Gig Harbor, Pierce County
Chimney work in Gig Harbor is shaped by where the town sits: wrapped around its own bay of Puget Sound, under tall firs, with most houses built in the last few decades and an older group along the waterfront. This page covers what is particular to chimneys here, the exposure, the roofs, the damp and the permits, and says where each point comes from.
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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 Gig Harbor home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Gig Harbor 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 — Gig Harbor, WA. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Gig Harbor is both a bay and the city on its shore, on the Gig Harbor Peninsula, part of the Kitsap Peninsula, and it is reached from Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on SR 16. It was incorporated as a fourth-class town on July 12, 1946, after decades as a fishing harbor settled by a Croatian community on the west side and Scandinavian families at the north end. Its housing is young for Pierce County. Half of Gig Harbor's homes date from 1998 or later, going by the ACS 2020–2024 median; roughly 23.8% were standing before 1980 and about 4.6% before 1960. Countywide, the median home is from 1986.
Those numbers describe two kinds of chimney. A smaller group of older houses near the water may still have brick stacks with clay flues, open fireplaces and decades of weather on the masonry. The larger group built since 1980 is where a factory-built firebox, a metal flue in a framed chase or a sealed gas unit is more likely to turn up; the census counts houses, not chimneys, so only a visit tells you which you have.
They fail differently. Brick needs its crown, joints and flue checked; a framed chase needs its top cover, cap and flue sections looked at. Knowing which one you have is the first step, and it is the first thing we note on a visit.
Whatever the question, most Gig Harbor jobs begin with an on-site look at the whole system, roof to firebox, with photos and a written report.
The visit is billed at $99 plus tax for each chimney; accept the repair quote and it is subtracted, turn it down and the report stays with you.
Gig Harbor grew around a sheltered bay, but it is a Puget Sound town, and homes on the waterfront and the bluffs face open water. When winter storms come through, those stacks meet wind-driven rain on their exposed side.
By state code, a brick or block stack has to clear its roof opening by 3 feet or more and top anything within a 10-foot radius by at least 2. That height is what makes the stack draw well, and it is also why the top courses, the crown and the cap take the brunt of the weather.
Oregon State University Extension, writing for the Pacific Northwest, says roof moss traps soil and debris that hold water, can lift shingles, and is best kept down over time by trimming trees so the roof gets more sun. It also warns that zinc sulfate moss treatments corrode copper roof parts.
On a Gig Harbor lot under firs, that same debris lands on the chimney. Among the State Fire Marshal's heating-season tips: fit a chimney cap, and book a professional to inspect and clean every year. A cap whose screen is kept clear is what stops needles and nests from reaching the flue.
In a wet climate, water reaches a chimney's inside long before it shows in a room. NFPA 211 lists weather events among the triggers for a Level II inspection, which covers accessible attics, basements and crawl spaces as well as the chimney itself.
CSIA's Level 2 procedure adds a video scan of the flue. Between the two, a slow leak shows up as what it is, a stained rafter, a soaked smoke chamber or a cracked tile, instead of a mystery stain on the ceiling a year later.
The City of Gig Harbor states that a structure regulated by the International Building Code or the International Residential Code may not be altered, repaired, improved or converted without a permit, apart from the exemptions it lists. Chimney and stove work that goes beyond upkeep is checked against that rule before it starts.
The codes themselves are the state's. Washington's 2021 editions, whose residential volume follows the 2021 IRC, have applied everywhere in the state since March 15, 2024; the 2024 editions are due to be implemented on May 3, 2027, per the State Building Code Council. One example of what they govern: a masonry chimney has to have a liner, whether clay tile, a listed system or a factory-built chimney, able to stand up to corrosion and cracking.
The grid we quote from for Gig Harbor homes — the $99 inspection comes first, the written quote before any work.
| Service | Price in Gig Harbor | 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 Gig Harbor. 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. We cover all of Gig Harbor, from the waterfront streets around the bay to the neighborhoods up on the peninsula, and plan roof work around the weather.
Each chimney is $99 plus tax to inspect, whichever level it needs, and that fee is deducted from the work if you sign off on our quote.
Check first. A Stage 1 ban takes open wood fireplaces out of use along with uncertified stoves and inserts; Stage 2 adds certified wood stoves and pellet stoves. The only way around either is an approved exemption for a home with no other adequate heat. For the current status, check the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency online.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. We inspect, quote in writing, and hand over a photo record of every repair.
