Chimney services in Olympia
If you are not sure what your chimney needs, start with an inspection. In a climate this wet, what it finds at the top of the chimney often shapes the rest of the scope.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Houses that span more than a century
Census estimates for Olympia (American Community Survey, 2020–2024) put the median home’s construction year at 1982. About one in four homes was built before 1960, nearly half before 1980, and roughly one in nine in 1939 or earlier.
A chimney that old was built long before today’s codes, so the state of its flue and masonry has to be checked rather than assumed. The same estimates find fewer than 1 in 100 occupied homes heating mainly with wood, so where a house has a fireplace or stove, it is almost always a second source of heat. Occasional use does not keep out water, nests or debris.
Wetter and frostier than Sea-Tac
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the Olympia Airport station, about five miles south of central Olympia, show 50.62 inches of precipitation a year, against 39.34 at Sea-Tac. The station also records about 77 nights a year at or below freezing, roughly three times Sea-Tac’s 25, while only one or two days a year stay below freezing from morning to night.
So most frosts here thaw by afternoon. Water held in a cracked crown, open mortar joints or porous brick can freeze and thaw many times in one winter, and each cycle can open the damage a little further. That is why the crown, the cap and the top courses of brick deserve as close a look as the flue.
Heritage Register houses and exterior masonry
Olympia keeps its own Heritage Register, which the City says covers more than 600 buildings and six districts. If your house is on it, individually or within a district, work that needs a building permit or other City approval also goes through Heritage Review. That review looks only at exterior changes and applies the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
A rebuild above the roofline, a new crown or cap, or repointing with a different mortar can all change how a chimney looks from outside. If you think your house is listed, ask the City’s historic preservation staff early, and mention it when you request an estimate.
Permits: the City of Olympia Permit Center
Inside city limits, the City of Olympia’s Permit Center issues building permits through the City’s online permit portal. The City’s own list of projects that need a permit includes building alterations or repairs, wood stoves and fireplace inserts, furnace, hot water or gas appliance work, and reroofing.
The City adds that work which does not need a permit must still meet code. Whether a particular chimney repair needs one is the Permit Center’s decision, so confirm it before work starts.
For a property in unincorporated Thurston County rather than inside the city, Thurston County Community Planning and Economic Development is the permit office. Its permit guide lists chimneys, gas inserts, gas logs, fireplaces and wood stoves among the heating fixtures that need a permit.
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.
Olympia chimney questions
Do I need a permit to have my chimney repaired in Olympia?
Possibly, and the City decides, not the contractor. Olympia’s permit list includes building alterations or repairs, and it names wood stove and fireplace insert installations outright. Describe the work to the Permit Center before it starts; a written scope from an inspection makes that conversation easier.
Does the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s burn ban apply in Olympia?
No. Thurston County is under the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA), which calls its own bans, usually in the colder months. Under Stage 1, fireplaces and uncertified stoves may not be used unless the appliance is your only adequate heat and you have already notified ORCAA. Stage 2 stops all wood fireplaces, stoves, inserts and pellet stoves, certified or not, with the same exception. Check ORCAA’s county burning restrictions page before you light a fire.
My house is on Olympia’s Heritage Register. How does that affect chimney repairs?
It adds a step to the permit rather than a separate process. When the work needs a building permit or other City approval, Heritage Review happens as part of that application and considers only exterior changes. Photographs and a written scope give the City’s preservation staff something concrete to look at.
How often should an Olympia chimney be inspected?
The EPA and fire officials recommend inspecting and cleaning a wood-burning appliance, its chimney and vent every year. In a place this wet and frosty, a yearly visit is also a regular chance to spot water damage at the crown and flashing while it is still small.
Do you work on gas fireplaces in Olympia?
Yes. Gas fireplace service and repair is offered here, and because gas appliance work is on the City’s permit list, replacing or adding one may involve the Permit Center. If you ever smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or your gas utility from outside.
Useful local links
- Do I need a permit? — City of Olympia Permit Center (opens in a new tab)
- Caring for Historic Properties — City of Olympia (opens in a new tab)
- County Burning Restrictions — Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Olympia Airport (USW00024227) — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (opens in a new tab)
- Census profile: Olympia, WA — U.S. Census Bureau data via Census Reporter (opens in a new tab)