Advice on out of code chimney.

[Alexinakayak]

Hi There!

Trying to buy a house and this appears to be a deal killer, are there "simple" solutions? Should this be considered a deal killer?

1. Chimney does not meet 2/10 rule
2. No Spark arrestor/rain cap.

The Chimney is used with a wood stove. Wood stove pipe plugs directly into chimney and there are no other visible openings into the chimney from inside of the house. I do not want a house with a chimney that cannot be used. Are there present fire hazards beyond the noted possible vent issues? Anything I should ask the current owner (who also built the house?) House is located in the Tennessee River Valley.

 

[brenndatomu]

you could put in a flex liner up to the top of existing, then convert to class A chimney pipe up to the needed height. no big deal...

 

[remkel]

Agreed....if you like the rest of the house, you could just extend the flue length with a liner......how much higher would you have to go?

 

[Alexinakayak]

It is going to be around 5-7 feet.

 

[remkel]

I guess it would just be a matter of aesthetics. I have about 4' of pipe out the top of my chimney,

 

[r_towle]

Get three estimates from masons, show them to the seller, take that money off the price, or have him give you that much in cash at closing, then get it fixed right.
It's out of code, not a debate and the seller should be flexible.

 

[webby3650]

Will the house close without fixing the chimney? It's really not uncommon at all. In fact there are only a few masonry chimney that officially meet code on the height that I see each year. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You could always add onto it later. It shouldn't be a deal breaker.

 

[Sprinter]

Potential lenders may object to the problem, as well as insurance companies. As suggested above, it can be addressed, but I'd get it nailed down on any offer you make by making a contingency on having it fixed and inspected.

 

[Oregon aloha]

You should be having a full inspection done on the house before you buy it. Point it out to the inspector and have him right it up in his report and the seller may be required to fix it before closing. That way you won't insult the owner about his construction and you won't have to deal with it.

 

[elmoleaf]

I'd start looking very carefully at how the rest of the house is built. If the current owner/builder couldn't/didn't follow code for something simple as chimney height, it is possible there may be many other things wrong. Check with the town to see if proper permits were pulled.
It's difficult to tell from the photo, but is there even flashing from the chimney stone to the roofing? Or a cricket/flashing on the upslope side? Simple things like incorrect or missing flashings at window, doors, roof/wall intersections can cause significant long-term water damage/rot.
Move on if necessary....there's always be another house, and invariably it'll be better than the first.