Family-owned chimney chase repair in McDonald

How a failed top sends water down the chase

When the metal top of a chase leaks, the water does not stay at the top. It runs down the inside face of the sheathing, along the studs and onto whatever sits at the bottom of the box, like the roof deck or a framed floor. Some of it can follow the outside of the chimney pipe toward the fireplace.

That is why a leak at the top can show up as rot at the bottom. The wood near the cover may look fine while the base plate has gone soft.

Replacing the cover is a separate job with a separate line. Our part is the wood and finish the water already reached. We trace the path from top to bottom so the repair covers everything that got wet, and not only the spot closest to the leak.

Tree limbs rubbing against the chase

A limb that brushes a chase in the wind scrapes paint, loosens siding and can knock the cover out of line. Leaves and needles pile up on the roof behind it and hold water at the base. Shade from a tree also keeps one face of the chase damp longer after rain.

Trimming limbs back from the chase and the roof is one of the simplest ways to protect a repair. It also cuts down the leaves and needles that pile up behind the chase and the animals that use limbs as a bridge to the roof.

During the inspection, our technicians note any limbs that reach the chase and any damage they have done. We do not cut trees, but your McDonald estimate says which branches should come back before or after the repair, so your tree service knows what to do.

Ladders and scaffolding for tall chases

A chase on a two-story home can reach well above the second-floor eave, and working on it safely takes the right setup. Some jobs can be done from ladders and roof anchors. Others need scaffolding set on the ground or on a lower roof. Roof pitch, roof material and where the chase sits on the house all change the setup.

Scaffolding takes longer to set up, but it lets the crew reach every face of a tall chase with both hands free, which matters when a whole face is being stripped and reframed. It also keeps ladders off gutters and fresh siding.

Our crew plans access at the inspection and includes it in the estimate as a line of its own, so the day of the job holds no surprises. We protect landscaping and walkways wherever ladders and scaffolding stand at your McDonald home.

The paperwork worth keeping after a repair

Once a chase is repaired, most of the work is hidden behind new siding or stucco. Siding hides framing, stucco hides lath, and the next person to look at your chase will not know what is behind either unless it is written down.

Keep the paperwork with your home records. The written estimate names each layer, and any approved change adds what turned up once the chase was opened. Together they tell the next inspector, a buyer or a future repair crew what went into the wall. For homes in McDonald, our estimates are written layer by layer partly for this reason.

If you sell the home, those papers give the buyer's inspector answers instead of guesses. These are the details worth keeping together.

• Which faces were opened and how far
• The framing, sheathing, barrier and flashing replaced
• The siding or stucco system and the paint color
• The chimney maker and model, and any listed parts replaced