The existing masonry chimney on this Berkeley home serviced two fireplaces and was broken at the roofline. From a distance it looked just fine, but closer inspection revealed a dangerous horizontal crack at the roofline and an open void at the top of the existing chimney and cracked liners. Damaged chimney liners with cracks and gaps are a fire hazard.
When we removed the unreinforced masonry chimney we found rusty small and loose metal brackets holding the chimney to the house! We replaced the second floor fireplace with a zero clearance gas fireplace and installed a reinforced concrete bond beam at 2nd floor level, with straps tying the chimney to floor level capped off with a metal chase top and caps.
Lightweight metal vent pipes were installed for both the downstairs fireplace and for the zero clearance gas fireplace. A concrete chimney was poured with reinforcing anchor bolts and the chimney was finished with paper and wire and stucco.
The second floor fireplace was finished with a tile job and this house is ready to ride out the next earthquake and look great doing it.
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