Rainier Valley, King County
Chimney repairs in the Rainier Valley start at $425. That figure buys a small, contained job, such as relaying a handful of loose top bricks or redoing a short stretch of joints. Work that reaches deeper into the stack, a rebuild above the roof line, or bracing for a tall chimney is quoted after the inspection, and the written scope puts a line item beside every piece of the work.
Typical investment
From $425
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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.
Level 1: every reachable component checked, with a Level 2 camera run added if something stays unclear
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Full-height brushing with a head chosen for clay tile or metal liner
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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.
The ground matters here. On the city's earthquake hazard page, the Rainier Valley appears by name, next to the Duwamish Valley, as a place where soils prone to liquefaction raise the risk of ground failure and heavy shaking. The USGS account of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake documents widespread liquefaction in South Seattle, and chimneys were that quake's most common casualty: of the 30,000 homes FEMA inspected, a third had chimney damage. Records do not break that damage down by neighborhood, so we never assume a crack is from 2001. We just make sure the repair would stand up to the next one.
In the 98118 ZIP area, which HistoryLink describes as reaching south to Rainier Beach, the Census Bureau's latest five-year survey counts 13.8 percent of homes built in the 1950s and another 12.5 percent in the 1960s. From 1950 to 1962, Seattle's Beacon Hill context statement adds, ranch-style houses went up along the valley's western edge toward its northern end.
A chimney from that period is younger than the streetcar cottages, but younger does not mean reinforced. Today's Seattle code requires new masonry chimneys to carry four continuous vertical bars anchored in the foundation, with more for wide stacks; nothing guarantees a postwar chimney was built that way. Before quoting a repair on one, we check for steel at the top, look at how a later insert or liner was fastened at the crown, and confirm the flue is not also venting a furnace or water heater, which the city rule asks contractors to verify before any capping or removal.
Every chimney repair we do in Rainier Valley includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowSeattle answered 2001 with Director's Rule 5-2004. By its terms, an old brick chimney that was damaged has four ways out: steel reinforcement, external bracing, demolition, or a listed metal chimney in its place. The top 2 feet of an old chimney may be rebuilt as it was; below that, new work goes in reinforced or as a listed metal system. On permits, two thresholds sit side by side and no source reconciles them: the 2004 rule exempts chimney repairs under 4,000 dollars, while the city's 2021 residential code, in R105.2, lets minor repairs go unpermitted up to 6,000 dollars per six-month period. We name both on the quote and check with SDCI before scheduling.
The inspection photographs every crack and loose unit and measures how far above the roof the chimney rises.
We match the damage to the options the city rule allows and explain the permit question for that scope.
Unsound masonry comes off to solid brick and goes back in kind, reinforced, or as a listed metal chimney.
A new crown or cap, resealed flashing, and a final set of photos close the job.
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 Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| 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.
Not always. If the damage is limited to the top 2 feet, that section can be rebuilt as it was. Damage lower down calls for one of the reinforced options in the city rule.
It depends on scope and cost. Should the damage continue below the chamber, a permitted full rebuild follows no matter the price. For lighter jobs we check the two published thresholds with SDCI.
Finding out takes our camera-and-roof inspection, $99 plus tax for one chimney. Sign the repair quote that follows and the sum is subtracted.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
