Family-owned chimney chase repair in Avalon Park
Same-day chase inspections when available for Avalon Park homeowners, plus a written repair plan you keep.
- Licensed & insured
- Locally run
- Family owned and operated
- Same-day service available
Each chase repair line, spelled out in Avalon Park
- Stucco rebuilt in three coats over new lath
- Sheathing replaced back to firm wood
- Apron and back flashing at the chase base
- Air space around the chimney pipe kept clear
What a lasting chase repair takes
Open siding joints that let rain behind the finish
Siding on a chase takes wind-driven rain on all four sides, and the joints are the weak spots. Butt joints, where two boards meet end to end, open up as the boards dry and shrink. Nail holes near those ends can let water into the board itself. Joints in the lowest course and just under the top tend to take the most water.
Once water is behind the siding, the barrier underneath has to carry it down and out. If that barrier is torn or missing, the sheathing takes the water instead.
On a chase in Avalon Park, our crew looks at every joint on every face, including the side nobody sees from the street. Open joints on sound boards can be sealed or backed with flashing. Boards that are swollen or split at the ends are replaced, and the barrier behind them is checked before new siding goes up.
Corner boards and trim that pull away
Corner boards and trim cover the edges of the siding. When they shrink, warp or pull away, they leave a slot that funnels water straight onto the end grain of the siding and the sheathing edge behind it.
Trim at the top of the chase and around the base takes the heaviest wetting. A gap you could slide a coin into can soak the corner stud over a few seasons. Water that enters at the top of a corner board runs down behind its full length before it shows at the bottom.
For homes in Avalon Park, our technicians test each trim piece with a probe and pull any that are soft. New trim is primed on every side before it goes up, and joints are sealed where the siding maker calls for it. Trim is priced apart from siding so you can see the difference on paper.
Stucco that sounds hollow or bulges
Tapping stucco tells a lot. Sound stucco gives a solid, dull knock. Stucco that has let go of its lath or sheathing sounds hollow and may flex under light pressure. Tapping works best in a grid across each face, since hollow areas seldom show to the eye.
Hollow areas and bulges on a chase usually mean water has reached the lath, or the sheathing has swollen and pushed the stucco out. A bulge near the base or just under the top tends to line up with soft wood behind it. Left in place, a loose section can keep growing.
During the inspection on your Avalon Park home, our technicians tap each face of a stucco chase and mark the hollow areas. Those areas are opened first, since they show how far the damage goes. Each hollow area is marked on the written estimate, and what turns up behind it is shown to you before the work goes further.
Insulation that has no place against the pipe
Homeowners sometimes stuff insulation into a chase to stop drafts or noise, and some chases were insulated when they were built. That insulation can end up packed against the chimney pipe. DuraVent's manual, as one example, says never to fill the clearance space with insulation and to keep building insulation away from the chimney.
Wet insulation can also hold water against the sheathing and framing, which speeds up rot on the inside faces of the chase walls. It can leave the back of the siding damp long after the outside looks dry.
When we open a chase, any insulation inside is checked by hand, including any packed above or below the opened section. Material in the clearance space comes out, and wet insulation is removed. Insulation that belongs in the chase walls stays in the stud bays, outside the clearance, and the estimate says what was removed and what stayed.
Other work in Avalon Park
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Quick answers on chimney chase repair
Do you charge to look at my chase?
No. The inspection and the written estimate are free, with no obligation to book the repair. If the chase only needs small fixes, we tell you that too.
How long will my chase be open to the weather?
That depends on how much of the wall comes off and on curing time if the finish is stucco. We give you the plan at the start, and any open section is covered before the crew leaves each day.
Request your free estimate
Share the job details and arrange a free inspection with our local team.
- Free inspection
- No hidden fees
- Family owned and operated
Need an answer now? Call (352) 675-6376
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