Rainier Valley, King County
For each stack we inspect in the Rainier Valley, the charge is $99 plus tax. Firebox and damper first, then a camera up the flue, then the crown and stack from the roof, and finally the attic, for scorch or water marks where the chimney passes. You get a written report with photos. Should it lead to work, the $99 is subtracted from the quote once you sign it; turn the work down and the report stays with you all the same.
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 Valley home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Rainier Valley homes.
Full-height brushing with a head chosen for clay tile or metal liner
Learn more
Photo assessment sorting surface wear from structural failure
Learn more
Video survey and flue measurements taken before ordering anything
Learn more
Flue-by-flue measurements, or the whole crown for a multi-flue hood
Learn more
Cleaning and testing of the burner, pilot assembly and igniter
Learn more
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.
The valley filled in slowly and in pieces. Seattle's historic context report on the North Rainier Valley calls it relatively late-developing next to areas farther north, opened by the electric railway from 1890 and then by the Jackson and Dearborn regrades of 1907 to 1910. Plats on record run from the Byron Addition of 1890 to the Claremont and York additions of 1903, with the Claremont Home Tracts following in 1904. Houses from those first plats can stand beside ones built half a century later, and nothing on file says how any of their chimneys were built. That is the gap an inspection closes for a single address.
Census figures for the 98118 ZIP area, which HistoryLink ties to the Rainier Valley's postwar boom, put about 26.3 percent of the housing in the years 1950 to 1969. Across Seattle the same two decades account for 15.8 percent. A larger share of houses from that span means a larger share of fireplaces built for open fires, and some of them have since been fitted with something else.
That is where an inspection earns its fee. An insert, a stove or a gas set placed into an older opening often changes what the flue has to do. The camera shows whether a liner runs the full height to the top or stops short, whether the connector is sealed at the damper area, and whether the original clay tile is carrying exhaust it was never sized for.
Every chimney inspection we do in Rainier Valley includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowThree moments bring most calls: buying or selling, a first fire after years of disuse, and a change of appliance. CSIA points homeowners to NFPA 211, which calls for an inspection every twelve months of each chimney, fireplace and vent, rarely used or not, to confirm sound structure, limited deposits and safe clearance to anything that burns. Seattle's residential code adds one thing we always record: a masonry chimney is not allowed to stand unlined.
Firebox, damper and hearth are checked first, with a light and mirror on the smoke chamber.
A camera travels the full length of the flue and records joints, cracks, gaps and deposits.
Up top, the technician examines crown, cap and mortar joints, plus the metal seam at the shingles.
Findings are ranked by urgency in a written report, each one paired with its photo.
What this work is quoted at for Rainier Valley homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Rainier Valley | 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 Valley. 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 Valley is a seven-mile run of low ground between two Seattle ridges, with small wood-frame houses from the streetcar years of 1891 to 1910 and ranch houses added between 1950 and 1962.
Rainier ValleyKing County, WA · 47.547, -122.279
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.
Per chimney. Two stacks, say one for the fireplace and one for an old furnace, means two inspections.
It is subtracted from the quote you approve. If you do not approve one, the fee stays as paid and you keep the report.
Not exactly. We can describe the liner, the mortar and any later changes we see, which often says more than a date would.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
