Chimney Repair & Removal in Portland
Masonry repair, seismic bracing, rebuilds above the roofline and full removals, for the unreinforced brick chimneys on most pre-1960 Portland homes. Scoped with the roof and structure they are attached to.
What usually goes wrong, and what we do about it.
Most Portland chimneys are unreinforced brick, which is the first thing to fail in an earthquake and the most common inspection-report item we are handed. The choice is repair and brace, rebuild above the roofline, or remove it entirely and reclaim the space, and the right answer depends on whether you still use it, what the roof looks like, and what the flue is venting.
We treat a chimney as part of the roof and structure, not as a masonry-only trade, so flashing, the cricket, the roof patch and any interior finish work are one scope.
Scope, line by line.
Inspection & scope
Level-2 camera inspection; mortar, crown and flashing condition; seismic assessment
Repair
Tuckpointing, new crown and cap, flashing and cricket; waterproofing
Seismic bracing
Steel strapping and bracing to the roof framing per engineer
Rebuild above the roof
Take down to the roofline and rebuild in reinforced masonry or a framed chase
Removal
Full removal through the roof and floors; roof, ceiling and floor patched and finished
Venting
Gas insert, new liner or reroute of furnace and water-heater flues when a chimney is removed
Chimneys FAQ
Should I remove my chimney?
If you do not use the fireplace and the furnace does not vent through it, removal is often cheaper than a rebuild and safer in a quake. We price both.
Can this be done during a re-roof?
Ideally yes; the flashing, cricket and roof patch are shared work and you pay for staging once.
What about the inspection report?
Chimney items are among the most common repair requests we scope for brokers; we turn a written estimate around from the report.
Do you do gas inserts?
We coordinate the insert and liner with a licensed installer as part of the scope.
Most of this work happens inside our remodels, additions and custom homes. If yours is, start there.
Tell us about the house. We'll come back with a written scope.
Have an inspection report? Send it and we'll turn around a priced estimate within three business days. Or call 503-567-5676.