Beverly Hills, Oakland County
Chimney repair in Beverly Hills
On the mid-century ranches and colonials in Beverly Hills, most chimney repairs are at the crown, the cap and the flashing, where shade from the big trees keeps the masonry damp.
What ages on a mid-century chimney
Most of the houses in Beverly Hills went up between the 1940s and the 1960s. Along Beverly Road and the streets off it, that means ranches and colonials with one masonry chimney, usually brick, sometimes block. Those chimneys are now sixty to eighty-five years old.
On a ranch, the chimney doesn't rise far above the roof. That keeps it out of the wind, but it also means leaves pile against the upslope side and stay wet. The flashing on that side wears out first. The crown is the other weak spot. On many houses from this era it was poured thin, and after decades of freeze and thaw it's cracked, stained and growing lichen, especially where trees keep it in shade all day.
Caps are the third common repair. Squirrels and raccoons come off the branches onto the roof, and an uncapped flue, or a cap that rusted through years ago, lets them in along with the rain.
Starting prices
These are our starting prices. The written quote has the exact number for your house.
- Crown sealing: $249 to $875, for a crown that's cracked on the surface but still solid.
- Crown repair: from $1,000 plus $1 per square inch of crown.
- Flashing repair or replacement: $595 to $3,495.
- A single-flue cap: $375. Repairing and re-seating a cap you already have: $195.
- Waterproofing the masonry: $795 to $2,725.
A repair that fits the house
Ranch chimneys are often right at eye level from the yard, so a patch that doesn't match is easy to see. When we repair the crown or repoint the top courses, we match the mortar color to what's already there. On a block chimney, we match the color and the texture of the face, so the repaired section doesn't read as a patch from the driveway.
How it works
We look at the whole chimney first, then the spot you called about. You get photos, a straight answer on whether a smaller repair would do, and the price in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd like an inspection before you decide, a chimney inspection in Beverly Hills is $49 and is credited toward the repair.
Questions
Water stains showed up on the ceiling next to our ranch's chimney. Is that the roof or the chimney?
On a low ranch roof it's often the flashing, the metal that seals the joint where the chimney meets the shingles. It can also be the crown or a missing cap letting water down the inside. We check all three on one visit, show you photos of where the water is getting in, and give you a written price for the repair before anything starts.
Our chimney cap blew off in a storm. Can you just put a new one on?
Yes. A new single-flue cap is $375, and if the old one is still on the roof and in good shape, re-seating it is $195. While we're up there we'll look at the crown and the top of the flue tile, because a chimney that's been open for a while sometimes needs more than the cap. We tell you before we do anything extra.
Chimney repair near Beverly Hills
Chimney repair in Beverly Hills
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.