Chimney repair in Redlands CA - a straight answer on repair or retrofit
Crumbling joints, a cracked crown or a stain by the fireplace? We find what's causing it and fix that, not just the crack.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
Does my chimney need a repair or something bigger?
Chimney repair in Redlands, CA from Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry means cutting out and repointing worn mortar joints, patching cracks in the brick, and adding a new liner inside the flue when the old one has failed.
Most people call after they spot bits of mortar on the roof or a stain on the ceiling by the fireplace, or after a shake leaves them staring up at the top of the chimney. The price mostly turns on how far the damage goes, how tall the chimney stands above the roof, whether the flue needs a liner, and whether you're keeping up an old chimney or making it safer for an earthquake, which is a bigger job. The schedule turns on the same things, plus how hard your roof is to work on, so I look at it first and the written estimate tells you what we'd do and what we'd use.
How do you know your chimney needs repair?
Sandy, crumbling mortar joints
If you can scratch mortar out with a key, or crumbs of it keep showing up on the roof, the joints have given up. Water gets in behind them and works the bricks loose, and bad mortar doesn't quit all at once, it just quits one joint at a time until there are a lot more to cut out.
A cracked crown on top
The crown is the slab of concrete or mortar capping the top of the chimney, and cracks there send rain straight down into the brick. Caught early it's a patch and a seal, but left alone the top courses loosen and you're pricing a rebuild.
Stains near the chimney
A water mark on the ceiling or in the attic beside the chimney usually means the flashing at the roof is leaking, though a bad crown can do it too. The stain is the cheap part, because the wet wood behind it is what costs money if it sits.
Loose bricks or a lean
Bricks you can wiggle at the top, or a chimney that looks off plumb after a shake, mean the masonry is coming apart. That's a safety call, not a cosmetic one, so don't wait on it.
How we handle chimney repair
I start on the roof and at the firebox, looking at the crown, the cap, the joints and the flashing where the chimney meets the roof, because a lot of chimney leaks turn out to be flashing leaks. Then I tell you plainly whether your chimney needs upkeep or something bigger, since pointing up the outside won't do much if the goal is getting through the next earthquake. On a repair, our crew covers the roof and the beds below, cuts out the failed mortar, repoints the joints with a mortar that suits the old brick, patches cracks, fixes or seals the crown, resets the flashing and cleans up.
If the brick on your house walls has the same tired joints, that's tuckpointing, and it's easy to look at both on the same visit. Chipped, cracked or loose bricks on a wall, a step or a planter fall under brick repair.
Repointing and crack repair
This suits a chimney that's standing straight with worn joints, a few cracks or a tired crown. It keeps water out and buys time, but it's upkeep, not earthquake work.
New flue liner
This suits a chimney you still burn in when the liner inside is cracked or missing. Which kind fits depends on the chimney's shape and the shape it's in, and I'll walk you through it at the estimate.
Rebuild above the roofline
This suits a top that's loose, leaning or cracked through, where patching would only be dressing up the problem. We take it down to sound brick and build it back.
Earthquake retrofit
This suits an owner who wants the chimney safer in the next quake, not just drier. It comes down to how much of the old masonry stays up there, and the questions below cover the choices.
Get a written estimate for your chimney
Expect a reply within 1 business day to set a time for me to come out. The on-site quote is free with no obligation, and you'll get a written estimate of what we'd do and what we'd use.
(909) 488-7148- Based in
- Redlands, CA 92373
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about your chimney?
Here's who does what from your first call to the final walk-through, and what you'll have in hand before you decide anything.
Call or send a message
Call (909) 488-7148 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to have the chimney's age, any cracks or quake damage, and whether you still use the fireplace.
I look at the chimney
I look at the chimney, what's around it and where the water goes, then send a written estimate that says what we'd do and what we'd use. You see what the price covers before you decide anything.
Our crew does the work
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs, and I'm on site while the crew works. Questions get answered on the spot instead of by phone tag.
We walk it together
When the work's done, we walk it together, from the crown down to the flashing, so you see what you paid for. Anything you're not happy with, you tell me then.
