Homeowners Make A Unique Discovery During A Renovation

Old homes can be both a treat and a chore. It's hard to replicate the charm of exposed rafters, brick walls, ornate woodwork, and sleeping porches in a modern house. This charm is one reason old homes are now more expensive than new ones. But, renovating an old house can expose some eye-opening challenges. Since the original builders of an old home aren't around to answer questions, homeowners sometimes have to make a guess about why things are the way they are. Humans want things to be unique and interesting, and bizarre features in an old home feed our curiosity, but they aren't always what we wish they were. In some cases, the answer to the "what is this?" question is as mundane as "that's what the building codes required."

While demolishing a wall in her 124-year-old home, TikToker @jennaxhall found something she hadn't anticipated. She was removing a nonstructural wall that might have been built to make the walls even with the front of the brick fireplace. Once the lath and sheetrock were torn away and the wall was down, the homeowner found a tidy cavity, about a foot wide, beside the brick chimney that stretched all the way to the basement. The shaft was clearly intentional. Viewers of her TikTok video had ideas, as they do. A ventilation shaft, a place for a dumbwaiter, and a laundry chute were among them.

In all likelihood, the shaft was simply created to meet building codes. Codes have been in use a lot longer than you may think. In the U.S., they've been around since at least 1625; they covered fire safety and the proper materials you could use for a roof. Remarkably, chimneys were often made from wood until 1630 when the city of Boston made them illegal. For centuries, building codes were hit or miss, varying from town to town. While national building codes were recommended throughout the 1900s, it wasn't until 1973 that one code was adopted nationwide. The 124-year-old house the homeowners were working on was probably built in an area with building codes requiring a space between the chimney brick and nearby combustibles so the house didn't burn down.

Current building codes require that combustibles like joists, studs, and beams must be at least two inches from the front and sides of masonry fireplaces, and at least four inches from the rear. If the brick fireplace is part of a brick wall, the required space is 12 inches. The opening can't be filled with anything other than noncombustible fireblocking material. The homeowners renovating the old house now have a new issue to deal with — a hole in the floor next to the chimney. It's a good idea for them to call a home inspector who can give them advice on rebuilding the wall or floor with noncombustible materials. This job needs to be done thoughtfully, and it might be a renovation that requires a permit.