This cOld House 39 ~11May10

As we move into planning phase for the kitchen we realize how fortunate we are to have enough space in the existing footprint to expand and modernize the kitchen to 21 century standards. We will be incorporating the early 20th century servants' quarters into the space, that is two 7X11 bedrooms and a 5X8 bathroom. This will give us the space we need without messing with the original footprint. As we are working through the possibilities, we are looking at the dining room, and how it will blend with the new space.
We don't feel like we need a 'formal' dining room, but wonder how resale will be effected. (Yah, right, like we could EVER afford to sell this place.) So the only thing holding us back there would be the abandoned incinerator. That's 4 floors of masonry, starting as a roughly 6X6 squarish foundation in the garage and ending as a 3X8 double flue out the roof. There's a nice picture to the left of what the chimney looks like when we get down to the old garage. The front side pokes into the laundry room, where the iron doors for the incinerator are.

It somehow splits between the third floor and the attic, (possibly why the hallway outside the girls' room is just barely seven feet tall,) and then joins over top the attic again (probably poured with concrete,) into a massive rectangle maintaining two flues. Taking it out? Piece of cake, right?
So I called our good friends at Durable Slate, as they do this sort of thing, and more importantly, can patch the gaping hole that will be left if the brick were removed. I spoke to Wayne and told him that we might want to remove the little chimney. Adam called me back a couple of days later to make an appointment to come take a look.

Adam shows up and says to me, "Wayne said it was the little chimney - are you sure? Because I just remember you having a large chimney and a humongous chimney. Did I miss one?" Um, no, Adam, we are speaking in relative terms, I suppose if you wish to quote absolutes, we're interested in removing the large chimney. Let me guess, that will be extra, right?