Home › Services › Chimney Crown Rebuild
Chimney Crown Rebuild & Replacement in Seattle
When the crown is crumbling, a coating will not save it. We remove the failed slab and pour a new one built to shed rain. Starting at $299, free quote.
- Free 2nd-opinion quotes
- Price match + 10–25% discount
- Same-day service often available
Request a Free Chimney Crown Rebuild Quote
Tell us what's going on — we'll confirm a time by phone or text.
The crown is the concrete slab that closes off the top of a masonry chimney around the flue. It is the chimney's roof. A crown rebuild means removing the old slab down to sound brick and forming and pouring a new one, as opposed to crown repair, which seals a crown that is cracked but still solid. This page is for the crown that has gone past sealing: chunks missing, through-cracks you can fit a coin in, a slab that rocks when pushed, or mortar that was simply troweled flat across the bricks instead of a proper poured crown.
Many older masonry chimneys in Seattle, Tacoma, and Shoreline were finished with that thin mortar wash. Seattle's median home was built in 1976 and Tacoma's in 1967, so a large share of the chimneys we see are on their original top. A mortar wash has no overhang and no slope, and it cracks early. Once it does, every rain runs straight into the brick below.
Our chimney crown replacement starts at $299. We give a free quote, match any written competitor price and discount it 10-25%, and the job carries our guarantee: if you are not happy, we are not done.
Symptoms
Signs you need chimney crown rebuild
- 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
- Flue tile cracked or separated where it meets the crown
Common causes
- The original top was a thin mortar wash, not a reinforced poured crown
- Water sitting on a flat crown, freezing, and prying it apart over many winters
- The crown was cast tight against the flue tile with no expansion gap, so heat movement cracked it
- No drip edge, so runoff wicks back under the slab and into the brick
- Past patching that bridged cracks without stopping the movement behind them
How It Works
Our chimney crown rebuild process
We first decide honestly whether a rebuild is actually needed. We probe the crown for soundness, measure the cracks, check whether it has an overhang and slope, and look at the flue tile joint and the top courses of brick. If the slab is solid and only surface-cracked, we will tell you a coating is enough and quote that instead. If it is crumbling, undersized, or was never a real crown, we quote the rebuild and show you photos of why.
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.
Options
Repair and service options
There is more than one way to rebuild a crown, and the right one depends on the chimney and your budget:
- Poured concrete crown: the standard. Formed on site with overhang, slope, drip edge, and a flue expansion gap. Starting at $299.
- Precast crown: a factory-made slab set on the chimney. Faster, but only fits standard chimney dimensions and single flues.
- Rebuild plus top-course repair: when the bricks under the crown are also failing, we rebuild those courses first. Quoted per course.
- Rebuild plus new cap: most crowns that have failed this far have a cap problem too. Replacing both in one visit saves a trip charge. See chimney cap replacement.
If the damage goes well below the top courses, the chimney may need masonry work beyond the crown, and we will show you where that line is on the chimney repair quote.
Pricing
What affects the price
- Chimney footprint and how many flues pass through the crown
- How much of the top brickwork has to be reset before the pour
- Poured versus precast crown
- Roof pitch and chimney height, which set up the working platform
- Whether a cap is replaced in the same visit
- Dry-weather scheduling for the pour and cure
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
A crumbling crown sheds concrete, and loose pieces can slide off a steep roof. Keep children and pets clear of the side of the house below the chimney until it is rebuilt, and do not go up to look at it yourself; we will photograph it during the free quote. If pieces of crown or flue tile have fallen down the flue, do not light a fire until the chimney has been inspected for a blockage.
Seattle & Puget Sound conditions
The crown takes more rain than any other part of a Seattle chimney. Sea-Tac's normal annual precipitation is 40.34 inches, and November alone averages 6.31 inches, the wettest month. A flat crown holds that water in place. Winter lows average about 37F, with around 60 days a year touching 32F or lower, so the water in that slab freezes and thaws many times a season, and Brick Industry Association guidance describes what follows: saturated masonry that freezes cracks, spalls, and disintegrates.
That is why a rebuilt crown here needs slope, overhang, and a drip edge, not just fresh concrete.
Our Work
Chimney Crown Rebuild in action
Crown rebuilds starting at $299
Call 206-453-2045 for a free quote. We match any written price and take 10-25% off.
☎ 206-453-2045 Request a QuoteQuestions
Chimney Crown Rebuild FAQ
How do I know if I need a crown rebuild instead of a crown repair?
Repair is for a crown that is solid but has hairline or narrow cracks. Rebuild is for a crown that is crumbling, has missing chunks, rocks when pushed, is flat with no overhang, or was only a mortar wash to begin with. We check all of that during the free quote and tell you which one applies. Our crown repair page covers the sealing option.
What does the $299 starting price include?
Removing the old crown, forming, and pouring a new concrete crown with overhang and slope on a standard single-flue chimney with sound brick beneath. Larger chimneys, multiple flues, resetting damaged top courses, or adding a cap raise the price. You get the itemized figure in writing before any work starts, and we match and beat any written competitor quote by 10-25%.
How long does a chimney crown replacement take?
Demolition, forming, and the pour usually happen in one visit. The concrete then needs to cure before sealing and before heavy rain, so we schedule rebuilds for a dry window and return to seal it. Same-day service is often available for the first visit; call and we will check the forecast with you.
Why does the new crown need an overhang and drip edge?
Without an overhang, rain running off the crown sheets straight down the brick faces and soaks the top of the chimney. The overhang carries the water past the brick, and the drip edge on its underside makes it fall clear instead of wicking back under the slab. Those two details are what a troweled mortar wash never had.
Will the new crown crack again?
A properly built crown moves with the chimney instead of fighting it. We leave a bond break around the flue tile so the hot flue can expand without splitting the slab, and the overhang and sealer keep it from staying saturated. Any crown will eventually weather, but a rebuilt one should need only occasional re-sealing, not another rebuild.
Do you rebuild crowns on framed chimneys with siding?
Framed chimneys do not have a concrete crown. Their top is a sheet-metal chase cover, and when it rusts through the fix is a new cover, starting at $299. See chimney chase cover replacement. If you are not sure which type you have, send us a photo and we will tell you.
Related services
Topic
Service areas
Helpful reading