How do I know if my chimney needs repointing or a full rebuild?

Depth is what decides it. If the joints are eroded but the brick faces are intact, it repoints. If brick faces are popping off or the top courses have shifted, the top section has to come down and go back up. We photograph both conditions so you can see it for yourself instead of taking our word for it.

Can you match the mortar on an older house?

Yes, and it matters more than people think. Modern high-strength mortar on soft older brick will destroy the brick, because the mortar becomes harder than the masonry it's protecting. We match both the color and the strength to what is already there.

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 Circle Pines & Lexington, MN

These are seventy-year-old chimneys on seventy-year-old houses. The brick is usually fine. The mortar and the crown are not.

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.

Circle Pines was founded in 1946 as a planned cooperative community and incorporated in 1950. Lexington incorporated the same year. Most of what stands in both cities went up in the two decades that followed, which means the typical chimney here has been through roughly seventy Minnesota winters on its original mortar.

What seventy winters does to a chimney

Mortar is sacrificial by design. It's supposed to wear before the brick does. After this many freeze-thaw cycles the joints above the roofline are often soft enough to dig out with a key. Once the joints are open, the chimney takes on water like a sponge, that water freezes inside the brick, and the faces spall off in sheets. At that point you're no longer repointing, you're rebuilding, and it costs several times more.

The dividing line between a repoint and a rebuild is usually two or three winters wide. It's why we'll come look at it for free.

Original crowns are the other half of it

Chimneys from that era were very often finished with a thin mortar wash instead of a proper poured crown. No overhang, no drip edge, just mortar smeared over the top. Those crack early and then funnel every rainfall straight down into the chimney. Replacing that with a poured crown that overhangs the brick and has a cut drip edge is the single highest-value repair on an older Circle Pines or Lexington house.

Two-minute check from the ground: stand back with your phone camera zoomed in on the top of the chimney. If you can see a crack running across the top, daylight between brick courses, or brick faces missing, take the picture and send it to us. We can usually tell you what you're dealing with from that photo.

Small city, no red tape

Repointing and crown work are ordinary repairs under Minnesota Rule 1300.0120, so there's no permit and no inspection queue between you and a dry chimney. We can schedule the work the same week we quote it.

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

How do I know if my chimney needs repointing or a full rebuild?: Depth is what decides it. If the joints are eroded but the brick faces are intact, it repoints. If brick faces are popping off or the top courses have shifted, the top section has to come down and go back up. We photograph both conditions so you can see it for yourself instead of taking our word for it.
Can you match the mortar on an older house?: Yes, and it matters more than people think. Modern high-strength mortar on soft older brick will destroy the brick, because the mortar becomes harder than the masonry it's protecting. We match both the color and the strength to what is already there.
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.