Chimney Services
Before your chimney is rebuilt in Forest City
Three things our masons in Forest City explain before any brick comes down.
When the problem starts at the footing
A chimney that leans, pulls away from the house or cracks from the ground up may be telling you about its footing. Florida's residential code sets the footing under a chimney at 12 inches thick or more, in concrete or solid masonry, projecting at least 6 inches past the chimney on every side.
Rebuilding the top of a chimney that is still settling at the bottom only moves the problem upward. When the signs point below grade, we say so before quoting a rebuild and recommend that a structural engineer look at the footing first. That advice can change the whole plan, and it is better heard at the start.
Signs we look for include cracks that widen toward the ground, a chimney base that has dropped relative to the house foundation and gaps that are wider at the top than at the bottom.
Rebuilding after storm damage
High wind can topple a weakened chimney top or knock courses loose, and a falling section can damage the roof on its way down. The first job is making the area safe and keeping rain out of the open chimney and the roof around it.
Once it is safe, we assess how far the damage reaches and whether a partial rebuild will do. Keep the fireplace out of use until then, and keep people away from the area below the chimney. Our 24/7 emergency line takes storm calls, and the inspection that follows is free, with the rebuild priced in writing before any work begins.
Tell us when the damage happened and whether the fireplace was in use at the time. That history helps us judge whether heat or water has affected the masonry still standing.
A cap sized to the rebuilt flue
A rebuilt chimney is finished with a cap to keep out rain, animals and sparks. The Florida Building Code, Residential, requires a spark arrestor on a masonry chimney whose net free area is no less than four times the flue outlet's area, screen openings between 3/8 and 1/2 inch, and a screen or cap that comes off for cleaning.
A cap that is too small can choke the draft of a freshly rebuilt chimney, and one fixed in place makes every future cleaning harder. We size the cap to the finished flue and include it on the estimate as its own line.
The cap is fastened to the crown or the flue in a way that lets it come off for cleaning, and we show you how it attaches so future service is straightforward.
