Hiring a Chimney Contractor: Sweep, Mason or Roofer, and the Quote

For a leak or 'something's wrong,' a chimney sweep certified by the CSIA: they inspect with a camera, do caps, crowns, liners and light masonry, and tell you which trade the rest needs. For repointing, spalled brick or a rebuild, a mason — ideally one who does chimneys weekly, not one who does patios. For flashing, a roofer, or the sweep's roofer. Full-service chimney companies do all three under one quote, which is simplest when the chimney needs two of them.

The inspection findings it's based on; each part being repaired — cap (size, material), crown (sealed with what, or recast to what thickness and overhang), joints (square footage, depth ground, mortar type and color match), flashing (step and counter, material, reglet cut or surface-mounted, cricket), liner (material, size, insulated or not); brick source and match for a rebuild; staging or lift; permit and inspection for a rebuild or liner; cleanup and roof protection; the schedule; and a warranty per item. A number with 'chimney repair' beside it is not a quote.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America's credential for sweeps: an exam on NFPA 211, the International Residential Code and chimney construction, renewed every three years. It's the one credential that means the person has studied how chimneys fail. Masons have no equivalent chimney credential, so for masonry, ask for chimney jobs they did five years ago and go look at the joints.

Yes, from a sweep who isn't also bidding the big repair, if you can. The Level 2 report with photos tells you whether the liner is cracked, how far the water has gone, and what's actually needed — and it's the document every bidder should price from. Without it, the mason quotes the joints, the roofer quotes the flashing, and the liner that's the real problem stays unfound until the next inspection.

General liability for damage to the roof and the house, and workers' compensation for a crew working at height — chimney work is roof work. Ask for the certificate from the insurer. A mason without workers' comp who falls off your roof is your homeowner's claim, and a roofer without liability who cracks a dozen shingles walking to the chimney is your roof repair.

Not for a cap, a crown seal, repointing or flashing. Usually yes for rebuilding a stack, installing or replacing a liner, or changing a fireplace or appliance, with an inspection. The permit is what makes a liner's installation part of the house's record — buyers' inspectors ask for it. A contractor who says a rebuild doesn't need one is either wrong or planning not to be inspected.

A quote from the driveway with no camera and no ladder; a 'crown seal' that's a coat of roofing tar; caulk in the mortar joints; Type S or 'concrete' mortar on old brick; flashing surface-mounted with sealant instead of cut into the joints; a liner quoted without a size or an insulation call; no insurance; a storm-chaser at the door after high winds; and a company that finds a cracked liner on every inspection. Also a price far below the others — that's the flashing or the liner left out.

Stainless caps and liners come with manufacturer warranties, often lifetime on the metal. The contractor's warranty on workmanship — joints staying tight, crown not cracking, flashing not leaking — should be in writing for at least 2–5 years on masonry and flashing. A company that won't warranty a flashing job doesn't expect it to hold; a masonry warranty that excludes 'weather' excludes the only thing that tests it.