Chimney services in Clyde Hill
- 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.
- 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 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 Sweeping & CleaningCreosote, soot and debris cleared from the flue, smoke chamber and firebox, with before-and-after photos and a plain account of what the cleaning turned up.
- Chimney Leak & Flashing RepairTracing where water really gets in around your chimney, then repairing the flashing, crown, cap or masonry responsible, with a written scope before any work.
- 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.
A city built mostly in the 1960s and 1970s
Census estimates (American Community Survey, 2024 five-year) put Clyde Hill’s median home construction year at 1972. About two-thirds of homes were built before 1980 but only about 1 in 10 before 1960, which leaves more than half from the 1960s and 1970s. About 1 in 5 dates to 2000 or later.
Chimneys from that period were commonly built with clay flue tiles and a mortar or concrete crown. After half a century of Puget Sound rain, the crown and the top few courses of brick are where cracks and loose joints tend to appear first, and a cracked tile inside the flue gives no sign from the room. An inspection looks at both; crown repair is often the fix that keeps water out of the rest.
Gas inserts, logs and starters
About three-quarters of Clyde Hill’s occupied homes heat mainly with utility gas, and the Census estimates show none relying mainly on wood. The City treats gas fireplace work as permit work. Its mechanical permit page lists fireplace inserts and log lighters among the items that need a City mechanical permit, and its permit guidance adds that gas appliance hookups, including fireplace gas inserts and starters, need that City permit even though plumbing and gas-piping permits come from Public Health – Seattle & King County. Gas inserts are also the kind of fireplace the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency lists as allowed in both stages of a burn ban.
Who issues permits for fireplace and chimney work in Clyde Hill
The City of Clyde Hill’s Building Department issues building and mechanical permits for addresses in the city, through its online permit portal or on paper forms. The City says most mechanical permits can be issued over the counter, and re-roof permits are available over the counter too, which can matter when chimney flashing is replaced with a roof.
Chimney masonry repair is not singled out either way in the City’s permit pages. The Building Official decides whether a given scope needs a building permit, and the City states that projects started without a required permit will be stopped, with fees and possible fines. Ask before 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.
Clyde Hill chimney questions
Does adding a gas log lighter to our fireplace need a permit?
In Clyde Hill, yes. The City lists log lighters and fireplace inserts among the items that need a mechanical permit, and most of those permits are issued over the counter. Any new gas piping is permitted separately, through Public Health – Seattle & King County.
When can contractors work in Clyde Hill?
The City lists construction hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
Our 1970s chimney has never been looked at since we bought the house. Where do we start?
With an inspection of the crown, the brick near the top, the flashing and the flue. If the fireplace burns wood, a sweep usually comes with it, and any repair comes with a written scope first.
We have a gas insert. What does it need each year?
A service visit that checks the pilot or ignition, burner, glass seal, and the liner and cap it vents through. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Gas fireplace service explains what a visit covers.
Useful local links
- Mechanical Permit — City of Clyde Hill Building Department (opens in a new tab)
- Other Permits — City of Clyde Hill Building Department (opens in a new tab)
- Building Permits — City of Clyde Hill Building Department (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Clyde Hill, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)