Chimney repair in Gilroy, CA - a chimney that keeps rain out of your house
Water stain on the ceiling by the chimney, or crumbling brick up top? We find where the water gets in and fix that first.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Why is my chimney leaking, and what does fixing it involve?
Chimney repair in Gilroy, CA fixes the parts of a masonry chimney that let water in or wear out. That mainly means the flashing where the roof meets the chimney, the crown on top, the brick and mortar of the stack, and the liner inside, so rain stays out of your house and the flue stays safe to use.
Most calls start with a water stain on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney after a storm, or with bits of mortar and brick showing up on the roof or in the firebox. The price comes down to what's actually letting water in, how far it has gotten into the brick and the liner, how tall the chimney is, how hard it is to reach on your roof, and how much of the old masonry you want to keep. The schedule turns on the same things, plus dry weather, because we don't do roof and crown work in the rain. When I come out, I'll show you what I find and put your price in writing.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
Stains beside the chimney
A brown ring on the ceiling or wall next to the chimney, or damp wood in the attic, usually means water is getting past the flashing or the crown up top. The longer it runs, the more drywall, insulation and framing it soaks, and that's what turns a small roof repair into a bigger bill.
Cracks in the crown
The crown is the concrete or mortar cap that sheds rain off the top of the chimney, and cracks in it let water run straight down inside the masonry. Left alone, the cracks widen and the brick below them starts to come loose.
Crumbling mortar or flaking brick
Sandy joints, mortar bits on the roof or brick faces popping off mean the masonry itself is taking on water. Wait too long and the top courses loosen, which is when fixing the joints turns into rebuilding the top of the chimney.
How we handle chimney repair
For a leak, I start where the water usually gets in. First comes the flashing where the chimney meets the roof, the base flashing that runs under the roofing and the counter flashing set into the brick over it. Then the crown on top. After that we look at the mortar joints and brick down the stack, the firebox and the liner, because a stain on your ceiling doesn't always line up with the spot that's failing. Once we know the cause, we fix what's letting water in, repair the masonry it has damaged, and clean up the roof and the area around the fireplace before we leave.
Chimney work often runs into the brick and mortar around it. When the joints on the stack have worn back, tuckpointing, cutting out the old mortar and packing in new, is usually part of the job. When single bricks have cracked or flaked, we replace them as brick repair and don't tear down more than we need to. If a bigger rebuild makes sense, I lay out the options so you decide how much of the original masonry you keep.
Flashing and crown repair
This suits a chimney that's sound but leaks at the roof line or after storms, because resealing or replacing the flashing and patching or recasting the crown stops the water without touching most of the brick. It's usually the smallest of these jobs.
Joint and brick repair on the stack
This suits a chimney where the joints are washed out or a few bricks are flaking, so the structure is fine but water is getting into the masonry itself. We fix the joints and the bad bricks and leave the rest of the chimney as it is.
Rebuild above the roof line
This suits a chimney whose top courses are loose or badly cracked, where patching won't hold the brick together. We take it down to sound brick and lay it back up with a new crown and new flashing.
Get a written estimate for your chimney repair
We reply within one business day. I come out, look at the chimney with you and give you a written estimate that's free with no obligation.
(669) 205-6449- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about your chimney?
Here's how a chimney job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send us a message
Call (669) 205-6449 or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out. Photos of the leak and a note on what your fireplace burns help me know what to look at first.
I walk the chimney with you
I look at the flashing, crown, brick and firebox, walk you through what I see and what I'd do about it, then give you a written estimate. That estimate is your price for the work we talked about, so you can think it over or compare it before deciding anything.
Our crew does the work
Our lead mason runs the crew on the job, and I check in while it's going. Roof work waits on dry weather, so we'll let you know if rain moves a day.
We walk the finished job
When it's done, I walk the finished chimney with you and point out what to keep an eye on. That way you'll know what trouble looks like on your own house and can spot it early.
