DuPont, Pierce County
In DuPont, the word chimney often means something other than brick. Half of DuPont's homes date from 2002 or later, and in houses that new a fireplace is more likely to be a factory-built gas unit venting through metal pipe than a hearth under a masonry stack. Those systems need a different kind of attention from an old masonry stack: clear vents, sound seals, a cap that keeps birds and rain out. We inspect whatever your house has, photograph it, and put our findings and prices in writing.
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Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your DuPont home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for DuPont homes.
Top-to-bottom brushing of flue and firebox under drop cloths, with a HEPA vacuum pulling the dust
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Level 1 or Level 2 as needed; Level 2 includes a camera run through the entire flue
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A full-length stainless-steel or cast liner, firebox to chimney top
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Loose or damaged brick, open joints and firebox panels repaired
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A stainless cap sized to your actual flue dimensions
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Crown patched, or recast entirely if it can't be saved
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A breathable repellent that lets masonry release moisture
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Resealing of flashing that's still sound; replacement where it isn't
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Burner, pilot assembly and valve cleaned and adjusted
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Staging of the buildup, from flaky Stage 2 to glazed Stage 3
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Cleaning of the full duct run, dryer to exterior hood
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Supply and return ductwork cleaned end to end
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
Service-area map — DuPont, WA. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
DuPont started as a company town. The DuPont Company ran an explosives plant here from 1909 to 1975, and in 1951, the year the town incorporated, it sold the houses to the employees who rented them; the DuPont Village Historic District joined the National Register in 1987. Two years later, in 1989, the council approved Weyerhaeuser's Northwest Landing development, and the city today is those two parts together: the Historic Village and Northwest Landing. The newer half dominates the housing. Census estimates put DuPont's median home at 2002, with only about 14% of units built before 1980, and roughly 54% of households heat mainly with utility gas, far more than the county-wide 34% or so.
A factory-built fireplace is tested and listed as a complete system: the firebox, the vent pipe, the termination cap and the clearances are meant to work together. Problems usually come from what happens afterward, such as a cap that has come loose on the roof, a nest in the vent, a glass panel gasket that no longer seals, or a pipe joint disturbed during other work in the attic.
Our inspection follows the vent from the appliance to the outside, checks the termination and its surroundings, and notes the make and model so any part can be matched. You get photos of each point we looked at.
The Historic Village is a different case. Its houses belong to the company-town years, and anything on them, a chimney included, deserves care that respects that age. We document what is there before recommending anything.
Every DuPont house, old or new, starts with that same visit, priced plainly: $99 plus tax, subtracted from the work once you approve the written quote.
DuPont has some of the newest housing in Pierce County. Census estimates put its median year built at 2002, with only about 5.6% of units older than 1960 and about 13.7% older than 1980. Utility gas heats roughly 54% of DuPont homes as their primary fuel, where the county as a whole sits near 34%.
That profile means fewer masonry chimneys and more factory-built fireplaces and sealed gas units venting through metal pipe. Washington Ecology sets an emissions limit of 7.5 grams per hour for factory-built wood fireplaces and leaves installation rules to local building departments. For the gas units common here, our work centers less on soot than on the vent path: clear, tight at every joint, and properly capped outside.
Pierce County's air is mostly clean, but not always. Puget Sound Clean Air Agency logged 272 good days in the county in 2023, alongside 90 moderate and 3 unhealthy ones. On the poorer days a wood fire adds to the problem, and the agency can call a burn ban; you can check the current status on its website, on its recorded line at 800-595-4341, or by signing up for its email alerts.
When a wood fire is allowed, what leaves the chimney is still regulated. Smoke darker than 20 percent opacity is not permitted for more than six straight minutes in any sixty, and the firebox may take only seasoned, dry wood or manufactured logs. Up top, a fitted spark arrestor must meet the state residential code: mesh that stops a half-inch ball but lets a three-eighths-inch ball through, and a screen that lifts off for cleaning. On any wood-burning fireplace in DuPont, we check both the screen and the damper.
Swapping one fireplace for another is not a like-for-like job on paper. When an appliance gives way to a dissimilar type, a wood unit replaced by gas for instance, NFPA 211 and the Chimney Safety Institute of America both expect a Level II inspection, video scan of the vent included. We carry out that inspection before quoting the change.
The rulebook is also shifting. Washington's State Building Code Council has scheduled the 2024 fuel gas, mechanical and residential codes to take effect on May 3, 2027. Ecology does not regulate how appliances are installed; that falls to the local building department, so we confirm with the city whether a permit is needed for your replacement before any work starts.
The grid we quote from for DuPont homes — the $99 inspection comes first, the written quote before any work.
| Service | Price in DuPont | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $375 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
| Chimney Cap Installation | $265–$750 | Stainless cap fitted; multi-flue and custom at the top |
| Masonry Repair (Crown / Repointing) | From $425 | Crown work, repointing and tuckpointing by surface area |
| Chimney Waterproofing | $320–$795 | Breathable sealer — reapplied every 3–5 years in this climate |
| Chimney Flashing Repair | $330–$1,500 | Reseal at the low end, full flashing replacement at the high |
| Gas Fireplace Service | $189–$475 | Annual service and tune-up; repairs quoted after diagnosis |
| Creosote Removal | From $245 | Priced by creosote stage — glazed stage 3 is the heavy end |
| Dryer Vent Cleaning | $105–$260 | Full run cleaned; roof or upper-floor terminations at the top |
| Air Duct Cleaning | From $535 | Whole HVAC system — trunks, branches and every register |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in DuPont. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
Yes. NFPA 211, the national chimney and venting standard, calls for a check at least once every year, and it makes no exception for gas. A gas unit leaves no creosote, but a vent can still clog and a gasket can still dry out, so the yearly visit earns its keep.
Ninety-nine dollars plus tax covers the DuPont visit. Should you go ahead with the written quote, that amount comes back off the job; should you not, the photos and findings are still yours.
Yes, and in DuPont that is a large share of what we see. We inspect the unit, its vent and its cap, and when a part has failed we quote the repair with the make and model noted so the right component is ordered.
Stop using the fireplace until the vent is checked. A nest can block the exhaust path. We clear it, look for damage to the cap or pipe, and fit a guard where the design allows one.
Yes. Air quality burn bans are issued county-wide by Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, DuPont included. At Stage 1 wood fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves must stay cold; Stage 2 adds certified stoves, inserts and pellet stoves. The bans name wood and pellet devices; a gas fireplace is not one of them.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. We inspect, quote in writing, and hand over a photo record of every repair.
