Typical ranges, what actually moves the price up or down, and how to tell a fair quote from a lowball one — written for homeowners, not for us.
Almost nobody in this trade publishes prices, and that is not an accident. Chimney work is sold to people who cannot see the problem, which makes vague pricing profitable. We would rather put the ranges in front of you and explain what moves them, because a homeowner who understands the quote is a homeowner who does not feel cheated afterwards.
Estimated ranges — confirmed in writing on site
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Sweep — open masonry fireplace | $150 – $250 |
| Sweep — wood stove or insert | $175 – $300 |
| Camera inspection + photo report | $125 – $250 |
| Chimney cap supplied and fitted | $200 – $450 |
| Waterproofing — stack and crown | $400 – $800 |
| Crown repair or rebuild | $450 – $1,200 |
| Tuckpointing / mortar repair | $500 – $1,500 |
These are typical ranges for the Portland metro, not quotes. The price for your chimney depends on the things listed below, and you get the real number in writing after we have looked at it — before any work starts.
Two chimneys on the same street can differ by a factor of three. These are the variables that matter, roughly in order of impact:
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Access and roof pitch | A steep, tall or slick moss-covered roof needs more setup, more safety kit and more time than a single-storey ranch |
| How long since the last sweep | Three seasons of creosote is a different job from one. Glazed, hardened creosote sometimes needs a second pass or a rotary head |
| Masonry or prefabricated | A brick stack with a concrete crown and a metal-lined prefab chimney with a chase cover fail in completely different ways and cost different amounts to fix |
| Flue height and number of flues | Taller flues take longer; a house with a fireplace and a furnace flue in the same stack is effectively two jobs |
| What we find | A sweep that uncovers a cracked crown turns into a repair conversation. We photograph it and quote it separately rather than adding it silently |
| Season | Autumn is the crush. Masonry and waterproofing work also need dry weather, so late summer is both easier to book and better for the work |
A sweep is a known quantity — there is a flue, it has a length, and it gets cleaned. Repairs are open-ended because masonry damage is progressive. Repointing a few soft joints near the top is a half-day. If the same stack has been taking Oregon rain through open joints for a decade, the brick behind them may be saturated and spalling, and you are into a partial rebuild above the roof line instead.
This is the strongest argument for getting a chimney looked at before you have a problem. The cheap version of almost every repair on this page is the one you do early. Waterproofing a sound stack costs a fraction of rebuilding a failed one, and it is the single highest-return piece of chimney maintenance in this climate.
Estimates on repair work are free, on site, and in writing — we will not charge you to tell you what is wrong. A full camera inspection is a service in its own right, because it takes time and produces a documented report you keep; call us on (503) 209-6590 and we will tell you what one costs for your chimney before you book anything.
The ranges above are a guide to the Portland-metro market, not an offer. Nobody can price a chimney honestly without seeing it, and any company that gives you a firm figure down the phone is guessing. Use these to sanity-check the quotes you receive — including ours.
For a standard open masonry fireplace in regular use, expect a typical range of $150 to $250 in the Portland metro. A wood stove or insert usually sits a little higher because the appliance has to be pulled forward and the baffles cleaned. Access, flue height and how long it has been since the last clean all move the figure, so we confirm it in writing before starting.
No. Repair estimates are free, carried out on site, and given to you in writing with photographs of whatever we found. You are not paying us to tell you that something is wrong.
Because any number given without seeing the chimney is either padded or about to change. We would rather look, photograph it, and give you a figure we will stand behind.
Not always, but check what it includes. If the quote covers only the liner and not the smoke chamber and smoke shelf, the headline price is low because most of the deposit is being left in the chimney.
Usually yes, and we will tell you when it is sensible. Our reports rank findings by urgency precisely so you can do the safety-critical work now and plan the rest. Masonry and waterproofing need dry weather anyway, so some work is better held until summer.
Sweeps, inspections, repairs and waterproofing across the Portland metro and Oregon.
