Chimney Repair for Denver Brick and Prefab Chimneys

Denver's weather works on a chimney from two sides. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put the city at about 135 freeze-thaw days a year, meaning roughly one day in three the temperature drops below freezing at night and climbs back above it by afternoon. Water that soaks into mortar and brick freezes, expands and pushes the joints apart a little more each time. Then hail chips crowns and dents metal caps and covers.

Which repairs you need depends on the chimney. Older neighborhoods are full of brick: about 17% of Denver's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, and in Englewood and Wheat Ridge 35% to 38% were built between 1940 and 1959. Newer suburbs mostly have prefab chimneys in framed chases. We repair both, from a few loose bricks to a rusted chase cover.

Signs you need this

• Sandy mortar in the gutter or on the roof
• Brick faces flaking or popping off
• Rust streaks on the siding below a chase cover
• A water stain on the ceiling next to the chimney
• Cracks across the concrete on top of the chimney

How we do it

1. Inspect and photographWe check the chimney from inside and on the roof and show you each problem in a photo.
2. Written priceEach repair is listed with its price, so you can do the urgent ones now and plan the rest.
3. RepairMatched mortar for brick, sealants made for metal, and new parts where a patch would not last a winter.
4. Photos afterYou get pictures of the finished work, including the parts you can't see from the ground.

Is my chimney brick or prefab, and why does it matter?

If the chimney above the roof is brick or stone, and the fireplace has a brick firebox, it is masonry. If the chimney is a box covered in siding or stucco with a metal top, it is almost always a factory-built fireplace with a metal flue inside a wood-framed chase. Many homes in Highlands Ranch, Parker, Lone Tree, Broomfield and Thornton, where the median home was built between 1997 and 2004, have the second kind.

Masonry problems are mortar, brick, crowns and flashing. Prefab problems are the chase cover, the metal flue sections, the cap and the siding where water gets into the chase. The repairs, the materials and the prices are different, which is why we look before we quote.

What do typical repairs cost?

Small repairs such as resetting a cap, sealing a crack or replacing a few bricks typically run $300 to $1,000 in the Denver area. Crown work, flashing and repointing usually fall between $500 and $2,500. Replacing spalled brick across a larger area runs $1,000 to $3,500.

When the top of the stack is loose, relaying those courses ($1,000 to $3,500) usually beats paying for a patch every spring.

What should be fixed before winter?

Anything that lets water in. A cracked crown, a missing cap, lifted flashing or open mortar joints will take on water every time snow melts, and the freeze-thaw cycle does the rest. Cosmetic work can wait until spring. Water entry should not.