Why Redlands homeowners call us about their chimneys
Owner on site, based in Redlands
We're based in Redlands, and I come out and look at your chimney myself. I'm on the job with our crew too, so the person who told you what the work would be is the one watching it get done.
Trained by an old-school mason
I framed houses for years, then learned brick, block and stone next to an old mason who wouldn't let a bad joint slide, and I've run this business since 2021. The framing years help on chimneys, because a leak at the roof line has usually soaked the wood before anyone sees it.
Licensed and insured for masonry
We're licensed and insured. California's contractor licensing board counts brick, stone and fire brick for fireboxes as masonry work, and that's what your chimney is built from.
Your yard left clean
Chimney work drops mortar dust and broken brick on the roof, into the gutters and onto the beds below, so we cover what's under it and clean up before we leave. I want your yard looking like we were never there, minus the mess.
On a chimney, the first thing to settle is whether you need upkeep or earthquake work, so ask for an estimate and I'll tell you which one yours needs.
Chimney, roof and brick work in Redlands
After the Trona earthquakes, San Bernardino County assessment teams found damaged brick chimneys. The older unreinforced ones with worn-out mortar were the most vulnerable, though even chimneys built to modern standards took real damage. That's why I won't sell you fresh pointing as earthquake protection. We're based in Redlands and work in the cities around it, and we see the same older brick chimneys on jobs in Mentone and Yucaipa.
The city requires owners of buildings in, upon or adjoining hazardous fire areas to keep any part of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney outlet removed at all times. When I'm up on the roof, I'll tell you if branches are inside that distance so you can have them cut back.
Questions about chimney repair in Redlands
Is repointing enough to protect my chimney in an earthquake?
No, repointing is upkeep, not earthquake protection. The county's guidance encourages repointing and crack patching as regular maintenance but says they do little to reduce damage in future earthquakes, so if safety is your goal you're planning for more than surface repair. That matters because an unreinforced brick chimney can fall outward onto the yard or walkway, or down into the house.
What are the options for an earthquake retrofit on a brick chimney?
FEMA's chimney retrofit plans cover capping the chimney off at the roof or ceiling, or replacing it above the shoulder where the chimney narrows and reusing the masonry firebox below. Other options in those plans use a factory-built insert with a metal flue, so the real choice is how much of the old masonry you keep. I'll tell you which ones make sense for your chimney when I'm out there.
Should a chimney be braced to the roof with steel?
Not with braces that run down to the roof surface, according to county guidance on masonry chimneys. That kind of bracing is thought to have helped chimneys fail in past earthquakes, and the guidance says it has to be carefully engineered, so we don't treat it as a quick add-on.
What is the best way to reline an old brick chimney?
A stainless steel flexible liner is usually the simplest, because it threads down the existing chimney with no demolition. Clay tile is only practical during a rebuild, and a cast-in-place liner, a cement-like mix pumped inside the chimney, suits flues that are odd-shaped or damaged.
How much does chimney repair cost in Redlands?
Across the US, chimney repair usually runs about $600 to $6,800 per job, covering everything from cap and crown repair with waterproofing to a rebuild above the roofline. That's the market's range, not our price, and where yours lands depends on what your chimney needs, which the written estimate spells out.
How do I find a good contractor to repoint my chimney?
Ask who will actually do the mortar work, because brick industry guidance points out that power tools can damage the brick around joints being cut out, and that an excellent bricklayer isn't always a good pointing hand. For my part, I'd rather leave a sound old joint alone than cut it out to pad a bill, and that spares the brick too.
Other brick work that often comes up
Tuckpointing
When the joints on your house walls look as worn as the chimney's, tuckpointing replaces the failed mortar so water stops working its way into the brick.
Brick repair
If a few bricks are spalling, cracked through or rocking loose, brick repair replaces just those and blends the new ones into the old wall.
Service areas for chimney repair near Redlands
Prestige Redlands Concrete and Masonry is based in Redlands, CA, and does chimney repair in the cities around it. Twelve cities have their own page here, including Highland and Loma Linda, and we work in others nearby too.
Redlands, CA
Book an on-site look at your chimney
Call (909) 488-7148 or send the form now, because patching a crown and a few joints costs far less than rebuilding a top that's worked loose.