Something is living in there
Birds, squirrels and windblown branches pile up just above the damper. A blocked flue does not vent — it pushes smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room.
Removal and a cap: $200 – $850
Cleaner chimneys.Safer Washington homes.
Cleaning, inspection and repair for Puget Sound homeowners. We tell you what we found, what it means, and what can wait — and you get it in writing before anyone quotes a repair.
Built for Washington homes
- Serving the Puget Sound
- Findings in writing, every visit
- Floors covered, nothing left behind
- No repair quoted before an inspection
- Licensed, bonded & insured —
Most people have never seen the inside of their own chimney.
This is a drawing, not a photograph — a cutaway of a typical Washington masonry flue. Scroll to go down it. Everything labeled here is something we find in Puget Sound homes every week.
Flaky, and it brushes off
Dry and crumbly, the residue of a normal burning season. This is exactly what an annual sweep exists for, and it is the least expensive problem in this whole flue.
Sweep and inspection: $200 – $400
Glazed — and this one starts fires
Hardened into a tar-like shell that a brush slides straight over. It burns hot and fast if it ever lights. Removing it takes a different process, and a much more careful quote.
Priced after inspection — never over the phone
The gap you cannot see from below
Freeze-thaw cycles and past chimney fires both crack clay tile. A broken liner lets heat and combustion gases reach the framing behind the wall.
Relining: $4,600 – $8,000
What we find inside Puget Sound chimneys
Three conditions we run into every week. None of these is unusual, and every one of them was invisible from the living room.
Nest and debris
Something is living in there
Birds, squirrels and windblown branches pile up above the damper and block the draft, pushing smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room.
Removal and a cap: $200 – $850
Degree 3 creosote, glazed
This is the kind that starts fires
Degree 2 is dry and flaky and brushes off — that is what the annual sweep is for. This is the other one: hardened into a tar shell that a brush slides straight over.
Priced after inspection — never over the phone
Cracked clay liner
The gap you cannot see from below
Freeze-thaw cycles and past chimney fires both crack clay tile. A broken liner lets heat and combustion gases reach the framing behind the wall.
Relining: $4,600 – $8,000
Not sure you actually need us?
Six questions, sixty seconds. If your chimney is fine, this will say so — we would rather keep your number than sell you a service you do not need.
Result
Result
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Market range for the Puget Sound area, shown so you can sanity-check anyone's quote — ours included.
Market range for the Puget Sound area, shown so you can sanity-check anyone's quote — ours included.
Sweeping · Inspection · Repair
Done properly, on Washington houses — from the annual sweep to a full rebuild.
Chimney sweeping
The annual sweep that keeps creosote from becoming a fire. We seal the opening, cover the floor and vacuum as we work, so the only sign we were here is a clean flue.
- Fireplace, wood stove and insert flues
- Firebox, smoke shelf and damper cleaned
- Written findings before we leave
Chimney inspections
This is what we are looking for. An inspection covers the cap, crown, flashing, flue and firebox, and ends with a plain-English list of what needs attention now and what can wait a season.
- Annual Level 1 inspection
- Level 2 for a home sale or after a chimney fire
- Findings ranked by priority, in writing
Chimney repair
Washington rain finds every crack. Crowns, caps, flashing and mortar are what fail here first, and they fail quietly until water is already inside the wall.
- Crowns, caps and chase covers
- Flashing, leaks and waterproofing
- Tuckpointing, masonry and relining
Something living in the chimney
Scratching, flapping or chirping above the damper. Stop using the fireplace and call — a blocked flue pushes smoke and carbon monoxide back into the room. We come out, find out what it is, and tell you what can legally be done about it.
- Nest and debris removal, then a sweep and inspection
- A cap and mesh, which is the part that actually ends it
- Chimney swifts are federally protected — we will say so
How a visit actually goes
Six steps, same order every time. The one that matters most is the fourth.
Book
Pick the service and a day that works. We confirm by phone or text — you will never be left guessing at a four-hour window.
Protect
Floor coverings down, the fireplace opening sealed, the work area contained before a brush touches anything.
Inspect
Cap, crown, flashing, flue, damper, smoke chamber and firebox. The whole system, not just the part that is easy to reach.
