"Clearbrook", Clearbrook, Virginia-
Approximate Age: 160 Years
This structure was under complete
restoration when we lined this flue. Double level material staging
and a "hanging scaffold" suspended from the uppermost
portion of the house characterized the difficult access to this
chimney. Two offsets and a marginally sized original flue created
the necessity of a precision installation in order to insure proper
thickness of the new liner.
Stoney Creek - Edinburgh, Virginia- Built 1850
A
large flue fire destroyed the chimney, which was then removed from the
roofline to the top. A new
chimney was built to replace that portion of the old one, which had been
removed. Economics
prevented the demolition of the entire chimney. The instability of the remainder of the old chimney caused
anchoring problems for the new chimney portion, which extended 12 feet
over the roofline. The
liner was installed and after several days, the structure was solid and
structurally sound. The liner installation stabilized the entire chimney
and no further guy support was necessary.
Stickley,
Strasburg, Virginia- Built 1850's
The
chimney that was lined in this house had two flues with a deteriorated
separator between the flues. The first flue was over forty feet and terminated in the
basement at a large fireplace, which had originally been used for
cooking. The house had been
restored prior to our arrival and the cost of replacing wallpaper and
related finishes would have rendered the job economically infeasible if
offset openings had been cut in the walls. Resultantly, we fabricated a hydraulic tool, which was suitable
for this job in order to set our offset pins within the chimney and
without cutting in from the outside.
Colonel
Smith Home Place, Linden, Virginia- Built 1860
Stone
chimneys with multiple offsets and totally decayed smoke chambers were
the rule in this home. The
home was under restoration at the time and the owner chose to remain in
residence. The wythe walls
of the chimneys had to be removed as a result of their poor condition. Done during the hottest days of summer while snakes ran around
under our scaffolding, this home was one of most interesting for the
year.
Moore
House, Mt. Jackson, Virginia- Built 1868
The
chimneys in this house were small and several had multiple offsets. The fireplaces had been closed for many years and when they were
opened, it was discovered that were almost completely deteriorated. Six flues were lined in this house, all fireplaces were rebuilt,
dampers installed and two hearths replaced. This job had all of the elements of a truly complicated
undertaking including the challenge of a double flue within a single
chase.
Runnymeade,
Marshall, Virginia- Built 1895-1900
An
extremely steep tin roof with several dormers characterized this job
with an interior chimney placed in a most inaccessible location. The chimney itself was unstable and offered no possibility of
support for the necessary scaffolding and equipment.
The
Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA - Built c. 1900
The
“Inn” is consistently rated as one of the top three restaurants in
the United States. The
chimney serving the main dining room and lobby sustained a flue fire
during the height of the autumn leaf-viewing season and every room was
occupied. We were able to
completely restore the chimney during this period without inconvenience
or disruption and have the fireplace burning within a few days after the
fire.
Grimsley
Home, Rappahannock, Virginia
This
stone chimney was constructed of large native stones from the property
and the top was uneven which prevented us from placing our equipment on
the chimney. The entire
lining procedure was accomplished from a scaffold built above
(not in contact) the chimney. This
chimney was not plumb nor did the flue remain constant in size from top
to bottom. In order to
install the liner centered in the flue, the lining winch had to be
realigned constantly as the flue was being installed.
University of Virginia, West
Lawns and Ranges
The
original part of the University is the "Lawns and Ranges"
where each room has a fireplace and classes were taught during Thomas
Jefferson's days. Today,
these rooms are used to house students and are in great demand in spite
of the absence of a bathroom. The
chimneys in these buildings ultimately became unserviceable and we
developed a modified AHRENS poured masonry chimney liner, which can be
removed later if, desired for archaeological study. This liner was specified "without substitute" and has
been used to restore all 108 of these flues including Edgar Allen Poe's
room and the chimneys in the rooms of many other historic notables.
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