Chimney repair · Blaine, MN
Chimney repair in Blaine, MN
Blaine has two kinds of chimneys, and they fail in two different ways. We fix both.
Brick stacks on the older side of town, framed chases with metal covers in the subdivisions. Crowns, tuckpointing, flashing, chase covers, sweeps and inspections.
The subdivisions: framed chases
Blaine went from about 39,000 people in 1990 to more than 70,000 by 2020, and most of that growth came as subdivisions. A lot of those chimneys aren't brick at all. They're a framed box with siding on it, a factory-built fireplace inside, and a sheet metal cover on top. That cover is the whole roof of the chimney. When it rusts through, water runs down inside the chase and shows up as a stain next to the fireplace.
The older side of town: real brick
West and south toward Northtown and along Central Avenue, the chimneys are brick and old enough to have lost their mortar. The part above the roof gets wet from every side and never gets any heat from the house, so the crown cracks, water gets into the joints, it freezes, and the brick faces pop off. We rebuild from solid brick up, repoint what's worth saving, and pour a crown with an overhang and a drip edge so the water runs off instead of in.
Blaine, by the numbers
Old brick on one side of town, framed chases on the other.
All 26,767 homes in Blaine, by the decade they went up. The orange bars are the ones built before 1990.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25034 (year structure built).
What are you seeing up there?
Start with what's bugging you. We'll tell you what it is, and we fix it ourselves.
There's a water stain next to the chimney.
Most of the time it's the crown, the flashing or open mortar joints letting water in. We find where it's getting in before anybody tears off shingles.
How we fix itCrownsThe top of the chimney is cracked.
That's the crown, and it's the first thing to go in a Minnesota winter. We tear it off and pour a new one with an overhang and a drip edge.
How we fix itTuckpointingThere's mortar missing between the bricks.
Freeze and thaw pull a little more out every year. We grind out the bad joints and repoint them with mortar that matches the brick.
How we fix itRebuildsThe brick is crumbling above the roof.
Once water gets into the brick and freezes, the faces pop off. Depending on how deep it goes, we repoint it or rebuild it from solid brick up.
How we fix itInspectionsSmoke comes back into the room.
It could be buildup, a blockage or the house not giving the fire enough air. An inspection with a camera tells us which one.
How we fix itSweepsIt hasn't been swept in a while.
Anything you burn in should get looked at once a year. If there's more than an eighth of an inch of buildup, we sweep it.
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BEFOREAFTERBefore and after
Same chimney. Same angle.
- Before: painted brick coming apart above the roof, and a crown breaking up
- Rebuilt with new brick from the roofline up
- New crown with an overhang, so the water drips clear
- New flashing where the chimney meets the shingles
What it costs
Real prices, on the page.
No guessing on the easy stuff. Masonry depends on what's actually up there, so we price it from the pictures.
$220 per flue with two, $215 per flue with three. Inside and out, with a camera, and a written report.
Added to your yearly inspection. When it finds more than an eighth of an inch of buildup, that flue gets swept. We don't sweep without inspecting.
Crowns, tuckpointing and rebuilds are priced from photos of your chimney. You get the pictures and the number before anything starts.
Google reviews
What people wrote after we left.
“We thought initially we just needed to fix the flashing, but when Jason dug into the problem, we found the chimney extension that was done 25 years ago had an improperly installed vapor barrier... It is so nice to not worry about drip-drip-drip every rain storm.”
“We bought an old house and the chimney was in need of urgent repair... we not only got something functional but also beautifully designed and crafted. We knew exactly what it'd cost and what we were paying for.”
“I got a call back right away the next business day and was scheduled. Jason called and let us know when he would be on his way to our house. He inspected it, showed us pictures of our chimney, and explained the process.”
“The team who worked on our new chimney liner and damper left things super clean and we love that we can have a fire in our fireplace for the first time in a lonnnnnnnnnng time.”
“Returned call same day and scheduled inspection... I was given estimate the next day. They demoed old chimney, installed new liners, and built an awesome new chimney. Wow! Totally satisfied!”
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Straight answers for Blaine
My fireplace has a metal box and a sided chimney. Can that be repaired?
Usually, yes. The parts that fail on those, the chase cover, the storm collar and the flashing, all get replaced from the roof. If the fireplace itself is done, we'll show you why before we say so.
There's a water stain by my fireplace. Is it the roof or the chimney?
On a Blaine house built in the last thirty years, it's usually the chimney. We get up there, photograph the cover, the collar and the flashing, and show you where the water's getting in before anybody touches the shingles.
How much does a chimney inspection cost?
$235 for one flue, $220 per flue with two, and $215 per flue with three. If there's more than an eighth of an inch of buildup, that flue gets swept for $150 more.
How much does chimney masonry cost?
It depends on what's actually up there, so we photograph the chimney and send you a written number before anybody commits to anything.
Do you do the masonry yourselves?
Yes. Crowns, tuckpointing and rebuilds above the roof are done by our own crew.
How soon can you get out here?
Call and we'll give you the next day we're working near you. That's usually the fastest way onto the schedule.
Nearby, too
Same crew, same prices, all over the north metro.
Got a chimney in Blaine?
Call and tell us what you're seeing, or book an inspection online. We'll get up there, take pictures, and show you what's going on.