Chimney Repair & Rebuilds

Chimney Repair & Rebuilds on Cape Cod

Two things fail first on a Cape chimney: the crown and the flashing. We inspect the whole chimney before quoting, including a drone flight over the roof, and tell you straight whether it needs a repair or a rebuild.

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5-Year Warranty on Repairs
20-Year Warranty on Rebuilds
Drone Inspection Before Quoting
Licensed & Insured in MA

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After: interior brick fireplace and chimney breast rebuilt by Bridi Masonry on Cape Cod

Before: original fireplace with soot-stained firebox and worn mortar joints

BeforeAfter

Where it starts

The crown and the flashing

Almost every chimney problem we are called for on Cape Cod starts in one of two places, and they are not the same repair.

The crown is the concrete cap on top of the chimney. Salt air and freeze-thaw cycles crack it, and once it is cracked, water goes into the masonry from above. Nothing you do lower down fixes that.

The flashing is the metal that seals the joint where the chimney meets the roof. When a ceiling stains near a chimney, the flashing is usually the reason, not the chimney itself.

Telling those two apart before touching anything is most of the job. They cost different money and one does not solve the other.

Before we quote

We fly the chimney before we price it

Every chimney gets inspected before we quote. Not looked at from the driveway. Inspected.

We put a drone over the roof and photograph the crown, the cap, the flashing and the joints from angles you cannot reach with a ladder without risking someone. Then we go through the photos with you.

You get our professional opinion on what actually has to be done, what can wait, and whether this is a repair or a rebuild. Including when the answer is that it can wait.

From the air

What the drone sees

These are real inspection frames from Cape Cod roofs. The cracked crown, the failed flashing, the finished work — photographed from angles nobody reaches with a ladder.

Bridi Masonry flying a drone to inspect a chimney on Cape Cod, live view on the controller

Cracked chimney crown seen from above by drone, with two clay flue tiles exposed

New step and counter flashing at a chimney base, photographed by drone

Drone view of a brick chimney and roof during a Bridi Masonry inspection on Cape Cod

New stainless chimney cap installed over a repaired crown on Cape Cod

Brick chimney with new flashing at the roof line after repair

Chimney repointing and flashing work in progress on a Cape Cod roof

Chimney flashing replacement in progress with shingles lifted around the base

The decision

Where we draw the line at 40%

A repair makes sense when the damage is contained. A cracked crown, a section of failed mortar, flashing that has pulled away.

We rebuild when the cracking is everywhere. Our rule is roughly 40% of the joints deteriorating across several areas of the chimney — at that point the structure is not holding itself together anymore, and repointing it is money spent twice.

We tell you which one it is before you commit to either. Selling a repair on a chimney that is structurally finished is easy and we do not do it.

What we stand behind

Five years on repairs. Twenty on rebuilds.

Every repair we do carries a five year warranty. Every chimney we build new carries twenty years.

That is not a sales line. It is the number we are willing to put in writing because of how the work is built — and it is the reason we would rather tell you to rebuild than sell you a repair that comes back.

On site

Your roof is protected the whole time

Chimney work happens on top of a roof that is not part of the job. Tools, mortar, debris and boots all end up there.

We protect the roof surface before work starts and keep it protected until we are off it. The chimney should be the only thing that changes.

What we do

Chimney services across Cape Cod

Chimney crown repair & rebuild

Flashing repair & replacement

Tuckpointing & repointing

Partial rebuild above the roofline

Full chimney rebuild

Chimney caps

Water intrusion diagnosis

Brick & stone matched to the existing

Firebox & hearth masonry

Drone inspection before purchase

Have questions?

Common questions about chimney work

How do I know if I need a repair or a full rebuild?

We look at how much of the chimney is failing and where. Damage in one area is a repair. When roughly 40% of the joints are deteriorating across several areas, it is a rebuild. We show you the photos and explain which one you are looking at before you decide anything.

There is a stain on my ceiling near the chimney. Is the chimney leaking?

Usually it is the flashing, not the chimney. The flashing is the metal seal where the chimney passes through the roof, and it fails long before the masonry does. We find the actual point of entry instead of caulking over it.

Do you charge for the inspection?

No. The inspection and the estimate are free, including the drone flight. You get the photos and our opinion whether or not you hire us.

What does the warranty actually cover?

Five years on repair work and twenty years on a chimney we build new. In writing, on the quote, before the work starts.

Will my roof be damaged while you work?

We protect the roof surface before anything starts and keep it covered until we are done. Chimney work should not cost you a roof.

The difference