Our chimney has deteriorated quite a bit over the years (we've been here only 10 years - house was built 1915). It appears a few decades ago somebody put a coat of mortar over the whole exterior and painted it with a silver colored substance. That has since cracked and pieces have chipped off over the years (I've found several chunks in the yard while mowing). 3 years ago we had a new furnace put in that required a sleeve and they installed a galvanized sheet metal cap over the chimney, which comes down the sides about 4-6". It has never leaked since we've been here.
My thinking is I need to have the chimney fixed up prior to the roof being redone so no damage is done to the new roof. I was thinking maybe I could get by with either having it rebuilt from roof level up or preferably to just remove the chimney to below roof level (it is in the middle of the house) so only the metal sleeve comes out of the roof (for the furnace/water heater, no fireplace). I assume that is all they do when a new gas furnace is installed when no chimney exists. Is that practical?
Thanks, Michael