Why remove the chimney? Well, first and foremost it was in a place upstairs we intend to open completely - removing the wall between living room and kitchen. Secondly, when we put on the new metal roof last fall, I was sort of about to keep the chimney, but it was clearly cracked (see earlier post).
With the chimney gone, cinderblocks out front to be used as hidden retaining walls later, one could see that the flashing had leaked. Water streaks on the inside of the drywall, but that was it. No mold, rot, or deterioration (space is always nicely heated and dries out quickly).
It was a dusty work, but still did not take a day, cleaning up included. With a new floor stud in place, the hole patched with plywood, we are at least ready to tackle the removal of the rest of the wall.
Added benefit is also that the entry to the basemnt will be much more :logical" and the basement area can one day maybe turn in to something else than "just" a basement.
And, with the chimney's gone, I can finally pull new coax and Cat5 cables the way they should have been the entire time (hidden agenda).
No photos on the mess in the basement, it was simply too dusty to even consider taking a camera out...
