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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Des Moines, WA
Sloped, poured chimney crowns for Des Moines brick chimneys that take Puget Sound weather head-on. Starting at $299.
- Serving Des Moines & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Des Moines
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crown is the concrete slab on top of a brick chimney, and on Des Moines bluff homes it is the single most weather-beaten piece of masonry on the house. The 1950s-70s ramblers along Marine View Drive and above the Des Moines Marina typically have crowns that were troweled from mortar when the chimney was built, flat or nearly flat, with no overhang past the brick. Wind-driven rain off the Sound pools on that flat surface, soaks into the mortar and cracks it, and the cracks let water straight down into the brick courses below. By the time we see a Redondo or Woodmont crown it is often a web of cracks with a chunk missing on the windward side.
A rebuild means removing the failed crown, forming a new one and pouring it in proper crown mix, sloped to shed water away from the flue, with a drip edge past the brick so runoff does not track down the face. Our crown rebuilds start at $299. We give a free quote, a free second opinion if you already have one, and we match any written price and discount it 10-25%. Des Moines is about 20 minutes from our Renton office. We schedule pours around dry weather. If you are not happy, we are not done.
Symptoms
Signs Des Moines homeowners notice
- Pieces of concrete or mortar missing from the top edge of the chimney
- Cracks wide enough to see daylight or fit a coin into
- The crown is flat or dished in the middle so water pools on it
- No overhang: the slab ends flush with the brick faces
- The top two or three courses of brick are spalling or loose
- A previous crown sealant is peeling off and the cracks underneath have reopened
Des Moines Conditions
Why this happens in Des Moines
A crown in Des Moines has to shed a lot of water and survive freezing while wet. Sea-Tac's 1991-2020 normals show 40.34 inches of rain a year, with about 73% of it, 29.65 inches, falling October through March. A flat mortar crown on a Sound-facing chimney holds that water instead of shedding it. December through February lows average 37-38F and about 60 days a year dip to freezing, so the saturated crown freezes overnight and thaws by afternoon again and again. The Brick Industry Association documents that repeated freeze-thaw on saturated masonry causes cracking and disintegration, which is exactly how a bluff crown fails.
Shade makes it worse. Under the firs near Saltwater State Park and in Woodmont, the crown never fully dries between storms, and Western Washington moss, which spreads fastest October through April on slow-drying surfaces, roots into crown cracks and holds water there. A sloped crown with a drip edge dries faster and gives moss nothing to hold.
How It Works
Our chimney crown rebuild process
Remove the failed crown
We break out the old slab or mortar wash down to solid brick, protecting the flue opening so debris does not fall into the chimney.
Repair the top courses
Any loose or spalled brick in the top courses is reset or replaced so the new crown sits on sound masonry.
Form with overhang and slope
We build a form that projects past the brick faces on all sides and slopes the surface away from the flue so water runs off instead of sitting.
Pour and finish
The crown is poured in a single placement with a bond break around the flue tile so heat expansion does not crack it, and a drip edge is formed on the underside of the overhang.
Cure and seal
Once cured, we apply a breathable water repellent and, where useful, a flexible sealant at the flue joint. A new cap goes on if the old one is damaged.
Full details, options and pricing factors on the main Chimney Crown Rebuild page.
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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Des Moines — FAQ
Can a cracked crown on my Des Moines chimney just be sealed instead of rebuilt?
If the cracks are hairline and the crown still has its shape, a flexible crown coating can work and we will say so in the free quote. Bluff chimneys that have lost a chunk on the water side, or where the crown is crumbling into the brick below, need a rebuild. Rebuilds start at $299, and we show you photos so you can see which case you have.
When is the best time to rebuild a chimney crown in Des Moines?
Late spring through early fall. A poured crown needs dry weather to cure, and July at 0.60 inches is the driest month. We can still do rebuilds in the wet season during a dry stretch and cover the work, and since Des Moines is 20 minutes from Renton we can move quickly when the forecast opens.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Des Moines?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Des Moines and the rest of King County.
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