How The Dwyer Company Stabilized a Settling Chimney in Cincinnati, Ohio in One Day 

The Problem

The chimney on this Cincinnati home had settled far enough to show. Cracks ran through the masonry above a widening gap where the stack met the wall of the house.

Settlement like this keeps moving once it starts, since the soil under the footing has already shown it cannot hold the load. Every season the chimney stays unsupported, the separation gets a little wider.

Reaching the trouble meant digging. The chimney footing sat well below grade, so the job started with a deep excavation to expose it before any pier work could begin.

Our Solution

Crews excavated down to the chimney footing, then chipped and prepped the concrete so the foundation brackets would seat square against it. Two push piers, steel tube sections pressed into the ground until they land on load-bearing material, went in at the footing. Each one traveled 36 feet before hitting rock. With both piers bearing on rock, crews lifted the chimney as far as the masonry would safely allow. The brackets then tied the piers permanently to the foundation, which holds the elevation the lift recovered and carries the chimney from here on. Each push pier is capable of supporting up to 25,000 lbs. Project completed in one day.

The Results

The Challenge We Worked Through

The piers had a long way to travel down. Crews pushed both of them to 36 feet before hitting rock. The footing needed prep work of its own, since the concrete had to be chipped back far enough for the brackets to mount flat and square. Both steps added time below grade on a job that still finished in a single day.

Why This Matters

A chimney carries its weight on its own footing, so it can settle on its own schedule while the rest of the house stays where it belongs. That is why the gap at the wall is usually the first thing a homeowner notices. Correcting it means getting under the footing and moving the weight onto something that holds, which on this property meant reaching 36 feet down. Any Cincinnati home with a leaning or separating chimney raises the same question about what sits under that footing, and the depth to bearing material sets the scope of the repair.

Is Your Chimney Pulling Away From the House?

Deep History • Solid Choice

The Dwyer Company underpins settling chimneys and foundations across the Cincinnati area, taking piers down to material that holds. Tell us what you are seeing at your house and a residential foundation specialist will walk you through the repair.

Call The Dwyer Company and one of our experts will get you taken care of with an accurate inspection quote!

Call The Dwyer Company and one of our experts will get you taken care of with an accurate inspection quote!