Can I Remove a Brick Chimney and Replace With Something Else?
If I was doing this I would remove it down to the basement put in new flooring and start out with a free standing stove. My current home has a river rock hearth &amp; chimney in the center of the house. No fire brick lining the chimney, It will come out to the ground level within the next year. You could use an insert and run pipe through the roof. Make sure to get a permit for the new unit and have it inspected. I know in my state fireplaces installed without permits are not covered by home owners insurance if a fire occurs. This includes inserts as some sales folks don't know the code and provide single wall flex pipe for inserts and this is not legal in Oregon even inside an existing chimney.