have no idea about the other items in the photo.

  • last month

    It's possible that the bottom part of the chimney in the recess is painted blue like the house.

    On the other hand, I lived in a house built in the 1830s and the front hall was on the first floor but on the second, third and fourth floors there were fireplaces and a chimney on the wall of the house corresponding to where the front hall was (with no fireplace or chimney). The upper fireplaces were built on masonry corbels supporting the shallow cantilever needed for the fireplaces above.

  • last month

    That looks like it could be a meat smoker.

  • last month

    I believe it is an optical illusion. It actually does touch the ground. The walls with the windows on the bottom stick out further than the sided wall above the roof.





    Here is the fireplace inside:



  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Clyde, I thought it must surely be an illusion. But this other view looks even less like it is supported from the ground. Referencing the straight-on photo, the chimney should be filling the center space. It is a very interesting house. Your photo shows how nice the interior is. Also, though, while it looks very modern, the fireplace and flooring look antique. I can't figure it out.


  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    Duh: ) Go IN person, which I'd assume you would want to do for any home purchase you'd be considering. Before you sign a dotted anything......get a very qualified inspector at the site, and the mysteries of the house will not be mysteries.

    There's a lot of "free genius" on Houzz.......but none of the genius has the devining rod to see inside the framing walls, structural supports or lack thereof: )

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    If you are interested in the house, hire a reputable inspector for peace of mind to identify all/any issues and if still interested, your offer should reflect the costs to deal with them.

  • last month

    If this is as it appears, I won't waste time going in person.. I just had never seen such a thing, and I wondered if it was something that others were familiar with. My question was more like, "Do you see what I think I see, and is that normal?" Like Clyde, I wasn't sure if it was an optical illusion.


    When I intend to buy any property, I will certainly tour it in person and hire an inspector.

  • PRO
    last month

    " APPEARS".............is the operative word. You don't know, and neither do we.

    It appeals enough to travel, or it doesn't. What did you expect us to see, that you can not see? You judge the book by the cover, or you at least crack it open to read the flyleaf or forward: )?

  • PRO
    last month

    It's difficult to see from the photo. It could be that the support for the chimney is actually present but because it is painted blue it just isn't apparent. The upper portion of the chimney has to be supported by something. Otherwise, it would have fallen down. If you aren't able to travel to the house you could hire a local inspector to inspect the house and give you their assessment of what condition the house is in.

  • last month

    Jan, I wondered if anyone else had seen such a thing, as I have not. And like Palimpsest and Clyde, I wasn't sure it wasn't an optical illusion at first. If any posters are familiar with a chimney that begins on an upper level, which I am not, I thought perhaps they could tell me how that is done. I asked if some chimneys are built this way, without support from the ground. You mentioned framing walls and structural supports. Are you saying that upper floor chimneys are built using structural supports that aren't visible from the outside? If so, that would be helpful for me to learn about. OTOH, if someone knows that chimneys should never be built like this, that would also be helpful to know.



  • PRO
    last month

    ^^

    AGREE with a zoom of the texture of the blue AND the orange. So.............go LOOK ?

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    You aren't listening. Look at the texture, don't expect a real estate shot to give you feet and inches. EVER NOTICE how much larger a home looks online than in person? The fireplace/chimney goes to the ground the house is sitting upon, and I will bet you a lunch.

    Seeing inside walls? Nobody can. That is why remodel is more expensive per sq foot than a new build.....surprise!!

    I don't understand your reluctance to just GO.

  • last month

    It lines up. The second picture shows it:



  • last month
    last modified: last month

    @rojonogo Look at what the depth of that recess would be by looking at the wall to the right of the window inside. Now compare the recess to that. The recess should be deeper but it is not because the firebox and chimney are taking up part of that space. I could be totally wrong but that is how it looks to me. With that said the only way you would really know is if you go to see it in person because pictures are deceiving,






  • PRO
    last month

    "but because it is painted blue it doesn’t look like it is touching the ground. Does that make sense? I am not sure how to explain it. "

    Also explained as

    Red and all shades thereof: a color that visually advances! to your eye, most noticeable first!

    Blue_ far more recessive than the red.

  • last month

    I believe it goes to the ground too. If the house interests you, then go look at it. I dont believe it was built in 1988 though. It appears to be many years older than that.

  • PRO
    last month

    Now seeing the inside it seems the cimney has suppot in that huge box inside but a real puzzle I admit

  • last month

    Seeing the inside gives me more evidence that the exterior chimney extends to the ground. Compare the interior depth of the window bumpouts to the depth of the window bumpouts on the exterior in those recesses.

  • last month

    It's 200 miles away, Jan. I will see it when I can.

  • last month

    So, you did all see something I cannot see. I am glad I asked! Thank you all for your input

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    One thing about the chimney that I think is wrong, it's not tall enough to meet code. I don't know what the exact clearance needs to be, maybe 4 feet higher than the roof of the house is needed.


    I think this is a much older home the 1980's. It's been altered. Maybe a new roof, new higher trusses that brought roof up too close to the top of the chimney. Bump outs added on either side of chimney look added on from what was originally there.

  • last month

    😲

    Now that youve pointed out these things, I think you are right on all counts.

  • last month

    You could certainly write to the realtor and ask if and when the chimney was altered and whether the permits were filed. You might be able to call the town where the property is and ask about permits.

  • PRO
    last month
    last modified: last month

    I'd not count on much information in what seeeeems to be a fairly rural part of Georgia?

  • PRO
    last month

    I'm guessing the chimney is wood framed with a skin to look like stucco with a metal chimney inside.