Chimney repair in Hesperia CA - a chimney that keeps water out of your house
Water stain on the ceiling by the chimney, or loose brick up top? We find where it's getting in and fix that spot.
Why is my chimney leaking, and what will it take to fix it?
Chimney repair in Hesperia means fixing the brick and mortar of a masonry chimney and the seals around it, mainly the flashing where it meets your roof and the crown on top, so water stays out of your house. Related work can also lower the chance of chimney brick falling in an earthquake.
Most calls start with a water stain on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney, or brick and mortar crumbling up top. What moves the price is how far the damage goes, whether it's flashing and crown work or brick that has to come down, how tall the chimney is and how easy your roof is to work on. The schedule mostly turns on whether a permit is needed and how much masonry comes apart once we're in. If the whole chimney is old and tired, it may be closer to a masonry restoration job, and the written estimate I give you after looking spells out which it is.
How we handle chimney repair
When water's getting in at a chimney, I check the flashing, the metal that seals the joint between the chimney and your roof, and the crown, the concrete cap on top, since those are the spots that get missed. Then I look over the brick and mortar joints, because water that gets in up top often shows up as damage lower down. From there we fix what's actually letting water in, whether that's new flashing, a rebuilt or sealed crown, or loose brick reset in fresh mortar, and we clean up the roof and yard when we're done. If the masonry is too far gone to patch, we walk you through taking it partway down versus a full rebuild, and I'll tell you straight if a patch would just mean coming back later.
Chimney work often overlaps with the rest of your masonry. When the brick is sound but the mortar between it has gone soft and sandy, tuckpointing cleans out the old joints and packs in new mortar. When brick is cracked, loose or flaking at the face, we replace it as part of brick repair, on the chimney or anywhere else on the house.
Chimney, flashing and permit questions in Hesperia
In Hesperia, the city's Building & Safety Division issues the building permits you need before construction or remodeling starts, and its permit list names re-roofing over 25% of a roof but doesn't name chimney repair. So whether your chimney job needs a permit isn't settled until we ask, and if the flashing work grows into redoing more than a quarter of the roof, that part is on the list. Before we start, we check with the city or county building office that covers your address, and when a permit is needed, we apply for it as your licensed contractor.
Hesperia also enforces its wildfire building standards, the WUI rules, for properties in Very High and High fire hazard zones, and Moderate zones aren't under them for now. The city exempts additions or remodels to buildings built before July 1, 2008, interior-only work that leaves the outside unchanged, and minor projects the building official finds add no wildfire risk, so I ask about your zone at the first visit. We're based in Hesperia and work across the High Desert, and we see the same flashing and crown problems on older chimneys on jobs in Apple Valley and Oak Hills.
How chimney repair works with us
Call or send a request
Call (760) 983-7937 any day from 8 AM to 9 PM, or send a request through the form. Tell us what you're seeing, like a ceiling stain or loose brick up top, and we'll set a time for me to come out.
I look, measure and photograph
I check the flashing and the crown, measure and take photos, then tell you plainly what I'd do and what I wouldn't. You get a written estimate with the scope spelled out, so you know what you're paying for before anything starts.
We clear permits, then build
We sort out any permit with the right office before we start, and since the city handles plan review and field inspections for home projects, a permitted job may include a visit from a city inspector. Then our crew does the repair with me on the job.
Walk the finished job together
When we're done, we walk the finished job with you and go over what we fixed. If you'd rather not climb up, I'll show you photos of the crown and flashing.
Get a chimney and flashing estimate in Hesperia
We reply within one business day. I come out to look at your chimney, measure and take photos, then you get a free written estimate with the scope spelled out, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
What homeowners ask about chimney repair
What causes water to leak in around a chimney?
Usually it's the flashing where the chimney passes through the roof, or the crown on top. A brick industry guide says that roof joint must be properly flashed with two layers, base flashing and counter flashing, so if water is coming in near your chimney, ask whether both are there. The same guide says the area around the crown is often overlooked, and flashing and sealant there keep water out of the space between the chimney wall and the flue liner, the pipe that runs up inside.
Should I repair or rebuild an old brick chimney in Hesperia?
If the brick and mortar are mostly sound, repair is usually enough, but when the masonry is badly damaged, federal earthquake retrofit guidance lays out two other paths. One takes the chimney partway down and caps it at the firebox, roof or ceiling level. The other removes it to the base and puts in a factory-built chimney inside a framed chase, a wood-framed enclosure, so you can weigh keeping some masonry against a full rebuild.
How much does chimney repair cost in Hesperia?
Chimney cap, crown repair and waterproofing work across the US usually runs about $600 to $2,300 per job. That's a national figure for work at the top of the chimney, not our price, and taking masonry down or rebuilding is a different scope. Your own number comes on the written estimate after I've seen the chimney.
Who gets the building permit for chimney work in Hesperia?
In Hesperia, only the property owner, the owner's licensed contractor or an authorized agent can get a building permit. It helps to settle early which of you will apply. When we do the work and a permit is needed, we're the ones who apply.
What metal should chimney flashing be made of?
Not galvanized steel or aluminum, according to the brick industry guide. It says galvanized steel isn't recommended for flashing in brick masonry, and aluminum shouldn't be used because the alkalis in fresh mortar attack it. Ask any contractor what metal they plan to use before the work starts.
How do I know if my fireplace needs work along with the chimney?
The easiest way is to have it looked at during the same visit as the chimney. The same federal guidance that covers chimney masonry also covers the falling hazard from masonry fireplace surrounds, so a cracked or loose surround is worth bringing up.
Why Hesperia homeowners call D&L for chimney repair
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on the job with our crew while the work gets done. The person who told you what's wrong is the one making sure it gets fixed.
Licensed and insured for masonry
We're licensed and insured. California's licensing board describes a masonry contractor as one who installs block, stone, terra cotta and fire brick for refractory work, the heat-proof brick that lines a firebox, and that's the trade chimney and fireplace masonry belongs to.
Full-time masonry since 2017
I started out fixing block walls and patching brick for neighbors on weekends, then got licensed and went full time in 2017, so we've been in business 9 years. I learned most of it on the job, which is why I look hard at what's under the brick and in the joints.
On a chimney, the part that matters most is the part you can't see from the driveway, the flashing under the roof line and the crown up top. Request an estimate and I'll come take a look.
Other masonry work that often goes with it
Tuckpointing
If the brick on your chimney or house is solid but the mortar between it is sandy and crumbling, new joints keep water from soaking in.
Brick repair
Cracked, loose or flaking brick on a wall, step or chimney can be cut out and replaced so the rest of the masonry stays sound.
Get your chimney and flashing looked at
Call (760) 983-7937 or use the request form, and if you have your address, your fire zone and a photo of the chimney top and roof line handy, I can tell you more on that first call.
