Chimney crown repair in Andover Lakes

Slope that moves rain off the crown

A flat crown holds puddles. Standing water finds every hairline crack and sits in it until it evaporates or soaks in. The code language for masonry chimney caps is plain on the point, the top has to be sloped to shed water.

We check the pitch with a straightedge and look for dark rings where water has been sitting. If the slope is wrong, no coating will fix it for long, and your estimate will say that plainly. A recast crown gets the correct pitch built into the forms.

Slope matters most around the flue, where water tends to gather against the tile. A new crown our crew casts falls away from each flue toward every edge, so rain leaves in all directions. On a sound crown with one small low spot, a repair mortar can sometimes build up the pitch.

Reinforcing steel inside a new crown

Steel set inside a crown holds the concrete together as it cures and as it heats and cools through the seasons. Brick Industry Association guidance recommends reinforcement to control shrinkage and thermal cracking, with extra steel in the overhang, where the crown is most exposed.

Our crew places the reinforcement inside the forms so it ends up surrounded by concrete, well back from the surface. Steel sitting too close to the top rusts and splits the crown. It is a detail you cannot see after the pour, so we explain it beforehand.

Reinforcement matters most on larger crowns and on crowns with a generous overhang, where the concrete reaches further past the brick. Our crew sizes and places it to suit the crown being built, and the written estimate describes what goes inside as well as what shows.

Crown repair on homes with tile roofs

Clay and concrete roof tiles can crack under a careless step. If your home has a tile roof, the path to the chimney matters as much as the crown work itself.

Our crew plans where to step, spreads the load and keeps materials off the tiles. If a tile near the chimney is already cracked when we arrive, we point it out before starting. The goal is a repaired crown and a roof left the way we found it.

Tile roofs also hide what is underneath. Water that gets past a cracked crown can reach the underlayment below the tiles near the chimney. If we see signs of that, we mention it so you can have a roofer look, and we keep our estimate focused on the crown.

What a full crown rebuild includes

A crown rebuild covers the whole top of the chimney. The old crown comes off, the top brick is checked, forms go up, reinforcement goes in, and a new sloped crown is cast with an overhang and drip.

After it cures, the flue joint gets its sealant and any cap is refitted. Our written estimate lists each of those steps, and at the end of the job we walk you through them so you know exactly what you paid for.

A rebuild also includes protecting the flue during the work and checking it afterward, so no debris is left inside. If the cap needs replacing, it is fitted once the crown has cured. Everything is listed, so you can see what the rebuild includes and what it leaves out.

• Old crown removed down to sound masonry
• Forms, reinforcement and a sloped pour
• Bond break and sealant at each flue