Chimney repair in Eugene OR - solid brick you can trust above your roof
Crumbling joints, loose bricks up top or a chimney you don't trust? We'll tell you what it needs and what can wait, then fix it.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Does your brick chimney need repair, a new liner or a retrofit?
Chimney repair in Eugene, OR is work on a masonry chimney. It runs from fixing loose brick and the cap on top, to fitting a new liner inside, to rebuilding the part above your roof. The goal is a chimney that carries smoke out safely and, when it's retrofitted, is less likely to come down in an earthquake.
Most calls I get start with crumbling joints, a few loose bricks up top or a chimney you just don't trust anymore. Sometimes the fix is as small as tuckpointing, where we rake out the worn mortar and pack in new. Other times the top of the chimney has to come down and go back up, and some of that I only know once the first bricks come off. The price moves with how much has to come apart, how tall the chimney stands above the roof and how hard it is to get to. The schedule turns on the same things, plus whether the job needs a permit, which we take care of. At the estimate I give you your own figure, with what we'll do and why.
How do you know your chimney needs work?
Loose bricks near the top
If bricks at the top are loose, shifted or missing, the mortar holding them has usually given out. If you wait, they can come down on the roof or the yard, and the longer it goes, the more of the top we end up rebuilding.
Cracked crown on top
The crown is the concrete slab across the top of the chimney around the flue, and cracks in it let water down into the brick. Left alone, that water works through the joints from the inside, and a small patch turns into a bigger repair.
Chimney leaning off the house
A chimney that leans, or shows a gap where it meets the wall or the roof, is usually moving at the base or in the joints. This is the one not to wait on, because a leaning stack of brick can come down without much warning.
How we handle chimney repair
An old brick chimney is a safety question as much as a looks question, so I look at the whole thing before I say what it needs. That means the brick, the joints, the crown and where it comes through the roof. Federal earthquake retrofit guidance for houses lays out the main choices. They turn on how much of the old brick stays, from everything below the roof down to none of it. I walk you through the options, from repairing what's there to taking part of it down, and we pick what fits the house and how you use the chimney. Then our crew sets up on the roof and takes down anything loose. We rebuild or redo the joints, set a new crown if it needs one and clean up after.
A lot of chimney trouble is really mortar or brick trouble. When the brick is sound and only the joints are worn, tuckpointing may be enough. If the house walls have the same cracked or flaking brick as the chimney, we can take care of that as brick repair while we're set up.
Get an estimate that says what your chimney needs
We get back to you within one business day. I come out, look at the chimney and give you a free estimate that says what we'll do and why, with no obligation to go ahead.
- info@eugeneconcreteandmasonry.com
- Based in
- Eugene, OR 97401
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about chimney repair in Eugene?
From your side it's four steps, from the first call to walking the finished chimney with me.
Call or send a message
Call (541) 225-4006 or use the form and tell us what's going on with the chimney. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I come out and look
I look the chimney over and ask whether you still burn in it and what you want from it. The estimate lays out what we'll do and why, with the price and the options, before you commit to anything.
We handle permits and work
If the job needs a permit, we sort it out first and work around the inspections. Then our crew sets up and does the repair you picked.
Clean up and walk it
We clean up the brick, mortar and dust, then walk the finished chimney with you. It isn't done until you've seen it.
Why Eugene homeowners call Stonecraft for chimney repair
The owner prices it and checks it
I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and our own masons and laborers do the work while I check it as it goes. That way, the person who told you what the chimney needs is the one making sure it gets done that way.
Trained on inspected commercial jobs
I learned masonry with a big commercial outfit, where an inspector checked everything and shortcuts got torn out. I've run this business the same way since 2017, because the chimney over your living room deserves the same care.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, so the risk of working up on your roof sits with us. Whoever you hire, ask whether they hold a license from the Oregon Construction Contractors Board.
Honest about what can wait
I'd rather tell you a job isn't worth doing than sell you one. If a new crown is enough for now, that's what the estimate says.
On a chimney, what counts is that it's still standing straight and shedding water long after we've packed up. Send us a message or call (541) 225-4006 and I'll come take a look.
Chimney repair, liners and inserts in Eugene
If you're adding a new wood stove or fireplace insert, the permit comes from the local building department. For repair work up the chimney, I check with the city before we start, not after. If the job needs a permit, we pull it and handle the inspections. Burning is its own question here. The Lane Regional Air Protection Agency, which watches the county's air, runs a home wood heating program and enforces limits on burning, so know those rules before you count on a fireplace for heat.
Most of the chimneys we're called to are on older houses, laid up in brick with no steel in it. We see the same on jobs in Springfield and Cottage Grove, and we work across Eugene and the cities around it.
Questions about chimney repair in Eugene
How much does chimney cap and crown repair cost in Eugene?
Across the US, chimney cap and crown repair usually costs about $550 to $2,300 per job, installed. That's a national range for that one kind of work, so treat it as a rough guide, not a price for your chimney. Your figure depends on the size of the crown, the state of the brick under it and how hard the top is to reach, and I'll give it to you at the estimate.
Does a chimney repair contractor need an Oregon license?
Yes. Oregon law generally requires anyone paid for construction work on a house or land to be licensed, and that covers chimney sweeps and inspections as well as most repair work. There's no separate license for earthquake retrofits. Any contractor licensed in Oregon for residential work may do one, so that residential license is the thing to ask about.
Do I need a permit to add a fireplace insert in Eugene?
Yes. A new fireplace insert or wood stove needs a permit from the local building department, as covered above, and the Oregon Building Code requires it to be certified for emissions before it goes in. If you sell the house later, state law says uncertified stoves and inserts have to be removed and destroyed, while certified ones can stay.
How do I tell if my brick chimney is an earthquake risk?
If your chimney is old brick with no steel in it, treat it as a risk, especially if the house was built before 1974. Homes from before Oregon had a statewide building code will take the worst damage in a serious quake, and Oregon sits along the Cascadia Subduction Zone, so a large one is a real possibility here. An unreinforced chimney can fall outward onto people walking by or into the house onto the people inside. A retrofit lowers that risk and makes it more likely the house can still shelter you right afterward.
Can you put a new liner in an old brick chimney?
Yes, a liner can go into an existing masonry chimney whether or not it already has a clay tile liner. I'll look at what's in there now and how you plan to use the fireplace before we decide what goes in.
How long does chimney repair take?
A crown or a few loose bricks is usually a short job. A rebuild above the roof takes longer, because the brick comes down and goes back up one row at a time. If there's a permit, the city's review time comes on top of that, and I'll give you a realistic schedule at the estimate.
Related masonry work for older chimneys
Tuckpointing
If the chimney's brick is solid but the mortar between it is sandy or washing out, new joints may be all it needs for now.
See the service TuckpointingBrick repair
When bricks on the chimney or house walls are cracked, flaking or loose, we cut out the bad ones and set new brick picked to match.
See the service Brick repair
Chimney repair in Eugene and nearby cities
Stonecraft Eugene Concrete and Masonry is based in Eugene, Oregon. These 8 cities have their own pages on our site, including Springfield and Junction City. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Eugene, OR
Have your old chimney looked at
Tell us roughly when the house was built and what you're seeing up top, so I come out knowing what to look for.