Chimney services in Kenmore
Which service fits depends on the system. A wood-burning chimney needs sweeping and an eye on its masonry, while a gas fireplace needs its own kind of service.
- 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 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.
- 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 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.
Two generations of houses
By Census estimates, roughly two in five Kenmore homes predate 1980 and about a quarter are from 2000 onward, around a 1985 median. Gas is the main heat in just under half of occupied homes.
Older houses tend to have brick or block chimneys whose crowns and flashing have weathered many wet winters. Newer ones may have a factory-built fireplace whose metal flue runs up through a wood-framed chase. Both leak and wear, but in different places, so an inspection starts by identifying what is there.
Near the lake, the river or Swamp Creek
Kenmore’s Shoreline Master Program guides development within 200 feet of Lake Washington, the Sammamish River and Swamp Creek. Work in mapped critical areas also goes through the city’s critical area review.
That matters for permits. The city says work within critical areas, shoreline areas, native growth protection areas and their buffers may not qualify for the usual permit exemptions, and asks owners to email permittech@kenmorewa.gov before going ahead. A chimney repair on a lakeside or creekside lot is worth that check first.
Kenmore’s Development Services issues permits
Building and mechanical permits at a Kenmore address come from the city’s Development Services, part of Community Development, and applications go through MyBuildingPermit.com. The city requires a permit before a building or structure is altered or repaired, and a mechanical permit before mechanical equipment is installed, altered, repaired or replaced.
Kenmore’s published exemption list, set out in its municipal code, says nothing about chimneys or masonry. Development Services decides what a given job needs, and any permit is part of the approved scope.
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
If you cannot tell whether your fireplace is masonry or factory-built, a photo of the firebox and the chimney top helps when we talk.
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.
Kenmore chimney questions
Does Kenmore handle its own chimney permits?
Yes. Kenmore is a city with its own Development Services, so King County does not issue permits at Kenmore addresses. Applications and permit status both run through MyBuildingPermit.com.
My house is from the 1990s. Does it even have a chimney to sweep?
If the fireplace burns wood, yes. Its flue may be metal and hidden in a framed chase rather than built of brick, but it still collects creosote. A gas unit vents differently and needs servicing rather than sweeping.
When do Kenmore chimneys see the most water?
At Paine Field, the closest NOAA station about 11 miles north, November is the wettest month, the six months from October account for roughly 70 percent of the annual total, and freezing nights cluster in December and January. Crown and flashing repairs are easier to plan before that stretch.
Are wood fires restricted in Kenmore?
During burn bans, yes. Kenmore follows whatever King County ban level the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has set. A Stage 1 ban rules out fireplaces and uncertified stoves, and Stage 2 rules out all wood and pellet burning.
Useful local links
- Do I Need a Permit? — City of Kenmore (opens in a new tab)
- Permits & Inspections — City of Kenmore, Development Services (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Kenmore, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)