Structural? Tilting, cracking brick chimney

[Ludmila M.]

Hi everyone,

I am looking at a house that shows structural problems. The question is - are these problems very serious and I should stay away from this property, or are they not as bad as they seem? 

Background: This is a higher-end house, built in 1997. It's built on a relatively steep slope that leads to a small lake. The house has a basement, and it looks like a 2-story home in front, but has 3 stories in the back. The walls are brick on 3 sides and siding on the back. 

Structural problems: The brick chimney, which extends pretty far above the roof, has a large crack at the roof line and is tilting towards the roof of the house. At the same time it is pulling away from the wall - also at the roof line, creating a separation crack (see picture below, but make sure to zoom in).  

In addition, on the front exterior wall there is a smaller diagonal crack along the brick line (see the next picture). 

I was wondering if anyone had similar problems and could answer some of my questions:

What could be the cause of the problem?

Are these problems reparable? 

Is this an expensive and time-consuming project? 

Is it possible that repairing a chimney could cause more damage? 

What kind of specialists should I bring to evaluate?

Many thanks in advance for your comments and answers!

[Bob Mason]

Ludmila,

This is a serious problem. Get a masonry contractor, who specializes in chimneys, to price out replacing the chimney from the roofline up to the top.