We have a circa 1780’s saltbox in connecticut, with a center chimney, that has a stone stack which we can see in the basement. I’m not sure if mortar was used in the foundation’s construction. The basement is damp and a pump runs year round to pull out water from a hole in the corner. The problem is the stack is woven with timbers which I suspect are more than decorative. There are beams which protrude to support the hearths, and other beams at random locations which run from side to side, approx. 6′ square, but do not interlock like a log cabin. Some of the beams are decayed 1″ to 2″ in from the surface, and we are trying to decide if we should replace them, and how. I suspect they tie the structure together and are not merely required to suport the weight of the entire stack. So could we pull some of the bad beams and brick in the voids/
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Chris
Replies
A picture is worth a thousand words. Sounds ugly.