Chimney Repair & Masonry

Brick, mortar, firebox, smoke chamber and damper. When the chimney itself has started to come apart, this is the work that puts it back.

Call 610-620-2876 Request an estimate

Photographs of what we found on the roof.

What we rebuild and repair

Repointing and tuckpointing
Brick replacement and spall repair
Rebuilds above and below the roof line
Firebox and refractory panel work
Smoke chamber parging
Damper replacement and repair

Where it starts

Water gets into the mortar, then winter does the rest

Almost every masonry failure we are called out to in Chester County traces back to the same cause. Mortar and brick are porous. They take on water, the temperature drops below freezing, the water expands, and a little more of the joint is pushed apart. Repeat that through eighty or a hundred winters and the chimney above the roof line starts to lean, shed brick faces and lose whole joints.

Spalling is the word for brick faces popping off in flakes or sheets. It means water got behind the face and froze. Spalled brick cannot be repaired, only replaced, and every spalled face is now a fast route for more water into the core of the chimney.

Failed joints show as mortar you can rake out with a screwdriver, or gaps you can see daylight through. Once the joints are gone the brick is stacked rather than bonded, and a chimney stack in that condition is a genuine falling hazard.

Warning signs

What you can see from the ground

Brick faces flaking, chipping or lying in the gutter or on the ground
Mortar joints that are recessed, crumbling or missing entirely
A visible lean or bow in the stack above the roof
White chalky staining on the brick, which is salt left behind by water moving through
Damp patches, staining or peeling paint on the wall or ceiling next to the chimney
A rusted damper that will not open or close cleanly
Cracked firebrick or gaps in the firebox joints

How the job runs

From first look to final clean

Inspection first, quote second
We do not quote masonry from the driveway. We get on the roof, photograph what we find, and price the work we can actually see.
A written scope
You get a description of the repair, not a single line item. If there is a cheaper option that will genuinely hold, we will tell you about it.
Access and protection
Roof and landscaping protected before we start. Masonry work makes dust and debris and that is our problem to manage, not yours.
The repair
Mortar matched, brick sourced, courses laid and cured. Weather-dependent work gets scheduled honestly rather than squeezed in before rain.
Water protection on top
Fresh masonry without a cap, a sound crown and a breathable sealer is a repair with a countdown on it. We finish the job properly.
Site left clean
Debris removed, gutters cleared of what we knocked down, and photographs of the finished work so you can see what you paid for.

Common questions

Masonry work, answered

Can you repoint just the bad section?

Sometimes, and we will if it is the honest answer. But partial repointing on a stack where the whole exposed face is failing tends to buy a season or two. We will show you the joints and let you make the call with real information.

Why does the mortar mix matter?

Older brick is softer than modern brick. If you point soft brick with a hard modern mortar, the mortar becomes the strongest element and the brick faces take the stress from expansion instead. That is how you turn a pointing job into brick replacement five years later.

What time of year can this be done?

Masonry needs temperatures above freezing to cure properly, so the working window in Chester County generally runs spring through late autumn. We do not lay in freezing weather regardless of how the schedule looks.

Is it cheaper to rebuild or repair?

Repair, until it is not. The turning point is usually when more than roughly a third of the exposed stack has failed, or when the stack has moved out of plumb. Below that, repointing and selective replacement is the sensible spend.

Do you do the liner at the same time?

Yes, and it is often the smart sequence. If a stack is being rebuilt or opened up, running a new stainless liner while the access is there saves a separate mobilisation. See liners and relining.

Service area

Serving Chester County and the surrounding townships

We work out of Chester County and cover the boroughs, townships and rural stretches around it. Pick your town for local detail, or call and we will tell you straight away whether you are on our route.