My chimney is very tall. Does that cost more?

It costs more in setup than in masonry, because staging a tall chimney safely takes time. We quote the whole thing as one number after we've seen it, so there are no height surprises added at the end.

I heat with wood every winter. How often should the masonry get looked at?

Every couple of years for the crown and the top courses, which is more often than a decorative fireplace needs. Heat cycling widens any joint that has already started to fail, and catching it as a repoint instead of a rebuild is the difference between a small bill and a large one.

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 Ham Lake, MN

Big lots, tall roofs, and a lot of houses that actually burn wood. Ham Lake chimneys work harder than metro chimneys and they show it.

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.

Ham Lake never got subdivided the way the cities south of it did. Large lots, steeper and taller roof lines, and a lot of homes where the fireplace or the wood stove is a genuine heat source and not a decoration. That combination produces the two conditions we see here over and over.

Tall exposed chimneys take the worst of it

A chimney that stands four, six, or eight feet proud of the roof to clear the ridge is exposed on all four sides with no protection from the house. Wind-driven rain hits it, the sun bakes one face while the other stays frozen, and the whole stack moves through more freeze-thaw cycles per winter than a chimney tucked against a roof plane. It isn't unusual here for the top three or four feet to be shot while everything below the roofline is perfectly sound.

Rebuilding that top section is the job a lot of chimney companies would rather hand off, because it needs staging, real masonry skill, and someone willing to work at height on a steep pitch. It's our core work.

Chimneys that actually run all winter

Burning wood hard is good for a chimney in one way and hard on it in another. Real heat keeps the flue dry, but it also drives thermal movement through the masonry every single day, and any joint that has started to go gets worked a little wider. If you heat with wood in Ham Lake, the crown and the top courses need looking at more often than the once-a-decade schedule a decorative fireplace can get away with.

Straight about relining: if your wood stove or insert needs a new stainless liner, that's a change to the venting system and it's the job that pulls a mechanical permit and an inspection. We do that work, we just don't pretend it's the same as a crown rebuild. We'll tell you before we start whether your job needs the city involved.

Masonry repair, no permit

Crown rebuilds, repointing, and rebuilding the section above the roofline are ordinary repairs under Minnesota Rule 1300.0120. No permit, no waiting on the city, no inspection to schedule around.

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 chimney is very tall. Does that cost more?: It costs more in setup than in masonry, because staging a tall chimney safely takes time. We quote the whole thing as one number after we've seen it, so there are no height surprises added at the end.
I heat with wood every winter. How often should the masonry get looked at?: Every couple of years for the crown and the top courses, which is more often than a decorative fireplace needs. Heat cycling widens any joint that has already started to fail, and catching it as a repoint instead of a rebuild is the difference between a small bill and a large one.
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.