Family-owned chimney chase repair in Lorna Doone
Same-day chase inspections when available for Lorna Doone homeowners, plus a written repair plan you keep.
- Licensed & insured
- Locally run
- Family owned and operated
- Same-day service available
Chase work written up for Lorna Doone homeowners
- Two-layer barrier behind stucco on wood sheathing
- Air space around the chimney pipe kept clear
- Wiring or insulation moved out of the clearance
- Cover replacement listed as its own line
Building a chase back the right way
The water-resistive barrier behind the siding
Behind the siding of a chase there should be a water-resistive barrier, a sheet of building paper or house wrap over the sheathing. R703.2 calls for at least one layer, continuous behind the siding, and felt or similar sheet barriers go on horizontally with the upper layer lapped over the lower one.
Siding sheds most rain, but some gets past it sooner or later. The barrier is what catches that water. When the barrier is torn, lapped backwards or taped in the wrong order, water behind the siding goes straight into the sheathing.
Our crew in Lorna Doone replaces torn or brittle barrier in every section we open and laps the new sheet into the old in the right order. Small tears are patched by slipping the new piece under the layer above it. Where the barrier was missing entirely, we tell you so, and the new barrier gets its own price.
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 Lorna Doone 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.
Sistering a stud or replacing it
Not every damaged stud has to come out. When rot is limited to the bottom few inches, a new stud can be fastened alongside the old one, which is called sistering, and the rotted end cut away. When a stud is soft along its length, it is replaced.
Plates are different. A rotted bottom or top plate is replaced in sections, since sistering a plate seldom helps. Corners, where two walls meet, get new framing so the chase stays square. Sistered studs are fastened along their full length, using straight, dry lumber so the new stud stays true.
Any new framing keeps the listed air space around the chimney pipe. We explain each choice on your Lorna Doone job and write down what was sistered and what was replaced, so the next person to open the wall knows what they are looking at.
A chase that leans or twists
A chase should stand plumb and square. When one corner rots, the box can lean toward it or twist, and you may see it in the gap under the cover, the line of the siding or a chimney cap that no longer sits straight. Measuring the lean at the top and the base shows whether it is still moving.
A lean inside the chase can push framing toward the chimney pipe and close the air space the maker requires. It can also pull the roof flashing loose at the base.
A level and a plumb line show how far the chase has moved, and our crew then opens the low corner to find the cause. A slight lean can be pulled back and reframed, while a chase that has moved a lot may need rebuilding. We explain which fits your Lorna Doone chase and why, in writing. The cause gets fixed before any siding goes back up.
Other work in Lorna Doone
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Quick answers on chimney chase repair
Can a chase be changed from siding to stucco?
Yes, as long as the framing is sound and flat. Stucco over wood needs a two-layer barrier, corrosion-resistant lath and three coats, so we price it as its own option next to a like-for-like siding repair.
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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