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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Seattle, WA
Cracked crown on a Seattle brick chimney? Crown rebuilds starting at $299, free quote, about 20 minutes from our Renton office.
- Serving Seattle & King County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Seattle
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crown is the concrete slab on top of a masonry chimney, and on Seattle's older brick stock it is usually the first thing to fail. Many 1920s-40s Craftsman and cottage chimneys in Seattle were finished with a thin mortar wash instead of a real crown, and mid-century ramblers often got a flat slab with no overhang and no drip edge. Both crack in a few Seattle winters, and once a crack opens, rain runs straight into the brick below it. A rebuild replaces the failed slab with a properly formed crown that overhangs the brick, slopes away from the flue, and has an expansion gap around the liner so it does not crack again at the tile.
Our crown rebuild starts at $299. The quote is free, and if you already have a number from another Seattle company, we will give you a free second opinion and price match plus 10-25% off. We are in Renton, about 20 minutes away, so we can typically look at the crown and quote it the same day. If you're not happy with the finished crown, we're not done.
Symptoms
Signs Seattle 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
Seattle Conditions
Why this happens in Seattle
Crowns fail in Seattle because of how the water and the cold arrive together. November averages 6.31 inches of rain at Sea-Tac, the wettest month of the year, and December and January winter lows average 37.1 and 37.7 degrees. That is cold enough for the roughly 60 nights a year when Seattle touches freezing, but warm enough that the crown thaws by midday. Water that soaked into a hairline crack during the day freezes and expands that night, then thaws and lets more water in. The Brick Industry Association describes this exact cycle in saturated masonry as the cause of cracking, crazing, and spalling.
A crown with no overhang, which is typical on Seattle's mid-century chimneys, also sheds water down the face of the brick instead of past it, so the top courses stay saturated longest. Rebuilding the crown with an overhang and drip edge changes where the water goes, which is why it protects the whole chimney, not just the top.
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 Seattle?
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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Seattle — FAQ
The top of my Seattle chimney has a crumbly mortar cap rather than a concrete crown. Is that what you replace?
Yes, and it is the most common crown we rebuild in Seattle's pre-war neighborhoods. A mortar wash was a quick finish, not a weather cap, and it typically erodes and cracks within a few wet seasons. We remove it down to sound brick and form a new crown that overhangs the chimney with a drip edge and slopes away from the flue. Starting at $299, free quote.
Can a Seattle crown be rebuilt in the rainy season, or should I wait for summer?
We rebuild crowns year-round, but the new crown needs a dry window to cure, so in the wet season we watch the forecast and schedule accordingly. Seattle gets dry stretches even in winter. If the crown is actively letting water in, a temporary cover is better than waiting months. Summer, with about 3 inches of rain from June through August, is the easiest time to schedule.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Seattle?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Seattle and the rest of King County.
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