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Chimney Chase Siding Repair in Seattle, Tacoma & Everett
Replace the rotted siding on your chimney chase, flash it properly and stop the water coming from above. Free quote, price match plus 10–25% off.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
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Chimney chase siding repair replaces the boards, panels or shingles on the outside of a framed chimney chase that have rotted, split, swelled or pulled away. On a prefab fireplace the chase is the wood box that hides the metal flue pipe, and its siding is the only thing between the Puget Sound weather and the framing inside. When that siding fails, water runs straight into the box. In our experience it is the single most common way a chase goes bad around here.
This page is specifically about the siding layer: matching what is there, getting new flashing and housewrap behind it, and fixing whatever let the water in above it so the new siding does not rot the same way. If the framing under the siding is also soft, the job becomes a chase repair; if the box itself has failed, a chase rebuild. We tell you which during the free quote.
We repair chase siding on homes throughout King, Pierce and Snohomish counties from our Renton office. Call 206-453-2045.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney chase siding repair
- Siding on the chase is darker, softer or more swollen than the siding on the rest of the house
- Boards or panels cupping, splitting or lifting at the bottom edge
- A horizontal line of rot a few inches below the chase cover
- Paint bubbling or flaking on the chase while the house paint is fine
- Green or black streaks running down one face of the chase
- Nail heads rusting and bleeding through the paint
- Siding that feels spongy when pressed at the corners
- Mushrooms, moss or moisture stains at the base where the chase meets the roof
Common causes
- A rusted or flat chase cover dripping water behind the top course of siding
- No kick-out or drip edge at the cover, so runoff sheets down the face
- Missing or torn housewrap behind the siding, leaving the wood with no second line of defense
- Butt joints and trim seams caulked once at construction and never again
- Shaded exposure that keeps the chase wet for days after each rain
- Siding installed tight to the roof shingles with no gap, wicking water up from the roof
How It Works
Our chimney chase siding repair process
We look at the siding from the ground and the ladder, but the real inspection is behind it. We pull a sample board or panel at the worst spot to see whether there is housewrap, whether the sheathing is dry and firm, and whether the top plate under the cover has started to go. We also check the chase cover, the storm collar around the flue pipe and the roof flashing, because replacing siding under a leaking cover just buys you a few seasons before you do it again. You get a written quote that says what is coming off, what is going on and what we are fixing above it.
Remove the failed siding
We strip the damaged boards, panels or shingles, plus the trim that laps them, back to the first course that is sound and dry.
Check and dry the sheathing
Any soft sheathing is cut out and replaced. If the framing behind it is damaged, we stop and re-scope the job as a chase repair before going further.
Install housewrap and flashing
New housewrap is lapped shingle-style over the sheathing, with flashing at the roof line, around the corners and under the cover so water has a path out, not in.
Fix the source above
The chase cover is resealed, reset with a proper drip edge or replaced, and the storm collar resealed, so the new siding is not fed by the same leak.
Fit matching siding and trim
New siding is matched to the existing profile, exposure and material, held off the roof surface, fastened with corrosion-resistant nails and primed.
Seal and finish
Joints and trim are caulked with exterior-grade sealant, and we walk you through the repair and what to watch for.
Options
Repair and service options
Siding repairs on a chase come in a few sizes. We quote the smallest one that solves the problem:
- Spot replacement: a handful of boards or one panel where damage is confined, with new housewrap behind just that area.
- One full face: the weather side or the shaded side is often the only face that has failed. Replacing the entire face lets us rewrap and reflash that side properly and gives a cleaner finish than a patch.
- Full re-side: all four faces, usually when the original material was a low-grade hardboard or the chase was never wrapped. This is the right time to switch to fiber-cement, which holds up far better in constant rain.
- Siding plus cover: most siding rot starts at the cover, so a chase cover replacement (starting at $299) is frequently bundled in.
