Chimney services in Lake Stevens
- 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 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 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.
Newer houses, about half heated by gas
By the Census Bureau’s ACS 2024 five-year estimates, the median Lake Stevens home was built in 1997, and more than four in five homes are detached houses. Roughly half of households heat mainly with utility gas.
In a house of that age, the fireplace may well be a gas unit or a factory-built firebox venting through a metal pipe, sometimes boxed into a sided chase. What needs attention then is the burner and pilot, the glass gasket, the vent termination, and the sheet-metal chase cover and cap that keep rain out of the framing. It makes sense to have the cap and chase cover checked during a gas fireplace service visit.
Three weather stations, three answers
No long-term NOAA station sits in Lake Stevens. The three nearest are each 11 to 14 miles away, and their 1991–2020 normals differ sharply on frost: about 29 nights a year at or below freezing at Paine Field near the Sound, 60 at Monroe and about 94 at Arlington.
All three record measurable precipitation on roughly 176 to 187 days a year. Wherever your home falls in that range, a chase cover and flashing are worth checking before the rainy season rather than after.
Who permits fireplace and chimney work in Lake Stevens
Inside city limits, permits come from the City of Lake Stevens, whose Planning and Community Development department runs the Permit Center. Building, mechanical, plumbing, demolition and re-roofing permits are applied for online through the city’s Citizen Connect portal, and applications are received by the city’s Building Official.
The city’s residential building permit handout (approved January 2026) lists “Gas Fireplace,” “Gas Piping” and “Woodstove/Fireplace (not gas)” among its mechanical units. For masonry repair, relining or a rebuild, ask the Permit Center what is needed before work is scheduled — the decision is the city’s.
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.
Lake Stevens chimney questions
Our house came with a gas fireplace we know nothing about. Where do we start?
With a service visit before you rely on it: whether it lights and runs cleanly, the glass and gasket, and whether the vent outside is clear and intact. If you ever smell gas, get everyone out and call 911 or your gas utility once you are outside.
Do I need a permit to add a gas fireplace or wood stove in Lake Stevens?
The city’s residential permit handout lists gas fireplaces, gas piping and wood stoves or fireplaces among the mechanical units it permits, applied for through Citizen Connect. Check with the Permit Center for your particular appliance.
How can I tell whether my chimney is masonry or metal?
From outside, a masonry chimney is brick or stone up to a concrete crown; a factory-built one usually rises inside a sided chase with a sheet-metal cover and a round cap on top. Some chases are faced with brick or stone veneer, which can fool the eye — an inspection settles it.
Can I use my wood stove during a burn ban?
In a Stage 1 air quality ban from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, a certified stove or insert may still be used, but fireplaces and uncertified stoves may not, and no device may put out visible smoke. In Stage 2, all wood and pellet burning stops unless your household has an approved exemption. The agency’s status page and 800-595-4341 have the current stage.
Useful local links
- Permit Center — City of Lake Stevens (opens in a new tab)
- Residential Building Permit Handout — City of Lake Stevens (opens in a new tab)
- Air Quality Burn Ban Status — Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Lake Stevens, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)