Chimney Repair in St. Louis, MO

There is no honest answer to that without looking, because 'chimney repair' covers everything from sealing a crown to relining a flue. Publishing a range would only mislead you. That is what the $69 inspection is for: you get photographs, a written diagnosis and one fixed price, and the $69 comes off the work if you book it.

Five usual suspects, in order of frequency: a cracked chimney crown, missing or failed flashing where the chimney meets the roof, a missing or damaged chimney cap, deteriorated mortar joints letting water soak straight through the brick, and unsealed porous masonry. Only an inspection tells you which one you have — and it is often more than one.

Spalling is when the face of the brick flakes, pops or crumbles off. It happens when water gets absorbed into brick and freezes. Yes, it is serious — it means water is already inside the masonry, and every winter makes it worse. Left long enough it becomes a structural problem rather than a cosmetic one.

Sealing a hairline crown crack is reasonable DIY. Anything involving the flue liner, structural masonry, flashing, or working on a roof is not. The liner is the barrier between combustion gases and your house, and a bad repair there causes carbon monoxide problems rather than fixing them.

Crown and flashing work is usually a single day. Tuckpointing runs one to three days. A reline is typically one day. Rebuilds run three days to a week and depend on weather, since mortar will not cure properly in freezing temperatures.

A chase cover is the flat metal lid on top of a framed chimney chase — the sided box that houses a factory-built fireplace's metal flue, common on St. Louis houses built after 1985. Most were made of thin galvanized steel. Over 20 to 30 years they rust through or sag so water pools on top, and that water runs down inside the chase where nobody sees it until a ceiling stains. Replacing it with a properly sloped stainless cover is usually a single visit.

No, not unless we find something nobody could have seen from the outside — and if that happens we stop and talk to you before doing anything. You approve a fixed number first. We do not bill chimney work hourly.

Usually it covers sudden damage — a chimney fire, a lightning strike, a tree falling, storm damage. It generally does not cover deterioration from age or lack of maintenance. Our photo documentation is what you submit with a claim.