- Siding plus roof flashing: when the base of the chase is the wet spot, we reset the step and counter flashing; see flashing repair.
Every option comes with a free quote, a free second-opinion quote if you already have one, and a price match plus 10–25% off a written competitor quote.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Square footage of siding being replaced and how many faces
- Siding material: lap board, panel, shingle or fiber-cement, and how closely it must match
- Whether sheathing behind the siding has to be replaced
- Whether the chase cover or storm collar needs resealing or replacement
- Amount of trim and corner work
- Roof pitch, chase height and staging needed to reach it
- Priming and painting, if you want us to finish it to match the house
Every chimney is different, so you get a written quote after we look at the system. Ask about our price match and free second-opinion quote.
Safety & Seattle Conditions
Safety considerations
Please do not climb onto the roof to pry at the siding or check the cover; soft chase siding sometimes hides framing that will not take weight, and a wet roof is slick. We work from ladders and staging with fall protection.
New siding, blocking and sheathing near the flue pipe must stay outside the clearance the fireplace manufacturer specifies. We keep that space open and never pack it with wood or insulation. NFPA 211 recommends an annual chimney inspection; on a framed chase that annual look at the siding and cover is what catches a small rot line before it runs the whole face.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
Seattle gets about 40.34 inches of precipitation a year at Sea-Tac, spread over roughly 150–156 days with measurable rain, and about 73% of it falls between October and March. Chase siding on the north or tree-shaded side of a roof sits in that wet for months; regional roofing guidance notes moss spreads fastest here October through April on surfaces that dry slowly, and the same slow drying is what rots siding.
Winter lows at Sea-Tac average around 37°F, with about 60 days a year touching freezing, so wet siding swells, freezes and shrinks over and over. That movement opens joints and backs out nails, letting the next storm in deeper. Fiber-cement siding and a properly flashed cover are the two changes that make a repaired chase last in this climate.
Our Work
Chimney Chase Siding Repair in action
Rotted siding on the chimney chase? Replace it once, the right way.
Matched siding, flashing behind it and the leak above fixed. Free quote, price match plus 10–25% off. If you're not happy, we're not done. Call 206-453-2045.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Chase Siding Repair FAQ
How do I know if it is just the siding or the whole chase?
From outside you usually cannot. Soft siding can sit over perfectly sound framing, or hide a top plate that has rotted through. We pull a board at the worst spot and probe behind it. If the sheathing and framing are firm, siding repair is the whole job. If not, we tell you what it actually needs and quote that instead.
Can you match my existing siding?
We match the profile, exposure and material so the repaired area lines up with the rest. New material on a weathered chase will read slightly newer until it is painted, which is why many homeowners have us prime and paint the repaired face or the whole chase. If the original product is no longer made, we show you the closest current match before we order.
Why does the siding rot near the top of the chase first?
Because that is where the chase cover is. A cover with a flat spot or rusted seam drips behind the top course of siding every time it rains, and without a drip edge water sheets straight down the face. That is why we check and fix the cover on every siding repair; replacing boards under a leaking cover only postpones the next repair.
Should I switch to fiber-cement siding on the chase?
If you are replacing a full face or the whole chase, usually yes. Fiber-cement does not swell, rot or feed mold the way hardboard and some wood products do, and it holds paint well in constant rain. For a small spot repair on an otherwise sound wood-sided chase, matching the existing material is often the better choice so it blends.
Do I need a permit to repair chase siding?
Replacing siding like-for-like on a chimney chase may or may not need a permit depending on the city and on whether framing or the fireplace venting is touched. We will tell you during the free quote if your job is one that needs one and handle the paperwork if it does.
Another company said the chase has to be rebuilt. Is that true?
Sometimes, but not always. We offer a free second-opinion quote: we open the siding ourselves, show you where the rot stops, and quote the siding repair if the box is sound. If it really does need a rebuild, we price match the other written quote and take 10–25% off. Either way you see the wood before you decide.
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