In my own house, my wife and I have finally gotten around to getting our roof replaced because it sucks. One of the problems we've had for as long as we've been here has been getting squirrels in our attic due to multiple access holes they're chewed over the years. Our latest attic residents are bats.

Before the roof could get replaced, I knew our chimney was in bad shape (see pics) in the attic space and would need to get repaired/replaced first. The attached pics tell it all. Much of the chimney was deteriorated and missing in the attic. It has been in need of repairs and a flue liner for...........a while. I'm borderline ashamed to admit this publicly and post it up for everybody to see. However, I didn't realize how bad it was until I opened the wall and ceiling around it. Anyway, I opened the ceiling and wall area around the chimney in my 3rd floor office a couple days ago so the chimney guy could get in and do his thing. He was here yesterday and came back today to finish repairs. Unbelievably, he was able to repair and not rebuild it from inside the house on up to above the roof. Since he was coming back today, I left the access area around the chimney open. I had plastic bags tacked to the wall around the opening the first night before he started his work but I didn't feel like dealing with it again. Well last night we were out and got home late. I walk up to the 3rd floor and flick the light on. BAT!!!!!!! Flying around the f-in' room!! GAAAHHHHHH!!!! Talk about the heebie jeebies. Eventually, it flew into a corner and stopped flying so I took the screen out of a window in the room in hopes it would fly back out. About 15 minutes later, I came back up to see what was going on. As I'm upstairs, I don't see anything but then my wife says from the downstairs bathroom "It's down here". GAHHHHHHHH!!!! It was hanging on the face of the spiral steps that lead up to my 3rd floor office and I walked right past it. I almost crawled out of my skin but I put on a pair of gloves and put an old shirt over it, scooped it up, and dumped it out the window.

This morning, I wake up at 5:00am to get a report done from yesterday's inspection. I open the door to go up to my office and there the little f-er is again hanging on the step in the same spot. GAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! Same deal. Gloves, towel, scoop, out the window.

GAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Here are the before and after pics of my chimney. The first two are of it on life support. The next two are the finished product. Liner is next.

Attached Images

	Chimney 001.jpg (25.5 KB, 23 views)
	Chimney 002.jpg (28.7 KB, 27 views)
	Chimney2 001.jpg (38.2 KB, 23 views)
	Chimney2 002.jpg (21.3 KB, 27 views)

Nick. You left the wood to close. Should have 2 inch clearance. Just cut it back and head it off.

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Dave

Oh don't you start with me Dave. The house is 110 years old and there are killer bats in the attic.

I just did not want the HI calling it out when you sell your house. But your going to hide it in the reframed the wall anyway. My mistake.

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Dave

HIDE IT??? What are you inferring??? You're really started to drive me batty now Dave. Just playing.

Ooops, gotta go!! A bat is tangled in my hair.

I think, from now on, we can just call Nick "Batman".

Batman it is! Just in time for the movie Nick.

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Dave

I want to see that movie too.

Your comment about the 2 inch clearance got me thinking Dave. If I really wanted to try and make sure I had two inches of clearance around the full length of the chimney structure, I'd have to tear my house apart. The roof is in contact with it as you can see in the pics. Also, here are some other pics from my office through cutouts on the walls where I've got wood-to-chimney contact everywhere you look.

Attached Images

	Chimney3 001.jpg (42.8 KB, 13 views)
	Chimney3 002.jpg (47.6 KB, 12 views)

Whoops! Mislabeled the 2nd pic above. Here is the corrected one.

Attached Images

Chimney3 002.jpg (48.5 KB, 10 views)

Looks like you have your work cut out for you.
I still call it out in old houses just in case the house burns down someone with hindsight of 20-20 does not say didn't your Home Inspector tell you about that. The reality is no one is going to change it. Maybe though if it is only at the roof/chimney intersection. Saw this last week.

Attached Images

Chimney wood.jpg (47.4 KB, 14 views)

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Dave