Inkster, Wayne County
Chimney repair in Inkster
Many of the oldest chimneys in Inkster are on small houses from the late 1920s and 1930s, and most of them have been patched by more than one owner.
Small houses, old chimneys
The Dancy-Ford neighborhood runs roughly from the Michigan Central tracks and Inkster Road out to Annapolis and Hickory. A state historic survey found that most of its houses date from the late 1920s through the 1930s, and about 185 still stand from the years 1920 to 1941. They are small houses, bungalows and plain gabled cottages, many with siding or brick veneer and one brick chimney.
That chimney has had close to a hundred winters. The crown on top cracks, the mortar in the top courses washes out, and somebody along the way spreads tar or sealant over the worst of it. The chimney in the photo shows where that ends up. Tar holds water against the brick, and the brick faces start to break off and land on the roof.
Where the common repairs start
These are our starting prices. You'll get an exact price in writing after we've looked at your chimney.
- Crown repair from $1,000 plus $1 per square inch. A full rebuild starts at $1,500 plus $1 per square inch.
- Tuckpointing from $595 to $4,995.
- Replacing 1 to 15 damaged bricks: $850 plus $75 a brick.
- A single-flue cap is $375. Cap repair and re-seating is $195.
Most chimneys on these one-and-a-half-story houses are ladder jobs. If a lift or scaffolding is needed, it adds $1,249, and we tell you before we quote.
Fixing it once
On a chimney that's been patched over and over, the cheapest fix that lasts usually means clearing off the old tar, cutting out the bad joints, and replacing broken brick before the crown goes back on. Sometimes the top few courses have to come down and be relaid. A cap goes on last, so rain stops running straight down the flue. We'll show you which one yours needs and explain what a smaller repair would and wouldn't fix.
How we quote
We look at the whole chimney first and take photos. You get the price in writing, and nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd like us to look at everything first, including the flue, book a chimney inspection in Inkster for $49.
Questions
My chimney is covered in tar from an old repair. Is it too far gone to fix?
Usually not, but tar makes it hard to tell from the ground. Once we clear enough of it to see the brick, we can tell you whether the top section needs new mortar and a few bricks, or whether it has to be taken down and relaid. You see the photos either way.
My house is in the Dancy-Ford area. Do you need any special approval to work on the chimney?
The area was documented in a recent state historic survey, which is worth knowing if you care about keeping the house looking the way it did. For the repair itself, we check with the city on every job, say on the quote whether a permit is needed, and include the permit cost if it is.
Chimney repair in Inkster
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.