Chimney repair in Garden City

Small chimneys, same weather

Garden City became a village inside Nankin Township in 1927 and a city in 1933, but most of its houses came later, in the boom after the war. The ranches and bungalows from those years have short chimneys, a few feet above the roof, with one or two flues. Some are brick. Others are concrete block, like the one in the photo.

Short doesn't mean the chimney gets off easy. The crown on top is a flat slab that holds snow, and water from every thaw works into its cracks and freezes again overnight. On a sixty-year-old crown that has never been sealed, those cracks can run all the way through. The water then gets into the top of the chimney and the joints around the flue tile.

Caps first, then crowns

A lot of 1950s chimneys went up with no cap at all. The photo shows the fix on one of them: the crown coated with a sealer, then a stainless cap with mesh sides fastened over the flue. When the crown is too far gone for a coating, it gets repaired or rebuilt first, and the cap goes on after. On a block chimney, we also check the mortar joints in the top few courses, since block soaks up water the same way brick does.

Starting prices

Your written quote gives the exact price. These are where Garden City repairs usually start:

• Crown sealing: $249 to $875
• Crown repair: from $1,000 plus $1 per square inch of crown
• Single-flue cap: $375. Repairing and re-seating an existing cap: $195
• Flashing repair or replacement: $595 to $3,495

On a narrow lot where we can't set a ladder safely, a lift or scaffolding adds $1,249. We'll tell you before we quote if your house needs one.

How the quote works

We look at the whole chimney first, along with the part that worried you. You get photos, a plain explanation of what a smaller repair would fix, and a price in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd like someone to look before you decide, a chimney inspection in Garden City is $49.