Rainier Beach, King County
An inspection in Rainier Beach is $99 plus tax for each chimney. If the written quote that follows is one you approve, those $99 come off it. You get the flue on camera, the firebox and damper checked by hand, the top seen from the roof, and a report in plain words that says what is sound, what is wearing and what cannot wait.
What we charge
$99 plus tax
Book an inspection
Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Rainier Beach home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Rainier Beach homes.
Full-height brushing with a head chosen for clay tile or metal liner
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Photo assessment sorting surface wear from structural failure
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Video survey and flue measurements taken before ordering anything
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Flue-by-flue measurements, or the whole crown for a multi-flue hood
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Cleaning and testing of the burner, pilot assembly and igniter
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Starting photos: crown on top, then each side of the stack
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
Houses in this corner of Seattle were not built in one wave. HistoryLink traces settlement to Joseph Dunlap, who arrived in September 1869, and records that Clarence Hillman bought the Dunlap tract in 1905 and platted it as the Atlantic City Addition. Census figures can only be read for the whole 98118 ZIP area, which reaches north as far as Columbia City: there, 18.1 percent of homes date from 1939 or earlier, another 26.3 percent from 1950 to 1969, and the median year of construction is 1968. One street can hold a 1910s house and a 1990s one. That is why we never guess what a chimney is from the address; the first part of every visit is finding out.
The water's edge in Rainier Beach is not where it was. When the Ship Canal opened in 1917 the lake fell about nine feet and the beach line here shifted, HistoryLink and Wikipedia both record. Long before that, HistoryLink notes a Coast Salish winter camp at Pritchard Island, now part of this neighborhood, a reminder of how long people have lived at this southern end of the lake.
For an inspection, the lake matters through exposure. We do not know of any measurement that compares wind at the shore with wind a few blocks uphill, so we do not claim one. What we do is photograph each face of the stack separately and note which one takes the weather, because spalled brick, open joints and lifted flashing usually show up first on one side. The next inspection compares against those same photos.
Every chimney inspection we do in Rainier Beach includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowNothing in Seattle's code forces a homeowner to book an annual inspection. The yearly visit comes from NFPA 211, the national standard the Chimney Safety Institute of America points owners to: chimneys, fireplaces and vents are checked once a year, including flues that see little use, for soundness, for deposits and for clearance from anything that burns. The state fire marshal's office recommends a yearly professional check as well. We follow that checklist and add the questions specific to Seattle, for example whether a rebuild would fall under the city's 2004 rule on unreinforced masonry chimneys.
We start with what you use, how often, and what you have noticed. Five minutes of talk saves an hour of searching.
Firebox, damper and smoke chamber with a light and a mirror, then the camera up the flue.
On the roof, each face of the stack is photographed, the crown is tapped and the flashing is followed along the shingles.
Findings sorted into safe, watch and fix, each one with a photo. Recommended work comes with its own priced list.
What this work is quoted at for Rainier Beach homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Rainier Beach | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
| Chimney Cap Installation | $235–$850 | Stainless cap fitted; multi-flue and custom at the top |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Rainier Beach. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Rainier Beach is a neighborhood in the southeast corner of Seattle, just inside the city limits, on the lakeshore, with homes in a ZIP code area (98118) where roughly one unit in four was built between 1950 and 1969.
Rainier BeachKing County, WA · 47.523, -122.262
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
One chimney, inside and out, with the camera. Tax is added. The $99 is then taken off any quote of ours you approve; if you do not, the report is still yours.
Yes: we check the vent, its outdoor termination, the glass and the burner. A gas appliance can leave a damaged flue just as easily as wood can.
Allow 60 to 90 minutes for one chimney on a simple roof. A second flue or a steep roof adds time.
That is one of its main uses. It is dated, signed and illustrated, so a buyer or a lender can see what was checked.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
