Chimney services in Beaux Arts Village
- Chimney InspectionA close look at the flue, firebox, masonry and roof flashing, with photos you keep and a plain account of what’s urgent, what can wait and what can be left alone.
- Masonry Repair & TuckpointingRepointing worn mortar joints and replacing spalled brick on chimneys, using new mortar matched to the old so the repair does not harm the brick around it.
- Chimney Crown RepairSealing, resurfacing or recasting the slab on top of your chimney, with a real overhang, a drip edge and a flexible joint around the flue.
- Chimney Cap InstallationChimney caps measured to your flue, single or multi-flue, to help keep rain, animals, debris and embers out, with the crown checked before anything is fitted.
- Gas Fireplace Service & RepairService and repair for gas fireplaces and gas inserts: pilot and ignition trouble, sooty glass, odd flames, odors, and the vent or chimney the unit uses.
- Chimney RebuildingTaking a failed chimney down to sound masonry and building it back up, above the roofline or further down, with the stopping point named in a written scope.
A 1908 colony with mid-century houses
The Town’s history records that the Western Academy of Beaux Arts was incorporated in 1908 and bought a 50-acre tract of forest land, that the first home went up in 1909, and that the village incorporated as a town in 1954.
Census estimates (American Community Survey, 2024 five-year) put the median home construction year at 1954. With fewer than 100 homes the figures are rough, but they show nearly two-thirds built before 1960, roughly 1 in 6 before 1940, and only about 1 in 8 in 2000 or later. At that age a chimney may have no liner or a cracked one, and its mortar joints may be soft. When old brick is repointed, the new mortar should be no harder than the original, so that the joint rather than the brick takes the wear. An inspection comes first.
Trees and the Town’s tree code
Beaux Arts Village began as forest land, and chapter 16.25 of the Town’s municipal code governs removing trees on both public and private property. The Town asks residents to read it before removing any tree, and to review its arborist’s tree protection tips before construction-related work, especially near trees in the right-of-way.
Branches over a roof drop needles onto a chimney crown and into the flue. A screened cap keeps the flue clear without touching the tree.
Permits in Beaux Arts Village come from the Town
The Town of Beaux Arts Village issues its own building, grading, mechanical, plumbing, demolition, tree-removal and right-of-way permits; electrical permits come from the state Department of Labor & Industries. Its Building Department is staffed by contracted consultants: a consulting firm acts as Town Building Official, reviewing applications and inspecting work, alongside a planner-engineer and an arborist. The Town bills their hours on a project to that project under its fee schedule.
The Town’s mechanical and plumbing permit form lists wood alongside gas, propane, oil and electric as fuel types, and asks whether the work is within 200 feet of Lake Washington’s ordinary high water line. The Building Official determines which permits a job needs, so ask the Building Department before chimney or fireplace work is scheduled.
What you can tell us about
You do not need to know the cause. These are things homeowners describe when they get in touch — each one is something to assess on site, not a diagnosis.
Water where it should not be
Drips in the firebox, stains on a ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or a damp smell after rain.
Leak & flashing repairLoose mortar or damaged brick
Crumbling joints, brick faces flaking off, or bits of masonry on the roof or in the gutter.
Masonry repairA missing or damaged cap
No cap on the flue, a bent or rusted one, or signs that birds or animals have been getting in.
Cap installationSmoke or draft trouble
Smoke rolling into the room, a fire that is hard to keep going, or odors when the fireplace is not in use.
Chimney inspectionBuildup and a sweep that is overdue
You cannot remember the last cleaning, or you have bought a house and do not know the chimney's history.
Chimney sweepingA gas fireplace that will not light
A pilot that will not stay lit, ignition trouble, or soot on the glass. If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Gas fireplace service
How a visit works
- 1Send the short form or call. Say what you have noticed; photos you took are welcome when we talk.
- 2We arrange a time with you, look at the chimney, and photograph what we find.
- 3You hear plainly what is urgent, what can wait, and what does not need doing.
- 4Repair work comes with a written scope and price. Nothing starts until you approve it.
- 5We photograph the finished work from the same angles, and the photos are yours to keep.
What affects the price
Prices come after the chimney has been seen, in writing. These are the things that move them:
- Condition
- What the inspection finds, and whether the cause of the damage is still active.
- Access
- Roof pitch, height, how many stories up the chimney sits, and whether staging is needed.
- Chimney size
- Height above the roof, width, and how many flues the stack carries.
- Materials
- Brick and mortar matched to what is there, crown and cap materials, liner type.
- Scope
- One targeted repair, several at once, or rebuilding part of the stack.
- Permits
- Whether the work needs a permit from the city or county that has jurisdiction at the address.
Beaux Arts Village chimney questions
Who reviews and inspects chimney work in Beaux Arts Village?
The Town’s Building Official, a role filled by a consulting firm under contract to the Town. Applications go to the Town’s Building Department.
What are the construction hours in Beaux Arts Village?
The Town sets them as permit conditions: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and no work on Sundays or holidays. It says violations lead to a stop-work order.
Our house is from the 1940s. What should an inspection focus on?
The flue first: whether it is lined, and whether any clay tiles are cracked or missing. Then the mortar joints, the crown and the firebox. If the flue needs a liner, relining becomes part of the repair discussion; if the upper stack is badly deteriorated, rebuilding that section may be an option to weigh.
Can we add a gas insert or a wood stove?
Ask the Town about a mechanical permit: its mechanical permit form covers wood and gas appliances among others, and the Building Official decides what applies. The flue has to suit the new appliance. For wood, keep in mind that Puget Sound Clean Air Agency burn bans limit wood burning in King County, while gas and propane inserts are allowed in both ban stages.
Useful local links
- Building Department / Permit Center — Town of Beaux Arts Village (opens in a new tab)
- Building Department Consultants — Town of Beaux Arts Village (opens in a new tab)
- Trees in Beaux Arts Village — Town of Beaux Arts Village (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Beaux Arts Village, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)