Document
Everything we found, written down and ranked: needs attention now, watch it, or it is fine. This is the step the industry usually skips.
Explain
We walk you through it in plain English and answer questions. No pressure, no same-day-only discount, no scare tactics.
Complete
Approved work gets done and documented. Anything we did not touch stays on your report so the next visit picks up where this one ended.
Drag to see the difference
Two real jobs, photographed from the same spot before and after.
Crown rebuild and new cap
The crown had cracked through and the cap was long gone, so every storm was pouring straight down the flue. Rebuilt crown, new stainless cap.
Before
After
A season of wood fires, swept
Nothing structural here — just a firebox that had done its job all winter. This is what a standard sweep looks like from the living room.
Before
After
What waiting costs
Not a scare tactic — just the three numbers, in the order they tend to arrive. The first one is the only one you get to choose.
$200–400
An annual sweep
Once a year, scheduled when it suits you, done in about an hour.
$4,600–8,000
Relining a damaged flue
What a cracked liner costs once it has gone unnoticed for a few seasons.
The claim
A chimney fire
Adjusters ask for inspection records. Keeping yours is far easier than explaining why there are none.
Ranges are typical 2026 market prices for the region, published so you can check any quote against them.
You get it in writing
The single most common complaint about this industry is that the diagnosis and the sales pitch arrive in the same sentence. Here is what we leave behind instead.
Service record · sample
Cap and spark arrestorFine
CrownWatch
Flashing and roof penetrationFine
Flue — creosote degreeDegree 2
Clay liner conditionFine
Damper operationFine
Smoke chamber and shelfFine
Firebox and hearth extensionFine
Clearance to combustiblesFine
Photographs of each findingAttached
Interior flue scanAttached
What this one says: the crown has hairline cracking that
should be sealed before next winter, and the flue had normal degree 2
buildup, now swept. Nothing here is urgent. Nothing here was sold to you
on the spot.
Are we on your street?
Type your ZIP. If we are not out there yet we will say so plainly instead of taking your details and calling it a lead.
Selling a house with a fireplace?
NFPA 211 calls for a Level 2 inspection when a property changes hands, and it is the item that most often surprises everyone three days before closing. We turn those around as a written report your client and the buyer can both read.
Questions we get every week
How often should a chimney be swept?
The NFPA standard is an annual inspection for every chimney, with sweeping
as needed. A wood-burning fireplace used most winter days usually needs
sweeping once a year. A gas fireplace may go longer between sweeps, but it
still needs the annual look — most gas-appliance problems are venting
problems.
How do I know if my chimney needs cleaning?
Smoke pushing back into the room, a strong smell from the fireplace in warm
weather, sounds or debris in the firebox, and buildup you can scrape off the
flue with a fingernail. Any one of those is worth a look.
What is the difference between Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 inspections?
Level 1 is the annual visual check of the readily accessible parts. Level 2
adds the areas you cannot see directly, and it is the one required when a
home is sold, after a chimney fire, or when you change the appliance or the
fuel. Level 3 means opening up part of the structure and is only done when a
serious hazard is suspected.
Will the cleaning make a mess?
It should not. We cover the floor and the surrounding area, seal the
fireplace opening and vacuum as we work. If we leave soot in your living
room, we have not finished the job.
How long does the appointment take?
A straightforward sweep and inspection usually runs an hour to an hour and a
half. Heavy buildup, a second flue or difficult roof access takes longer, and
we tell you before we start rather than after.
Can you work in the rain?
Interior work goes ahead in almost any weather — this is Washington. Roof
work depends on how wet and how steep the roof is. If it is not safe to be up
there we reschedule that part instead of rushing it.
Do you provide reports for a home sale?
Yes. A property transfer calls for a Level 2 inspection under NFPA 211, and
you get the findings in writing so your agent and the buyer can both read
them.
How are repair estimates prepared?
We inspect first, write down what we found, and then quote. You approve the
work before anything starts. We do not diagnose and sell in the same breath —
that habit is exactly why this industry has the reputation it has.
A safer chimney starts with an honest look at it.
Booking takes a minute. Peak season here runs September through November, and the good slots go first.