Home › Service Areas › Kent › Chimney Crown Rebuild
Chimney Crown Rebuild in Kent, WA
Crumbling crown on a Kent split-level chimney? Rebuilt with slope, overhang and drip edge, starting at $299. 15 minutes from Renton.
- Serving Kent & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Kent
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
On the 1960s-80s brick chimneys of Kent's East Hill and West Hill, the crown is usually the first thing to go. Most of those chimneys were topped with a thin mortar wash troweled flush with the brick edge. Because so many of them stand on an exterior wall of a split-level, the crown is the highest and most exposed point on the house, and after 45-60 winters the wash has typically cracked across, pulled away from the tile, and let water down into the top courses. The signs from the yard are white streaks below the top, flaking brick faces, and a top section that looks loose.
A rebuild means we remove the failed wash and any loose brick, reset what needs it, and form and pour a new crown that is thick at the center, sloped to the edges, overhangs the brick with a drip edge, and has an expansion gap around the flue tile so it will not crack when the liner heats up. Crown rebuilds start at $299, and the quote is free, set after we see the chimney. Kent is about 15 minutes from our Renton office, so we can quote quickly and pour on the next dry day. Another bid? We price match and take 10-25% off.
Symptoms
Signs Kent 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
Kent Conditions
Why this happens in Kent
A crown in Kent takes the full wet season head-on. The Sea-Tac 1991-2020 normal is 40.34 inches of rain a year, with October through March carrying about 29.65 inches of it, and a flush mortar wash holds that water instead of shedding it like the roof below. Winter lows average 37.1F in December and 37.7F in January and February, and the area sees about 60 days a year that touch 32F but only about 4 that stay frozen all day, so water in a crown crack freezes and thaws over and over each winter. The Brick Industry Association documents the result: saturated masonry that freezes expands and, with repeated cycles, cracks, spalls and disintegrates.
A tall exterior split-level chimney adds height and wind exposure on top of that, which is why a thin wash on an East Hill chimney typically fails sooner than the same wash on a short chimney near a ridge. Kent's 1990s-and-later prefab chases do not have crowns; those use a chase cover, which we replace starting at $299.
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.
Need chimney crown rebuild in Kent?
Call now or request a free quote — we confirm by phone or text.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Crown Rebuild in Kent — FAQ
Is a cracked crown on my Kent chimney an urgent repair?
Not today, but it gets worse every wet season. Water through a crown crack freezes and thaws many times a winter here, and the crack that shows as a stain in November is often a crumbling top course by spring. A rebuild starting at $299 now is cheaper than resetting brick later. We quote it for free.
Can you rebuild the crown on a two-story exterior chimney on Kent's East Hill?
Yes. Tall exterior split-level chimneys are common on East Hill and West Hill, and we set up for the height. The work is the same: remove the old wash, reset loose brick, form and pour a sloped, overhanging crown. We schedule the pour for a dry window and tell you beforehand how long to keep the fireplace cold.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Kent?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Kent and the rest of King County.
Other services in Kent
Chimney Crown Rebuild nearby