Family-owned chimney chase repair in Bay Hill
Rebuild or repair, our family team prices both for Bay Hill homes and backs the work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
- Licensed & insured
- Locally run
- Family owned and operated
- Same-day service available
Line items on a chimney chase estimate
- Siding removed and reused where boards are sound
- Two-layer barrier behind stucco on wood sheathing
- Rotted studs, plates and corners replaced or sistered
- Cover replacement listed as its own line
Building a chase back the right way
A cricket behind a wide chase
A wide chase acts like a dam on the uphill side of the roof. Rain and leaves pile up against it, and water sits at the joint instead of running past. A cricket, also called a saddle, is a small peaked roof built behind the chase that splits the water around both sides.
Florida's residential code, in R903.2.2, wants a cricket or saddle on the uphill side of a chimney or roof penetration wider than thirty inches, measured across the slope at a right angle. The covering is sheet metal or the same material as the roof.
When we rebuild the back wall of a wide chase on your Bay Hill home, we check whether a cricket is there and whether it drains. A missing or failing one goes on the estimate as its own item, with any roofing tie-in noted.
Two barrier layers under stucco on wood
Stucco on a framed chase needs more protection behind it than siding does. Section R703.7.3 calls for a barrier over wood-based sheathing that performs at least as well as two layers of Grade D paper, each layer its own continuous plane, with flashing directed between the layers.
With flashing draining between the two layers, water that gets through the stucco has a path down and out rather than into the sheathing. The code also allows an exception where a single, more water-resistant barrier is kept apart from the stucco by a drainage space or a layer that does not absorb water. Flashing at the base and at trim is tucked between the layers, not behind both.
When we reclad a stucco chase, both layers go on before the lath, lapped the right way at every seam. Our estimate for stucco chimney chase repair on your Bay Hill home lists the barrier as its own line, so you can see it was not skipped.
Where the chimney passes a closet or room
On some homes the chimney pipe passes through a closet, a storage area or a bonus room on its way up. DuraVent's manual says interior chimneys are enclosed where they run through closets, storage or occupied spaces, and the enclosure keeps the required air space around the pipe.
Those inside enclosures are part of the same chase. A leak at the top can show up as a stain on a closet wall, and boxes stacked hard against a thin enclosure can press it toward the pipe. A closet enclosure also hides the pipe from view, so nobody notices when something has been pushed up against it.
When a chase repair reaches inside the house, our crew checks the enclosure walls, the air space and the firestops at each level. Drywall repairs in finished rooms are listed separately. We also suggest keeping stored items off the enclosure.
What the attic side of the chase can show
On a roof-mounted chase, the attic is the one place to see the chase from inside without opening a wall. Wet stains on rafters around the chimney, dark wood on the roof deck, damp insulation or daylight around the opening all say something about the chase above.
Looking into an attic means staying on the framing and keeping clear of the chimney pipe and any wiring. If the attic is hard to reach, leave it for the inspection. Blown insulation can hide the joists, so step only where you can see framing.
During the free inspection for homes in Bay Hill, our technicians check the attic side when there is a safe way in. What we find is written into the estimate next to what we saw on the outside of the chase. A damp spot on the attic floor under the chase is often the clearest sign that water is getting past the chase walls.
Other work in Bay Hill
-
-
-
-
-
Quick answers on chimney chase repair
Can you match my existing siding or stucco?
We match profile, texture and color as closely as the materials allow, and we tell you before the job how close that will be. When an exact match is not available, we price options like re-siding one full face or painting the whole chase.
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
Your request is received
Thank you. We will contact you to discuss the job and confirm an appointment.