Chimney repair in Redondo Beach CA - solid mortar and a top that keeps the rain out
Crumbling joints, loose brick or a water stain by the fireplace? We find where it starts and fix it with mortar that suits your chimney.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does chimney repair in Redondo Beach usually involve?
Chimney repair in Redondo Beach usually means raking out worn mortar joints and filling them with new mortar, replacing bricks that have cracked along with them, and fixing the top of the chimney so rain stops getting into the brick.
Most of the calls we get from Redondo Beach and the cities around it start with something small, like sand on the hearth, a joint you can scratch out with a key or a stain that comes back after every rain. The price moves with how much of the chimney needs tuckpointing, which is cleaning out the old joints and packing in new mortar, how many bricks have to come out, whether the top of the chimney and the seal at the roof need work, and how hard the chimney is to reach. The schedule depends mostly on the weather and on the permit step when the job needs one, and once I've seen your chimney, the estimate gives you the price for your job.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
Sand below the chimney
If you find gritty sand on the roof, in the gutter or on the hearth, the mortar between the bricks is wearing away. Left alone, those open joints let water into the brick, and a job that started as new mortar turns into replacing brick.
Cracked or loose bricks
A brick that's split, flaking on its face or rocks when you push it usually sits in joints that gave out first. The longer it goes, the more bricks around it loosen, and near the top that can mean a section has to come down and be relaid.
Water stains near the fireplace
A brown stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or white powder on the brick outside, means water is getting in somewhere, most often at the top or where the chimney meets the roof. If you wait, the water soaks into framing and drywall, so the repair stops being only masonry.
How we do chimney repair
Most chimney trouble we see starts with tired joints or water getting in up top, so I look at the whole chimney before we touch a joint. That means checking the crown, the concrete cap on top, and the flashing, the metal that seals where the chimney meets the roof, along with the mortar all the way down. Our crew covers the roof and the area around the fireplace, rakes the worn joints out by hand until we reach sound mortar, and packs them with new mortar that's no harder than your brick, because a mix that's too hard pushes the wear into the bricks themselves. Then we replace cracked bricks, repair the crown, reseal the flashing and clean up, so the leak gets fixed and not just the stain. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
A chimney is tied into the brick around it, so the work often connects. When the walls below have the same worn joints, tuckpointing them at the same time keeps the mortar matched, and if a wall, step or planter nearby has damaged brick, our brick repair sets new brick that matches the old.
Repointing the joints
This suits a chimney with solid bricks and worn mortar, which is the most common case we see. We renew the joints and leave the brick as it is.
Brick and joint repair
When some bricks have cracked or flaked along with the joints, we cut them out and set replacements that match in size and color. It costs more than doing the joints alone, but it keeps the rest of the chimney sound.
Crown and flashing repair
If the brick is mostly fine but you've got a leak, the fix is usually up top, at the crown and the flashing. This is often the smallest job that actually stops the water.
Get a price on your chimney repair from the owner
Send the form or call, and we reply within one business day. I come out to look at your chimney and give you a free quote on site, obligation-free, and you decide from there.
Call (424) 265-1368What happens when you call us about your chimney in Redondo Beach?
Here's how a chimney job runs with us, from the first call to the last check, so you know who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
You reach us at (424) 265-1368 or through the form, and we set a time for me to come out. Tell us what you've noticed and where, because that's where I'll look first.
I come out to look
I come out myself, check the chimney from the roof down and answer whatever you want to ask. The estimate tells you what needs doing now, what can wait and what the price is for your chimney.
We handle the permit steps
If you go ahead, we check the permit steps with your city or county office before any work starts. When the job needs a permit, we take care of it.
Our crew does the repair
Our crew does the work with me on site checking it as it goes. When we're done, we clean up the roof and the area around the fireplace.
Why Redondo Beach homeowners call us for chimney repair
*A chimney repair has to suit the brick it goes into, because a fix that's too hard or too rushed can do more harm than the wear it replaced. When you're ready, contact us and I'll come take a look.*
I look at every chimney myself
I come out to give the estimate, and I'm back on site checking our crew's work as it goes. The person who told you what your chimney needs is the one making sure that's what gets done.
Licensed and fully insured in California
We're licensed and fully insured. California's contractor license board includes fireplace and chimney work in its masonry exam, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring about their masonry license.
Joint and brick work since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, and careful repointing and brick repair are what we're best known for. That's most of what goes into a chimney repair.
Chimney and brick repair in Redondo Beach
In Redondo Beach, the city's building and safety office issues building permits, and you can call it at (310) 318-0636 to ask whether a chimney job needs one and what the fees are. We don't guess on that. We check the permit steps with the city before work starts and take care of the permit when the job needs one. Every permitted job in the city also needs a waste management plan, so a permitted chimney repair includes one, and we handle it along with the permit.
On jobs here we see a lot of older brick chimneys where the joints near the top have worn first and water has started getting in around the crown, so we start those jobs up top. We see the same thing on houses in Torrance and Hermosa Beach, and we do the same work there.
Questions about chimney repair in Redondo Beach
How do I know my chimney needs repointing?
Your chimney needs repointing when the mortar joints are crumbling, worn back from the brick face, cracked or have holes in them. Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while brick can last 100 years or more, so an older chimney often needs new joints long before the bricks wear out. If you're not sure, I can look at it and tell you what I see.
When should I get my chimney inspected?
A national chimney trade group recommends an inspection when you're selling the house and before a chimney is lined or relined. It also recommends one after a chimney fire, a storm or an earthquake, or when something stops working right, and if one of those has happened, it makes sense to book that inspection before any repair work starts.
What causes a chimney to leak?
Most chimney leaks start at the top, around the crown, which is an easy spot to overlook. The flashing and sealant there keep water out of the gap between the brick and the flue liner, the inner lining that carries smoke up. Staining where the chimney narrows at its shoulder can also mean water is getting in, so it's worth asking whether whoever inspected yours checked that spot.
How much does chimney repair cost in Redondo Beach?
Chimney repair in the Los Angeles area usually costs about $700 to $9,500 per project, a range that runs from small joint repairs at the low end to much bigger repairs at the top. Where your job lands depends on how much of the chimney needs work and what's going on up top, and the estimate gives you the figure for yours.
What are the repair options for a chimney damaged in an earthquake?
National retrofit plans for brick chimneys include capping the chimney at the roof or ceiling, or replacing it above the shoulder. Another plan replaces both the firebox and the chimney with a factory-built insert and a metal flue. Which one fits depends on how badly the chimney is damaged, and that's a question I'd want to look at closely before answering.
How do I get my house ready for chimney work?
If your job includes cleaning or a new liner, move or cover the furniture and rugs near the fireplace, since one liner maker points out that chimneys are usually very sooty and dusty inside. I'll tell you at the estimate if there's anything else you should clear for your job.
Related services for your chimney and brick
- Tuckpointing
If the joints on your walls or garden borders look as worn as the chimney, renewing them at the same time keeps the mortar matched across the house.
- Brick repair
Cracked, flaking or loose bricks in a wall, step or planter can let water in too, and setting matched replacements helps keep the damage from spreading.
Service areas for chimney repair near Redondo Beach
CJ Redondo Beach Concrete & Masonry is based in Redondo Beach, CA, and does chimney repair across the cities around it. The 12 cities below each have their own page, from Manhattan Beach to Palos Verdes Estates, and they aren't the only places we work.
Redondo Beach, CA
Send us photos of your chimney
Pictures of the cracked mortar or stains, plus a note about any recent earthquake, chimney fire or planned sale, tell me what to look at when I come out.