Chimney repair in Troy

Two kinds of chimney, two kinds of wear

Troy became a city in 1955 and did most of its building over the next forty years. That spread shows on the roofs. A colonial from the late 1960s usually has a brick chimney with clay flue tiles, and its weak spots are the crown and the flashing. A house from the 1990s is more likely to have a framed chase around a metal flue, and there the trouble starts with the metal cover on top.

A galvanized chase cover rusts, sags a little in the middle and starts holding water around the flue. The water finds the screw holes and seams and runs down into the framing. By the time someone sees a stain near the fireplace, the wood under the cover can be soft. The chase in the photo is at that stage, with the cover rusted at every edge and the flashing at the base corroded.

Trees over the roof in Northfield Hills

Chrysler bought the land for Northfield Hills, between Long Lake and Square Lake roads, in 1957 and had the architect Minoru Yamasaki lay it out on curving streets that kept some woodlots and small lakes. Those woods are full grown now. Leaves and twigs pile up on chase covers and flat crowns and stay wet for days after a rain. On metal that speeds up rust. On concrete it means more water sitting in the cracks when it freezes.

Starting prices

These are the starting points for the repairs we quote most in Troy. Your written quote has the exact number.

• A stainless chase cover with one flue hole starts at $1,000 plus $1 per square inch of the chase top.
• If the wood frame under the old cover has rotted, rebuilding it runs $895 to $2,349. We show you the frame once the old cover is off, before any extra work.
• Crown repair on a brick chimney starts at $1,000 plus $1 per square inch. Sealing a crown that is still sound is $249 to $875.
• Flashing repair or replacement runs $595 to $3,495.

When a ladder isn't safe on a tall two-story, a lift or scaffolding adds $1,249, and we tell you that before you get the quote.

How the quote works

We look at the whole chimney first, all four sides, along with whatever made you call. Then you get photos of what we found and a price in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd rather have someone look before you decide anything, book a chimney inspection in Troy for $49, and the $49 comes off any repair we do afterward.