Labor

The labor required to build a chimney depends on the thickness of the walls, the height, and the amount of cutting to build in specialties, provide offsets, etc. In general, a mason will take 16 hours with 8 hours of laborer's help to lay 1,000 brick. On this basis, 16 by 6.1 = 97.6 hours of mason's time and 48.8 hours of laborer's time will be required.

Cost

The approximate cost of the chimney can be determined by using actual local cost of materials and wages as follows:[F]

6,100 brick at $15.00 per thousand$91.50
27 sacks of cement[G] at $0.70 per sack18.90
16 bags of lime at $0.50 per bag8.00
5 cubic yards of sand[G] at $2.25 per cubic yard11.25
1 cubic yard of gravel at $2.00 per cubic yard2.00
98 hours, mason's time, at $1.00 per hour98.00
49 hours, laborer's time,[H] at $0.30 per hour14.70
28 linear feet of 8½- by 13-inch flue at $1.00 per foot28.00
20 linear feet of 13- by 13-inch flue at $1.15 per foot23.00
20 linear feet of 8½- by 8½-inch flue at $0.40 per foot8.00
1 8-inch thimble.60
1 6-inch thimble.40
2 clean-out doors
Damper, lintel mantel, ash dump
}65.00
Total net cost[I]369.35

[F] The prices used in this example are merely illustrative.

[G] Includes material for footing and cap.

[H] Includes labor for footing and cap.

[I] Where the chimney is built by contract, 10 to 15 percent should be added for profit and overhead.

SMOKY FIREPLACES