Chimney repair in Wixom

Why the chase top fails

Wixom grew fastest while the Ford assembly plant was running, from 1957 to 2007, and a lot of what went up in those years were condos and townhouses with factory-built fireplaces. Those flues run up through a wooden box on the roof, covered in painted metal or siding, with a sheet metal cover and a cap on top.

The original covers were usually galvanized steel. Once the paint goes, rust follows, and the cover can sag so water pools in the middle. The seams get caulked or tarred, and that cracks within a few years. Water that gets past it runs down inside the chase, soaks the plywood and framing, and stains the ceiling below the chimney. The chase in the photo has rust on the cover, the cap and the flashing at the roof.

The single-family houses

The houses around Loon Lake, in subdivisions like The Cliffs on Loon Lake, went up from the 1990s into the mid-2000s. Some of them have brick on the outside of the chase, so the chimney looks like masonry from the street, with a metal chase cover on top. If yours does, the cover is probably the original and has been up there twenty years or more.

Starting prices

The written quote gives you the exact number. Wixom repairs mostly start here:

• Stainless chase cover, one hole: from $1,000 plus $1 per square inch.
• Rotted wood frame under a chase cover: $895 to $2,349.
• Single-flue cap: $375. Cap repair and re-seating: $195.
• Flashing repair or replacement: $595 to $3,495.

If the roof is too steep or high for a ladder to be safe, a lift or scaffolding adds $1,249. Our guide to a rusted chase cover or missing chimney cap shows the warning signs.

How we quote

We look at the whole chimney before we price anything, including the part you noticed. You get photos, an explanation of what a smaller repair would and wouldn't fix, and a written quote. Nothing starts until you approve it. If you'd like us to look first, book a chimney inspection in Wixom for $49.