Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Clearance to masonry chimney...

Hi folks! My first post here. Have been pulling together a lot of tidbits from searches and from reading large swaths of the forums.

We're preparing to finish an attic and I'm trying to think of everything that might be involved in the planning.

The masonry chimney in the house used to service an incinerator, the gas furnace, and the gas hot water heater. Now it only vents the water heater. It goes right through the attic space.

What do the codes and best practices say about clearance between a brick chimney like this and wall framing or other materials?

I'm thinking about building a stud and drywall partition wall right next to one side of the chimney, and perhaps enclosing the chimney on 3 sides, two facing the adjacent rooms and one inside a closet. (The 4th side faces the eaves space and would be unfinished.)

Or, I'd seriously consider just building a wider closet with part of its interior space being taken up by the unadorned chimney passing through!

Is there anything wrong with either of these options? What, if anything, do I need to be concerned about? Code? What will the local building inspector think about it? (SE Michigan, in case it matters.)

Thanks!

Mike D.

Pay a visit to your local building code office. Codes vary from area to area. Your plans will have to be approved before you can get a permit. There are many requirements for attic conversions. Major considerations are attic access, plumbing, wiring, headroom, windows, truss system, heating and cooling, and more.