My house is over a hundred years old. Can the chimney be saved?

Usually yes, if it's repaired with the right materials. The thing that kills old chimneys isn't age, it's being repointed with mortar that's too hard for the brick. We match the mortar to the masonry.

Someone quoted me a full rebuild. Should I get a second look?

Always, on a number that large. Send us photos of the chimney from the ground and the roof if you have them and we'll tell you honestly whether we would quote the same thing.

Do I need a permit to have my chimney tuckpointed or the crown rebuilt?

Almost never. Minnesota Rule 1300.0120 exempts ordinary repairs from the permit process, and repointing joints or pouring a new crown is ordinary repair work. We aren't opening a wall, moving a beam, or altering a vent. Relining a flue is the one that changes the venting system, and that one does get a permit in most cities. We tell you which side of that line your job falls on before we start, in writing.

How fast can you get here from Little Falls?

We run the Highway 10 and Highway 65 corridors on purpose, so north metro work gets grouped into the same days rather than squeezed in one at a time. Call and we'll tell you the next day we're already going to be in your area. That's usually the fastest and cheapest way to get on the schedule.

Do you take on the masonry other chimney companies turn down?

That's most of what we do up here. Plenty of sweeps will clean and inspect all day and then sub out anything that needs a trowel above the roofline. We self-perform crown rebuilds, repointing, and top-half rebuilds, which means a sweep, a roofer or an inspector can hand us the masonry and keep their customer.

Crowns, repointing, and rebuilds are priced off what is actually up there, so we photograph the chimney and send a written number before anyone commits to anything. No trip charge to look at it.

Chimney Repair in Anoka & Ramsey, MN

Anoka has some of the oldest housing in the county, and Ramsey has some of the newest. Same county, two completely different chimney jobs.

Call 320.414.0191 Request an Appointment

Free written estimate on any chimney we can see. We send photos of what we found on your roof, not a verbal guess.

Anoka: old brick, soft mortar, and a right way to repair it

The older neighborhoods around downtown Anoka and the Rum River hold housing that predates most of the county. Those chimneys were built with soft lime-based mortar and softer brick, and they can't be repaired with the same mortar you would use on a 1990s house. Modern high-strength mortar is harder than the old brick around it, so instead of the joint wearing, the brick face blows out. We've watched other people's repointing jobs destroy century-old chimneys that way.

On older Anoka work we match strength as well as color, and where the top of the stack is past saving we rebuild it with the original brick wherever the brick is sound enough to reuse.

Ramsey: newer houses, and the parts that fail on them

Ramsey built out much later, so the common chimney here is the framed and sided chase with a factory firebox and a sheet metal cover on top. Those fail at the top: rusted-through chase covers, split storm collars, and flashing that somebody tried to fix with a tube of tar. All of that's replaceable from the roof, and none of it requires replacing the fireplace.

What we won't do: tell you a chimney needs to come down when it needs repointing. If you've been handed a rebuild quote and it doesn't sit right with you, send us the photos. A second opinion costs nothing.

No permit for ordinary repairs

Repointing, crown rebuilds, chase covers, flashing, and rebuilding above the roofline are ordinary repairs under Minnesota Rule 1300.0120. We don't need a permit to do them, and you don't need to wait on one.

What we do up here

Chimney Crown Rebuilds

The concrete cap on top is the part that fails first in Minnesota. We tear the cracked crown off and pour a new one with a real overhang and a drip edge so water leaves the chimney instead of running down inside the brick.

Tuckpointing & Repointing

Freeze-thaw pulls the mortar out of the joints a little more every winter. We grind the failed joints out and repoint with mortar matched to the brick, so the chimney stops drinking water.

Above-the-Roofline Rebuilds

When the brick above the roof is spalling, leaning, or has open joints all the way through, we take the chimney down to sound masonry and rebuild it. Plenty of chimney companies sub this out. We self-perform it.

Flashing, Chase Covers & Waterproofing

Rusted-through chase covers, failed storm collars, tar-smeared flashing. We replace the metal, correct the flashing, and seal the masonry with a vapor-permeable water repellent.

Straight answers

My house is over a hundred years old. Can the chimney be saved?: Usually yes, if it's repaired with the right materials. The thing that kills old chimneys isn't age, it's being repointed with mortar that's too hard for the brick. We match the mortar to the masonry.
Someone quoted me a full rebuild. Should I get a second look?: Always, on a number that large. Send us photos of the chimney from the ground and the roof if you have them and we'll tell you honestly whether we would quote the same thing.
Do I need a permit to have my chimney tuckpointed or the crown rebuilt?: Almost never. Minnesota Rule 1300.0120 exempts ordinary repairs from the permit process, and repointing joints or pouring a new crown is ordinary repair work. We aren't opening a wall, moving a beam, or altering a vent. Relining a flue is the one that changes the venting system, and that one does get a permit in most cities. We tell you which side of that line your job falls on before we start, in writing.
How fast can you get here from Little Falls?: We run the Highway 10 and Highway 65 corridors on purpose, so north metro work gets grouped into the same days rather than squeezed in one at a time. Call and we'll tell you the next day we're already going to be in your area. That's usually the fastest and cheapest way to get on the schedule.
Do you take on the masonry other chimney companies turn down?: That's most of what we do up here. Plenty of sweeps will clean and inspect all day and then sub out anything that needs a trowel above the roofline. We self-perform crown rebuilds, repointing, and top-half rebuilds, which means a sweep, a roofer or an inspector can hand us the masonry and keep their customer.
What does it cost?: Crowns, repointing, and rebuilds are priced off what is actually up there, so we photograph the chimney and send a written number before anyone commits to anything. No trip charge to look at it.

Get a number on it

Call or text 320.414.0191, or send us the address and a photo of the chimney and we'll tell you what we're looking at.