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"Elliott P" wrote in message
oups.com...
And if so can I do it myself...?

I've posted several times about this new house I'm prepping to live in.
The work is going great and I've got about 5 different quote from 5
different HVAC contractors. I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with a 92+
furnace and a high efficiency water heater.

Sounds good - Did you do anything abut the smell?

The chimney, once used to
burn coal, and then more recently, oil, thus no longer serves any
purpose.

The chimney is cracking but does not appear horribly dangerous, and
there are 8 other houses on the street with the exact same setup. I'm
wondering if it would be a real hassle to get up there with a chisel
and break it down?

Not really

I guess there's no harm in keeping it, but I'm
trying to compare costs of removing the thing, and just letting it
stay.

Here's a picture where you can somewhat see the chimney:

http://flickr.com/photos/talllguy/11...7594057780280/

Basically:
* How much would it cost to have taken down by someone else?

Depends - I'll do it for $100 if your within 30 miles of my house, $200 if I
need to haul away the rubble. Price does not include patching roof or wall
(Cant see from your picture)

* How hard would it be for me and some friends?

Easy, yet potentially dangerous. If its unstable, putting a ladder against
it isn't wise. A cherry picker would be useful.

* Why not just leave it?

Asthetics.

Thanks!

Ur welcome.