Steilacoom, Pierce County
A chimney in Steilacoom works facing Puget Sound. The town looks out across the water toward Anderson and Ketron islands, and in the stormy months the wind comes straight off the Sound and pushes rain into brick, mortar and flashing. A few of those chimneys stand on houses in Washington's first incorporated town; many more sit on homes built after 1960, farther up the slope. Either way, we climb up, photograph the top of the stack, run a camera through the flue and hand you a written quote.
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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 Steilacoom home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Steilacoom 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 — Steilacoom, WA. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Steilacoom was incorporated on April 22, 1854, the first town in Washington to do so. It became a state historic district in 1974 and a national one in 1975, and the district counts 68 contributing properties, including the Orr home of 1857 and the Bair Drug building of 1895. The town sits on the Sound between the Nisqually River delta and the Tacoma Narrows, and the county ferry to Anderson Island leaves from its waterfront. Behind that historic core, most housing is more recent: the median home was built in 1978, with about 57% of units predating 1980. So a Steilacoom chimney might be an old brick stack on a house the town has protected for decades, or a flue on a family home from the 1970s, and both live in marine air and a long rainy season.
The oldest Steilacoom chimneys need a light hand. Mortar that is harder than the old brick around it can trap moisture and spall the face, so on older masonry we match repair mortar to what is there, and we photograph the chimney before and after so the change can be judged by anyone who cares about the house.
Most of the town's chimneys are simpler: a single flue on a house from the last sixty years, often with its original clay liner. There the priorities are a tight crown, a cap that keeps rain and birds out, and a liner without cracked joints.
Photos of the crown, the flashing and the inside of the flue, a short written report, and an itemized quote. Each item is priced on its own, so you can do the urgent work now and plan the rest.
Inspecting on site is $99 plus tax; approve the written quote and that charge is credited to the work.
Steilacoom is a saltwater town. It faces Puget Sound between the Nisqually River delta and the Tacoma Narrows, looking out at Anderson and Ketron islands, with open water in front of it and little to break the weather on a waterfront lot.
A chimney here cannot hide from the wind. Under Washington's residential code a masonry stack has to clear its own roof penetration by 3 feet and stand 2 feet higher than anything within 10 feet, so every chimney top sits in open air and meets the gusts first. The State Fire Marshal's heating-safety advice includes a cap on the chimney and a professional check every year; on a Steilacoom house facing the Sound, the cap and the crown under it are our starting point.
Moss is a slow problem on a Northwest roof. According to Oregon State University Extension, it traps soil and organic litter that never quite dry, and over time it can raise shingles enough for water to work underneath. Next to a chimney that is doubly unwelcome, since moss and needles wedged against the flashing keep the seam wet for weeks. OSU's best long-term remedy is letting in more sun by cutting back overhanging trees; it also cautions that zinc sulfate eats copper.
Litter piles up fastest on the uphill face of a broad chimney. State code answers that with a cricket, a little ridge that splits the water, required wherever a chimney wider than 30 inches stands below the ridge line. On Steilacoom roofs we clear the build-up around the stack, see whether a cricket was ever built, and tell you if the flashing hidden under the moss has given out.
The 2021 edition of Washington's residential code has governed chimney work since March 15, 2024. It will not pass a masonry flue without a liner, and the liner may be tile, a listed system or another approved product able to take 1,800°F without corroding or cracking. An older Steilacoom flue with no lining, or with broken tiles, is the usual reason a relining line appears in our report.
The same code covers spark arrestors where one is installed. Its mesh has to be fine enough to catch anything half an inch across yet open enough for a three-eighths-inch object to pass, and the screen must be removable so it can be cleaned. We measure a cap's screen against that rule and clear it if it is clogged, because a choked screen starves the draft.
The grid we quote from for Steilacoom homes — the $99 inspection comes first, the written quote before any work.
| Service | Price in Steilacoom | 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 Steilacoom. 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.
Ninety-nine dollars plus tax for the visit. Approve the written quote we leave you and that sum is subtracted from the Steilacoom job; decline it and the photos and report are still yours to keep.
Usually the top. The crown, the upper mortar joints and the flashing take the wind-driven rain, and a missing or rusted cap lets water straight down the flue. We check those first on waterfront homes and show you the photos.
Yes. We document the chimney as it is, recommend repairs that keep its character, and use a mortar suited to the old brick. If the exterior is going to change, we suggest checking with the town first.
It is worth doing. NFPA 211, the national chimney standard, names a sale or change of ownership as a trigger for a Level II inspection, and CSIA advises one whenever a home changes hands. Washington law does not require it, but it tells you what you are buying.
Yes. It borders Lakewood and is a short drive from DuPont, so it falls on the same days as the rest of our southwest routes.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. We inspect, quote in writing, and hand over a photo record of every repair.
