Chimney repair in Vallejo, CA - a chimney that keeps water out of your house

Across the US, a typical chimney cap and crown repair, installed, usually costs about $550 to $2,300 per job. That's the general market range for the cap and crown, not our price, and a job that adds a new liner or rebuilt brick is a bigger project. Your own figure comes from what I find when I walk the job with you.

One contractor guide says a partial rebuild is needed once the damage goes past worn mortar joints into brick that's flaking, cracking or leaning. The chimney then comes down to sound brick, typically to the roofline, so plan for a larger project than joint work. A rebuild can use new or salvaged brick, and it's fair to ask which one your contractor plans to use.

Usually a stainless steel flexible liner, which the same guide calls the most common retrofit because it threads down the existing chimney without tearing anything out. A clay tile liner is only practical during a rebuild. The steel liner works with gas, oil and wood-burning appliances, so tell us which fuel yours burns.

At least once a year, according to NFPA 211, a national standard for chimneys, fireplaces and vents. It's a standard rather than a law, so it only binds where a jurisdiction, a code, an insurer or a contract adopts it. It also calls for a deeper Level 2 inspection, which takes in the attic, the basement and the inside of the flue where it can be reached, when a house is sold or after something likely caused damage.

Leaks usually start at the flashing where the roof meets the chimney or around the crown on top. A masonry guide says that roof joint has to be properly flashed with base and counter flashing, two overlapping layers that shed water, and that the crown area is often overlooked even though its flashing and sealant keep water out of the gap between the chimney wall and the flue liner. If you see a stain near the chimney, have it checked.

That turns on the work, so we check with the city's permit office for your address before we start, and when a permit is needed we handle the filing and line up the inspections. In Vallejo, projects go to the city's Building and Planning Divisions, which check plans against state and local rules, and many simple projects are reviewed at the counter while others can take up to three weeks. Each stage stays uncovered until the Building Inspector has seen it, and if your home is in an HOA, the plans need the association's approval before they're submitted.