The Chimney… 

I have already posted my feelings on how things must get worse before they get better. The staircase restoration has been true to the tale. We knew when we moved in, that there were a few dips in the floor, and that before we got too far into any real work we should take the steps to level it. Well the time has come. As we removed carpet at the top of the stairs, it became clear that the dip was even more pronounced than we thought. So our attention moved down to the basement.

As we received advice on what would need to be done to level out the floors, our attention was drawn to the chimney. It is no longer in use, and previous owners had already dropped it below the roof line. The chimney poses two problems: First, that it blocks the best place to put the beam and jacks to support the extension as we lift. The second is that we don’t know if anything is attached at the floors, and what the whole thing will do as we level.

So rather than take any chances, we have started the big job of removing the chimney. Hauling out bricks a bucket at a time, we have started another project before finishing the first. Things are going to look a whole lot worse.