Another insurance agent here. This is a tricky one. If it's normal wear and tear then it definately isn't covered. But if an abnormal fire flared up caused it then it definately is covered. Fire is a covered peril, yet we're talking about a fireplace here. It's kind of like a roof. If normal weather wore down your roof over a period of several years then no coverage. But if a large hail storm comes through and damages your roof you get a new roof. And you don't even have to pinpoint a time when the storm came in and did it, if you can see spots where hair dented in or otherwise damaged your roof years from when it happened it's still covered. My suggestion: file a claim. Tell them a fire flared up and cracked and bowed it. Your agent probably sees hundreds of claims a year so when you call in while this is a huge issue that directly affects a big portion of your life, for him it's just another of a dozen people who called in filing claims that week. Also, a portion of his pay is probably affected by how much they lost in claims from his customers that year, if so he has incentive to talk you out of filing a claim. You must also be aware of the negative aspects of filing a claim of this nature: that your deductible will apply, your rate will probably go up a little, switching companies will be a problem if you ever want to do so in the near future (no company wants to take somebody who's filed a big claim recently), and if you file too many claims in a certain period of times your company can non-renew you at your next renewal (depending on state law). But this is a lot more money to fix your fireplace we're talking here so I say file it and see what happens.

Hi, thank you Rockford and akamainegrower for your replies. Hopefully this will be a bit more clear. There are two vertical cracks in the flue liner and a vertical in the second liner. The cap is completely blocked by creosote. Evaluation and repair options: There is evidence of a sudden occurrence event, chimney fire, present. The first option for an open fireplace without replacing a woodstove, to repair the flue liners with Heatshield™ cerfractory system to seal the liner and the joints in the damaged chimney. Any of the remaining glaze deposits will be scoured by the ro-clean method to prepare for the new system. We will remove any protrusions in the flue liners to allow for installation of the new system. Access through the masonry firebox to the smoke chamber may require the removal of the firebrick and damper assembly. All entry points will be repaired. We will install Heatshield® cerfractory sealant material to restore the flue liner in the fireplace. This system will allow for use as a fireplace. The smoke chamber will be coated with cerfractory foam. This system necessitates a curing period. Please see the following links for details at HeatShield. The Heatshield™ product carries a twenty year warranty from the manufacturer. All work will be done in a neat and orderly manner. Any additional work desired will be quoted as a separate Materials: Heatshield™cerfractory sealant materials,chemical cleaner, Chamber Tech, cerfractory foam, sand, mortar, portland cement, etc. Labor and freight,masonry and total installation of system Glass enclosures- standard , installed

I have no plans to leave a section un-insulated. I'm only contemplating 1) bringing the XPS from the floor up to the top of the foundation blocks (basically just slightly lower than the bottom of the mudsill) and leaving it for a can of SPF after all the rest of the construction is done and just before the drywall goes up or 2) running a bead of foam in that gap before hanging the foam boards and bringing the XPS all the way up to the horizontal fire blocking attached to the bottom of the existing joists. I intend to make it continuously insulated regardless. I suppose it's all about if you have your blocking in place when put the foam up or not and a decisions based on logistics, not as much performance. Are you saying there's no appreciable difference between moisture performance between 1 and 2 inches? I plan to have mechanical dehumidification as the floor surface (especially in the unfinished section) will probably have a good amount of latent moisture coming through during heavy rain events simply based on the water table and ground water in the areas around the home.

Thanks. I plan on doing the short walls like this, but for the ones with joists perpendicular, that's a ton of cuts to make. I'll have 1" of XPS foam behind the studs walls, so something needs to cap those in the joist bays. I may rip some 3/4" OSB and hold it flush against the plate and foam the remaining gap for air and water barrier, but the plate is surprisingly non-straight. Hopefully a couple irregular gaps in the back filled with fire foam won't set off a red flag. Dan