Brighton, King County
Waterproofing a Brighton chimney costs $285 to $795. Expect the lower number for a modest stack, intact brick and a roof you can stand on comfortably. Expect the upper one for a chimney that climbs past a second story, a pitch that calls for ropes, or brick so stained it needs a long wash first. Repellent only works on masonry in good shape, which is why open joints or a split crown are fixed beforehand and priced as their own line. Mad Hatter Chimney Sweep charges $200 to $500 to treat a chimney with water repellent, a figure from the Seattle market that we cite for comparison and that is not our quote.
Typical investment
$285–$795
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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 Brighton home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Brighton 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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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
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
Brighton's English settlers of the 1880s borrowed the name of a seaside resort back home; the weather they got was Seattle's. WeatherSpark marks the wet half of the year from October 10 to April 30, about six and a half months in which the chance of a wet day never drops below one in three, and November alone averages around seven and a half inches. Brick absorbs water like a stiff sponge. A chimney in the open, above the roofline, has no eave to shelter it and takes rain on all four faces.
Essay 10164 at HistoryLink portrays the 98118 neighborhoods, Brighton among them, as transformed during the 1960s, after years of postwar construction up and down the valley. Census data for the same ZIP area agree: housing from 1950 to 1969 makes up 26.3 percent of the total, well above the citywide 15.8 percent.
A chimney on a house of that age has had decades in which someone may have painted it, coated it with a glossy sealer or patched it with a mortar of a different color. Before we waterproof, we test how the brick takes water. A face that beads water and stays dark underneath usually carries an old film that traps moisture; that film has to weather off or be cleaned before a breathable repellent can work. We also check where any added appliance's vent passes the brick, since a new penetration is a frequent path for water.
Every chimney waterproofing we do in Brighton includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowDrying out is where Seattle brick loses. The Western Regional Climate Center reckons a lowland winter month at four to eight days with clear or broken skies, a summer month at fifteen to twenty. WeatherSpark adds that January skies are overcast or mostly cloudy 71 percent of the time. Brick that never fully dries between storms holds water against its mortar all winter. A vapor-permeable repellent stops rain at the surface yet lets trapped dampness leave as vapor; paint and glossy sealers seal both directions and hold the water in.
Any open joints, crown cracks or flashing gaps are repaired or quoted before treatment.
Grime comes off first, and we hold the treatment until the surface has dried enough to absorb it.
The repellent is flooded onto every face from the top down until the brick takes no more.
We note the product and date so you know when a recoat is due.
What this work is quoted at for Brighton homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Brighton | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Waterproofing | $285–$795 | Breathable sealer — reapplied every 3–5 years in this climate |
| 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 Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Brighton. 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.
Brighton is a Rainier Valley neighborhood of Seattle settled in the 1880s and named after the English seaside town, with homes in a part of the valley whose postwar growth brought a junior high site in 1948 and Graham Hill School in 1960.
BrightonKing County, WA · 47.535, -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.
During the dry weeks, about mid-June into early October, once several rainless days have let the stack dry through. Sealing over wet brick locks the moisture inside.
Several years under normal exposure. The report names the product and the day it went on, and we look at it again at your next inspection instead of guessing a date.
Always. A full inspection booked beforehand costs $99 plus tax per chimney and is credited toward the waterproofing quote once you approve it.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
