Chimney chase repair with a written estimate in Lake Mary Jane

The layers that make up a chase wall

Every chase wall is a stack of parts, and each one fails in its own way. Knowing the stack helps you read an estimate and ask sharper questions before anything gets torn off.

Water usually gets through the outer finish first, then soaks the barrier, the sheathing and finally the studs. Repairing only the outside layer leaves the rest of that stack wet.

Our crew checks the layers in order and writes down where the damage stops in each one. That is also why our estimate is written layer by layer. From the inside out, a typical chase is built like this.

• Framing, the studs and plates that give the box its shape
• Sheathing, the plywood or strand board nailed over the studs
• A water-resistive barrier, then siding or stucco and trim
• The top plate and framing that sit under the metal cover

A chase that hangs off the wall on a framed floor

A cantilevered chase never reaches the ground. It sticks out from the house wall at fireplace height or higher, sitting on a small framed floor with a soffit panel underneath. From below it looks like a narrow bay built around the chimney.

That floor and soffit belong to the chase. Water running down inside the box collects on the floor framing, and a sagging soffit or a stained underside panel is often the first sign. Rot there can spread to the joists that tie the small floor back to the house wall, so the floor gets probed along with the walls.

When we open a cantilevered chase, the floor joists, the soffit and the connection to the house wall get checked together. Your estimate lists the soffit and any floor framing as their own items. The soffit panels usually come down first, since they show the floor framing from below without opening the walls.

The screed along the bottom edge of the stucco

Stucco on a framed wall needs a clean stop at the bottom. A screed is a metal or plastic strip fastened along the base of the wall, and the stucco is finished against it. R703.7.2 says that on wood-frame construction with an on-grade floor slab, exterior plaster covers the lath, paper and screed but does not extend below them.

When stucco runs past the screed onto the roof, a slab or the flashing, water draining down the barrier has no way out. The bottom edge stays wet, and over time the plate behind it can rot.

On a stucco chase in Lake Mary Jane, our crew checks where the stucco stops at the base and along any roof line. If it runs past the screed or is buried in roofing, we cut it back to a clean edge so water can leave the wall. That edge detail is written into the scope, since it is easy to lose once the finish coat goes on.

Save 10% on chase repair booked within 72 hours

Any service booked within 72 hours after the free inspection is 10% off, and chimney chase repair counts. A few boards at the base or a full chimney chase rebuild, the offer is the same.

The offer does not change how we scope the job. Hidden damage found once the chase is open is still written up and approved before it is done. You still get the free inspection, a line-by-line estimate and the same materials and methods. Siding, sheathing, framing, barrier and flashing are each priced on their own lines, with disposal, access and cleanup listed too, so you can see what the total is made of before you approve anything.

Book within 72 hours after the inspection, mention the offer, and our family-owned team will apply it to your chase repair in Lake Mary Jane. It pairs with our workmanship warranty and 100% satisfaction guarantee on the finished work.