Chimney services in Des Moines
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Six in ten homes predate 1980
Census estimates put the median Des Moines home at 1974. About 60 percent of homes were built before 1980, about 22 percent before 1960, and about 16 percent in 2000 or later.
Houses from the 1970s onward were sometimes built with factory-built fireplaces rather than masonry ones, so a Des Moines chimney could be either. On brick, attention usually goes to the crown, the mortar and the roof flashing. On a metal system boxed in wood siding, the chase cover and cap on top matter most — once they rust or split, rain can run straight into the framed chase. A new cap or chase cover can be all that is needed, but an inspection comes first.
Winter is wet, cold and when fires get lit
The nearest long-term NOAA station, at Sea-Tac airport about 4 miles north, averages roughly 15 inches of precipitation in December, January and February alone, along with about 20 of its roughly 25 nights a year at or below freezing.
Those are also the months fireplaces see the most use and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is most likely to call burn bans, which it typically does in fall and winter. A chimney with a cracked crown or loose flashing tends to show it then, so late summer or early fall is a sensible time to have it checked.
Permits in Des Moines
Inside Des Moines city limits, permits come from the city’s Permit Center in the Community Development Department. Building, mechanical, electrical, plumbing and re-roof applications all go through the city’s MyPermits portal.
The Building Division’s own Q&A lists the kinds of work that normally need no building permit — small sheds, low fences and retaining walls, interior finish work and similar — and chimney or fireplace work is not among them. When in doubt, the city asks you to call the Building Division. If the house sits near the shoreline or in a mapped critical area, also ask whether exterior work needs land use review, which the city handles separately.
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.
Des Moines chimney questions
Do I need a permit for chimney work in Des Moines?
Ask the city’s Building Division, which decides. Its list of work that normally needs no building permit does not include chimneys or fireplaces, and any new stove, insert or gas appliance goes through the MyPermits portal.
How do I find out whether a burn ban is on?
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency posts the current stage for King County on its burn ban status page and on a recorded line at 800-595-4341, and it offers email alerts. During any stage, wood-burning fireplaces stay unlit unless the agency has approved an exemption.
My fireplace has a metal chimney in a wood-sided box on the roof. What should I watch for?
Rust streaks on the siding, water stains on the ceiling near the fireplace, or a cap that looks bent or corroded. Those can point to a failing chase cover or cap. Photos taken on a visit show what is happening at the top, where you cannot easily see.
Does Chimney4u work on gas fireplaces too?
Yes. Gas fireplace service covers pilots, ignition and venting. If you notice a gas smell at any point, leave the house first and call 911 or your gas utility once you are outside.
Useful local links
- Permits — City of Des Moines (opens in a new tab)
- When Are Permits Required (Building Division Q&A) — City of Des Moines (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Des Moines, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)