Wayne, Wayne County
Chimney repair in Wayne
On a Wayne house with the chimney on an outside wall, the brick takes the weather from the ground up, and the mortar joints usually wear out before anything else.
Why Wayne chimneys wear where they do
Wayne's houses fall into two groups. The older ones near downtown come from the village years, between 1869 and 1960, when Wayne became a city. Most of the rest went up in the 1950s and 1960s.
On some of the post-war ranches, the chimney runs up an outside wall. That puts every face of the brick in the wind and rain from the foundation to the crown. Mortar joints wash out partway up, water gets behind the face of the brick, and freezing pushes corner bricks out of line, like in the photo. On the older village houses, the trouble is more often at the top: a crown that has cracked through and brick under it that has gone soft.
What repairs start at
These are our starting prices. You'll get a written quote for your chimney with the real number.
- Tuckpointing from $595 to $4,995, depending on how much of the chimney needs new mortar.
- Replacing 1 to 15 damaged bricks: $850 plus $75 a brick.
- Crown repair from $1,000 plus $1 per square inch.
- Flashing repair or replacement from $595 to $3,495.
- Waterproofing from $795 to $2,725, after the masonry has been repaired.
If a tall outside chimney can't be reached safely from a ladder, a lift or scaffolding adds $1,249. We tell you before we quote.
Repairs that hold
Patching one crack on an outside chimney rarely stops the water. We look at the whole face of the chimney, cut out joints that have gone soft, and repoint with mortar matched to the color that's already there. If corners have moved, those courses come down and go back up straight before the crown is redone. Once the masonry is sound, a water repellent can slow down the next round of wear on an outside chimney.
How quoting works
We look at the whole chimney first, then show you photos and explain what a smaller repair would and wouldn't fix. You get the price in writing. Nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd like a full look first, a chimney inspection in Wayne is $49 and is credited toward the repair.
Questions
There's a crack running sideways across my chimney. Is it about to fall?
We can't tell from a description, and we won't guess. A sideways crack along a mortar line often comes from water freezing in the joints near the top, which can push the brick above it out of line. Sometimes it's a repoint and a new crown. Sometimes the top section has to be relaid. We look, take photos, and tell you which.
Can you match the brick on my house?
We try to get close. When we replace bricks, we look for brick near the original in size and color, and we match the mortar color to the joints that are already there. On an older chimney the new brick can look a little brighter at first and weathers in over time.
Chimney repair near Wayne
Chimney repair in Wayne
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.