Removing old chimney pipe from drywall ceiling- DIY or hire out?
Pictures here.
Our 70s house has an old wood burning chimney pipe still in the ceiling of our living room. The fireplace is long gone but we are left with this eyesore in the corner of the living room. We had the popcorn ceiling removed and would like to try to remove the pipe before drywall repairs are done. In an ideal world we would not remove it entirely and just shorten it so it hangs in the attic and we can just patch the drywall so we don't have to mess with the roof.
Looking up in the attic, it's got a collar nailed into some joist supports. It does have a locking band I can see that connects the upper and lower part but the screw to loosen it is unreachable from within the attic, I kinda figure they latched it from above while on the roof.
I think I might just take an oscillating saw to it and shorten it, but I don't think there's a support holding up so I worry it'll be loosely hanging from the roof and cause bigger issues.
My question is, should I risk and I try to hack it off- or have a professional come and remove the whole thing, and patch up the roof?
Pictures of my situation here.