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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Mountlake Terrace, WA
Crumbling crown on a 1950s Mountlake Terrace brick chimney? Poured, sloped crowns with a drip edge, starting at $299. Free quote.
- Serving Mountlake Terrace & Snohomish County
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote in Mountlake Terrace
We'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crowns on Mountlake Terrace's post-war brick chimneys were typically a thin mortar wash troweled flush with the top course, with no slope, no overhang and no gap around the flue tile. Sixty years on, most of them have cracked into pieces, and on many of the short center-roof stacks here the crown has simply eroded away to loose sand, leaving the top of the brick open. From there, water runs between the tile and the brick and into the mortar joints below, and the top courses start to loosen. Bits of mortar on the roof after a storm are typically the crown coming apart.
We remove whatever is left of the old wash, form a new crown and pour it reinforced and several inches thick, sloped with an overhang and drip edge so water clears the brick, with a bond break around the tile. Crown rebuilds start at $299, the quote is free, and we price match a written bid and take 10-25% off. Mountlake Terrace is about 40 minutes from our Renton office, and a crown on a short rambler chimney is usually a single visit, often paired with a new cap. If you are not happy, we are not done.
Symptoms
Signs Mountlake Terrace 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
Mountlake Terrace Conditions
Why this happens in Mountlake Terrace
A flat crown in Mountlake Terrace is wet for most of the year. By the Sea-Tac 1991-2020 normals, October through March brings about 29.65 inches of rain, roughly 73 percent of the annual 40.34, spread over many of the region's roughly 150-156 rainy days. A low center-roof chimney gets no shelter from eaves or trees on any side, so the crown takes the full amount and, with no slope, holds it.
Then the cold nights come. The area sees about 60 days a year at or below 32F while December through February lows average 37-38F, so a saturated crown freezes overnight and thaws by afternoon repeatedly through the winter. The Brick Industry Association documents that water in saturated masonry expands as it freezes and that repeated cycles cause cracking and disintegration. A thin flush wash has nothing to resist that; a thick, sloped, overhanging crown sheds the water before it can freeze, which is why the rebuild outlasts a patch on these older Mountlake Terrace stacks.
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 Mountlake Terrace?
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Chimney Crown Rebuild in Mountlake Terrace — FAQ
Should I add a cap when you rebuild the crown on my Mountlake Terrace chimney?
Usually yes. Many of the short post-war flues here never had a cap, so rain goes straight down the tile even with a perfect crown. Doing both in one visit means one trip to the roof and one setup charge, and the cap also keeps birds and leaves out. We quote the cap separately so you can decide. The crown rebuild starts at $299.
Can you rebuild a crown in winter, or do I have to wait for summer?
We can do it in winter with a covered cure during a dry window, but summer is better. July and August are the driest months at 0.60 and 0.97 inches, and a crown poured then is fully set before the October storms arrive. If the crown is already letting water in, we can apply a temporary seal now and pour the new crown in the dry season.
How soon can you do chimney crown rebuild in Mountlake Terrace?
We confirm a time by phone or text after you request a quote; same-day service is often available for urgent problems in Mountlake Terrace and the rest of Snohomish County.
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