Why Gilroy homeowners call Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry for chimney repair
I write your estimate myself
I'm the one who comes out, climbs up to look at the chimney and puts the estimate on paper. You hear what's wrong from the person who's going to answer for the job, not from a salesperson who won't see it again.
In business since 2021
We've been at this for five years, and we're best known for repointing and repair on older brick, which is what most chimneys are. On that kind of chimney, the leak and the crumbling joint are often the same problem, and we know to look for both.
Licensed and insured for roof work
We're licensed and fully insured. Chimney work puts our crew up on your roof, so that coverage matters more here than on most jobs.
Air District rules checked first
If you're thinking about a bigger change to the fireplace, I'll go over the Air District remodel rule below with you before you settle on a plan. It's a lot easier to plan around it at the start than to find out about it halfway through.
Send us photos of the leak or damage, tell us what your fireplace burns, and request your estimate.
Chimney and fireplace work in Gilroy and nearby
Gilroy is inside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and its woodsmoke rules apply across all of Santa Clara County. That matters most when a chimney repair grows into a remodel. For a chimney or fireplace remodel over $15,000 that requires a building permit, the Air District allows only gas-fueled, electric or EPA-certified devices, so a bigger job can change what goes back in the firebox. If your job needs a permit from the city or county, we check with the office that issues it and handle the application and the inspections for you.
Most chimneys we work on here are brick, and when the rain comes the water finds the same weak spots, like worn flashing, a cracked crown and joints that have washed out. We see the same thing on jobs in Morgan Hill and Hollister, and we fix it the same way, starting where the water gets in.
Questions about chimney repair in Gilroy
(669) 205-6449Most chimney leaks come from the flashing where the roof meets the chimney, or from around the crown, which is often overlooked. Flashing and sealant at the crown keep water out of the space between the chimney wall and the flue liner, and once water gets in there, it can work its way down into your house. Photos of the stain and the roof around the chimney help me narrow it down before I come out.
FEMA's chimney plan set lays out options that run from capping the chimney at the roof or ceiling to replacing the firebox and chimney with a factory-built insert. In between, one option replaces the chimney above the shoulder, where it narrows, and puts in a factory insert. Some options reuse the masonry firebox, so the choice sets how much of the old chimney stays.
Chimney repair in the San Jose area usually costs about $200 to $10,000 per project, and that's the going range for this work around here, not our price. Where your job lands depends on what's damaged and how much masonry you keep, and I'll give you your figure in a written estimate after I see the chimney.
Ask how the job keeps the required clearances, the air spaces between the chimney and liner and any wood or other material that can burn, because one liner maker names skipping them as a major cause of vent-related fires. That same maker's instructions call for a certified chimney sweep to clean the masonry chimney before the liner goes in.
California's state licensing board defines a masonry contractor license that covers fire brick and other material for refractory work, the heat-resistant lining of a firebox. If your chimney repair reaches the firebox, it's fair to ask any contractor which license they hold.
Yes, the Air District's Clean HEET Program offers homeowners up to $10,500 to replace a wood or pellet fireplace, stove or insert with an electric heat pump, and up to $1,000 to remove one without a replacement. If you're weighing that against repairing the chimney, tell me when you call so we can talk through what happens to the masonry either way.
Related masonry work for chimneys and walls
Tuckpointing
When the mortar between your chimney bricks has worn back or crumbled, fresh joints keep water from soaking into the stack and loosening the brick around them.
Brick repair
If a few bricks on your chimney, wall or steps are cracked, flaking or loose, replacing just those keeps the rest of the masonry sound without a rebuild.
Service areas for chimney repair around Gilroy
Quality Gilroy Concrete and Masonry is based in Gilroy, California, and we take chimney calls across the cities around it, from San Martin to Hollister. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and we work in others nearby too.
Gilroy, CA
Get your leaking chimney looked at
Getting it checked before the winter rains gives you time to weigh your options while the ceiling is still dry.