Chimney repair in Chico CA - a chimney that keeps water out of your house
Water stain on the ceiling by the chimney or crumbling joints up top? We find where it's getting in and fix that part.
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Why is my chimney leaking, and what does it take to fix it?
Chimney repair in Chico means fixing whichever part of your chimney has stopped doing its job so it keeps water out of your house. That could be the metal flashing that seals the joint where it meets the roof, the crown that caps the top, the mortar joints, or the flue liner that carries smoke up the inside.
Most people call me after a brown stain shows up on the ceiling or wall beside the fireplace, or after they spot loose mortar or a cracked cap from the yard, and the first question is where the water is really coming from. The price depends on which part has failed, how much of it and how hard it is to reach, since resealing a crown on a one-story ranch is a different job from relining a chimney on a steep two-story roof. The schedule depends on what we find once we open things up, whether the job needs a permit, and dry weather, because fresh mortar and sealant don't want rain on them. The written estimate spells out what's included for your chimney, so that's where you'll see your own figure.
How we do chimney repair, starting with the cause
Water by a chimney can come from the flashing, the crown, the mortar or the liner, so I track down which one it is before I quote anything. I start inside, looking at where the stain sits and checking the attic if you have one. Then I go up on the roof and look at the flashing, the crown, every face of the brick and down the flue. Once we know the cause, our crew fixes that part and leaves alone whatever's still sound. That might mean new flashing set into the joints, a rebuilt or sealed crown, or worn joints scraped out and packed with fresh mortar. On the mortar, we match the new mix to the old brick and clean out joints by hand where the brick is soft. On commercial jobs I watched good brick get ruined by mortar that was too hard or a grinder run too fast.
Chimney trouble often doesn't stop at the chimney on an older brick house. If the joints are worn across the walls too, tuckpointing, which means packing new mortar into the old joints, brings the whole wall back so you're not patching one spot at a time. Cracked or flaking bricks, on the chimney or anywhere else, are a job for our brick repair work.
What changes chimney repair in Chico
The City of Chico requires a building permit to repair or alter any building or structure, apart from work its code lists. Whether your chimney job is on that list depends on what the job turns out to be once we know the cause. Depending on your address, the permit comes from the city or from Butte County, so we find out which one covers your house and take care of the paperwork as part of the job when a permit's needed. If your house or storefront might be on a historic list, I'll suggest checking with the city early, before anyone touches the brick.
Around here a chimney bakes through a long, hot summer and then takes the first hard winter rains, which is usually when a crown or flashing seal that cracked in the heat shows up as a stain indoors. We're based in Chico and work across the cities around it, and many of the older chimneys we see were laid in softer mortar. We see the same on jobs in Durham and Oroville, so we check what's in the joints before we mix anything.
- Call (530) 399-1517
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
- Chico, CA 95928
What happens when you call Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry in Chico?
Call or send the form
Call (530) 399-1517 or send the form and tell me what you're seeing, like a ceiling stain, loose mortar or a cracked cap. I'll ask when it shows up, because a leak that only appears in wind-driven rain points somewhere different from one that shows after every storm.
I come out and look
I come out myself and check the stain inside, the attic if there is one, and the chimney from the roof. I don't price anything until I've figured out which part is letting the water in.
You get a written estimate
The estimate spells out what we'll fix, what we'll leave alone and what's included, so you know what you're paying for. We also sort out which office covers your address so any permit is lined up first.
Crew works, then we walk it
Our own crew does the work with me on site, so the person who found the problem is there while it gets fixed. When we're done, we walk the finished chimney together and I show you what we did.
Why Chico homeowners call Cornerstone Chico Concrete and Masonry for chimney repair
The owner finds the leak
I started this business in 2020 after learning the trade on a commercial crew, and I still come out to look at every chimney and write the estimate myself. The person pricing your job is the one who tracked down the cause, and I'm on site while our crew does the work.
Mortar matched to old brick
Owners of older brick homes and storefronts around Chico call us when a chimney needs a repair that blends in and doesn't harm the brick. We look at the old joints and match the new mortar to them, so the repair works with the old brick instead of fighting it.
Fully licensed and insured
We're fully licensed and insured. California's contractors license board counts the waterproofing and caulking that goes with masonry as masonry work, so sealing your crown or flashing joint is part of the masonry trade.
Most of this job is finding where the water really gets in, so send me a few details and I'll come take a look.
Request an estimateGet a written estimate for your chimney repair
We reply within one business day to set a time, and I come out to find where the water's getting in before I price anything. The quote is free, done on site and written out so you can see what's included, with no pressure to book.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Phone
- (530) 399-1517
- Location
- Chico, CA 95928
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 7 AM–10 PM
Questions about chimney repair in Chico
How much does chimney repair cost in Chico?
Chimney tuckpointing, which means replacing worn mortar in the joints, usually costs about $500 to $2,500 per job across the US. That's the general market rate for the mortar work, not our price. Flashing, a crown or a new liner change the number, so the written estimate after I've seen your chimney is where you'll get your own figure.
How often does a chimney need repointing?
Most chimneys need repointing, which means scraping out the worn mortar and packing in fresh, every 25 to 50 years. Where yours falls depends on the type of mortar, how much weather it takes and how well it was built. When I'm up there, I can tell you how the joints are holding up.
What kind of chimney liner is best for my fireplace or stove?
A stainless steel flexible liner is the most common choice for relining, and it works with gas, oil and wood-burning appliances. It threads down through the chimney you already have, so nothing gets torn out. A cast-in-place liner, a cement-like mix pumped around a form inside the flue, suits chimneys that are oddly shaped or damaged. Clay tile is the traditional liner, but the tiles are lowered in from above, so it's really only practical when the chimney is being rebuilt.
Does a new wood stove need to be EPA certified in Butte County?
Yes, the Butte County Air Quality Management District says new wood-burning devices installed in the county must be EPA certified stoves. If you're thinking about adding a stove while we're working on the chimney, plan on a certified model and tell me early so we can plan the chimney work around it.
What causes water to leak around a chimney?
Most often it's the joint where the roof meets the chimney, which needs both base flashing and counter flashing to keep water out, so that's the first thing to check when you see water inside near the chimney. Base flashing is the metal tucked under the shingles, and counter flashing is set into the mortar and laps down over it. The crown on top is the spot people forget, and a crack there lets water into the space between the chimney wall and the flue liner.
How do I get my house ready for chimney repair?
Move or cover the furniture and rugs near the fireplace, because chimneys are usually very sooty and dusty, and one liner maker's install guide gives the same advice. If we're relining, that guide has the chimney cleaned as part of putting the liner in, so your flue starts out clean.
Other masonry work that often comes with it
Tuckpointing
When mortar is crumbling across your walls and not just the chimney, tuckpointing replaces the worn joints so water stops getting into the brick.
Brick repair
Bricks with faces popping off or cracks running through them let water in fast, and we replace or patch them to match the brick already on your house.
Get your chimney leak tracked down
Have photos of the chimney top, the roof joint and any water marks ready when you call (530) 399-1517 or send the form, because they help me know what to look for before I climb up.
Request an estimateCall (530) 399-1517