Chimney services in Fircrest
- 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 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.
- 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.
Mid-century houses, mostly heated with gas
Census estimates put Fircrest’s median year built at 1966, with about a third of homes built before 1960 and fewer than 1 in 7 built in 2000 or later. About 6 in 10 homes heat mainly with utility gas, and the estimates show almost none relying mainly on wood.
In houses of that age, a gas furnace or water heater may vent into a flue in the masonry chimney. Gas exhaust carries moisture that can wear on an unlined or damaged flue, and replacing the furnace can change what that flue is left carrying. If your heating equipment has changed since the chimney was last looked at, an inspection will show whether the flue still suits what is connected to it.
Wood burning inside the Smoke Reduction Zone
All of Fircrest sits within the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s Tacoma–Pierce County Smoke Reduction Zone, where uncertified wood stoves and inserts may not be used, and within its Greater Pierce County burn ban zone. During a Stage 1 ban, open fireplaces stay unlit; during Stage 2, so do certified stoves and pellet stoves. The agency posts the current stage online and at 1-800-595-4341.
Permits and inspections in Fircrest
Permits come from the City of Fircrest’s Planning and Building Department at City Hall. The department is paperless: applications go by email to permits@cityoffircrest.net, and the Permit Coordinator answers questions at 253-564-8902. Its permit list includes mechanical permits for heating and cooling equipment.
Building inspections are scheduled through the inspector the City lists with Code Pros (360-801-3913), on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Whether a particular chimney or fireplace job needs a permit is the department’s decision, so ask before the 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.
Fircrest chimney questions
Who inspects permitted chimney or fireplace work in Fircrest?
The City issues the permit, and its Permit Center page lists building inspections with Code Pros, bookable online or by phone by 2:30 p.m. the day before a Tuesday or Thursday slot.
Our gas furnace vents through the brick chimney. What should be checked?
The flue liner’s condition and size, the connection where the vent pipe enters the chimney, and the top of the chimney for a missing cap or blockage. An inspection covers those. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Do I need a permit to replace a gas fireplace in Fircrest?
Fircrest’s permit list includes mechanical permits for heating and cooling equipment. Ask the Permit Coordinator whether your gas fireplace project falls under it before you book the work.
Can I still burn wood in my Fircrest fireplace?
Yes, outside burn bans, as long as any stove or insert is certified. Open fireplaces must stay unlit during both Stage 1 and Stage 2 bans. If the fireplace has not been used in years, have the chimney swept and checked first; you can request an estimate for that.
Useful local links
- Permit Center — City of Fircrest Planning and Building Department (opens in a new tab)
- What Permit Do I Need? — City of Fircrest (opens in a new tab)
- Tacoma-Pierce County Wood Stove Rule — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Fircrest, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)