He said what we pretty much knew.

Our house inspector looked in the chimney and said it was bricked off.

Much later I was thinking about the pocket doors that were stripped from the house when the PO's were closing on the house in the 1960's, and wondering how a door slid into the wall on the left of the fireplace, since a chimney should be in the way. Which made me investigate. Leading to the realization that the chimney is offset to the right, it connects to the tiny chimney coming up from the basement, and the bricked off looking part is actually open on the right. The cobwebs were dancing in the breeze when I opened the flue. The bricked off looking part had soot on the brick.

Initially the chimney sweep even thought it was bricked off, then realized how it diverts to the right. Then he asked if the old lady that lived here had a day care. He was remembering our neighbor 2 doors down, who has the same wacky chimney. Guess they were only built on our street? He said because of the way it's set up he can't even look in it to tell us anything, and didn't charge us for the visit. He recommended a cap for keeping animals out, which we knew it needed.

But the best part is that he said it should be no problem to put in a pellet stove and vent it up that chimney, a very different answer than the house inspector saying it was bricked off and completely un-useable. And a pellet stove would be greener, which is awesome. He also noticed how perfect our stairs are set up to carry heat from the fireplace upstairs and said we could probably heat the whole house with stove, and that his highest heating bill last year was just over 100$. All in all, perfect. The fireplace is TINY, and could never heat the whole house in the first place.

Unfortunately we have to get over $10,000 worth of electrical work done on our 1920's Firetrap. And raise the porch. And get a truckload off fill to divert water from the foundation. And replace the porch floor.

Then again even with the electrical work and the porch and the stove, the house would still be under $70,000. And being able to resell it with NO knob and tube wiring, or scary spliced parts, or burn marks on the wall above outlets and everything electrical being up to code will pay off with no problem, and so would the stove. (And who doesn't love an un-rotted porch that's not painted with chipping lead under rotted carpet?)

Maybe today we'll go look at pellet stoves...

Joe talked to our lawyer today. He found out the other lawyer still has not sent our lawyer the title paperwork for the house. THe ONLY thing we're waiting on is the title search. It can't begin until their lawyer gets off hs but and sends whatever paperwork necessary to our lawyer. Then it's supposed to take about 2 days. One would think these people wanted to get paid, and would send a simple fax or whatever is required. Apparently that's a Herculean effort.
I am annoyed. I want to take a sledgehammer to the blacktop in my new backyard. I would feel so much better. And put that wheelchair ramp on Craig's List. Then I would sit on my front porch and contemplate the ugly green outdoor carpet till I couldn't take it anymore and ripped it out too. I would sleep so well.
Hurry up lawyers, my house needs me.