Chimney Repair in Des Moines — Same-Day Service, Done Right the First Time

Fast, Reliable Chimney Repair Across Des Moines

Chimney repair in Des Moines typically costs between $350 for minor mortar repointing and $4,500–$8,500 for partial or full chimney rebuilding, with most standard repairs completed in a single visit. We’re Horizon Chimney Sweep Washington, and our Chimney Repair team serves Des Moines homeowners from our Seattle base — usually arriving same-day or next-day to neighborhoods from Maury to Wyngates. Call (866) 541-8697 for a free estimate.

Call (866) 541-8697

Des Moines isn’t just another dot on the map for us. We’ve spent 17 years working the chimney systems of this city’s mid-century ranches and split-levels, and we know the specific headaches that come with living this close to Puget Sound. The salt air. The saturated brick. The chase covers that rust through in a decade instead of thirty years. James Wilson, our owner and lead technician, has personally diagnosed and repaired hundreds of chimneys along Marine View Drive South, in Hearthside, and throughout the Star Lake area. When you call us, you’re getting that experience at your door — not a subcontractor learning your roofline on the fly.

Why Horizon Chimney Sweep Washington Is Des Moines’s Preferred Chimney Repair Company

We’ve earned 1,006 verified customer reviews averaging 4.8 stars, and a significant share of those come from repeat Des Moines clients who’ve learned they don’t need to call a second company when deeper problems surface. That’s the advantage of chimney-only specialty — we don’t split our attention across roofing, HVAC, or general contracting. James Wilson handles the diagnosis himself, and our crew carries the materials to complete most repairs in one trip, even to the longer driveways and hillside accesses common in Des Moines’s bluff neighborhoods.

Our response time to Des Moines averages same-day or next-day, depending on weather and tide of calls. We know the route down Airport Expressway, the access challenges of the steep lots above the marina, and the parking realities near the Harpoon or A Gentle Nudge. More importantly, we know what we’re going to find when we get there — because Des Moines chimneys fail in predictable patterns that we’ve documented across seventeen years of hands-on work.

Our Chimney Repair Services in Des Moines

Chimney Waterproofing

Des Moines’s 37–40 inches of annual rainfall, delivered across a wet season that stretches from October well into April, saturates chimney masonry through hundreds of freeze-thaw cycles. Our waterproofing service uses breathable, vapor-permeable sealants from Gelco that block liquid water while allowing trapped moisture to escape — critical for the single-wythe brick chimneys common in 1960s Laurelwood and Hearthside homes. We apply these treatments after any necessary repointing, and we always inspect the crown first. A waterproofed chimney with a cracked crown is just a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

Flashing Repair

The junction where your chimney meets the roof is the most leak-prone point on any Des Moines home, and it’s made worse by the constant moisture and occasional wind-driven salt spray from Puget Sound. We repair and replace flashing using industry-standard materials, and we pay special attention to the step flashing and counterflashing details that generalist roofers often rush. In the bluff neighborhoods, we’ve found that corrosion of the flashing fasteners themselves — not just the flashing metal — is a common failure mode that gets missed until water stains appear on the ceiling below.

Chimney Rebuilding

When mortar joints have deteriorated past the point of repointing, when spalling brick has compromised structural integrity, or when a mid-century chimney has simply absorbed one too many wet seasons, we rebuild. Our rebuilds use matching brick where possible and always include proper crown construction, waterproofing, and — when indicated — liner replacement with DuraFlex stainless steel systems. We’ve completed full and partial rebuilds on homes throughout Maury, Wyngates, and the Star Lake area, always with the goal of a chimney system that outlasts the next several decades of Pacific Northwest weather.

Mortar Repointing & Spalling Brick Repair

Repointing — grinding out failed mortar and replacing it with properly matched new mortar — is the most common repair we perform in Des Moines. The original mortar in these mid-century homes has often turned to sand after sixty years of rainfall saturation. Spalling brick, where the freeze-thaw cycle has caused the brick face to flake or pop off, requires more invasive repair: individual brick replacement, sometimes in sections. We source matching brick when we can, and we always address the underlying moisture issue that’s causing the spalling, or we’re back in two years doing it again.

Trusted Brands We Service in Des Moines

We stock and install parts from Copperfield, Olympia Chimney, and Famco — brands that hold up to Des Moines’s demanding coastal environment. A chase cover from a big-box store might last five years on a bluff home; the copper and stainless options we source through Copperfield are rated for marine exposure and routinely outlast cheaper alternatives by a factor of three. We carry common sizes and configurations on our trucks, which means most Des Moines repairs don’t wait on parts orders. For liner replacements, we specify DuraFlex stainless steel — the standard for professional chimney relining — and for crown resurfacing, we use HeatShield’s cerfractory foam system when the existing crown structure is sound but the surface has cracked.

Common Chimney Repair Problems We See in Des Moines Homes

• Rusted-through chase covers and dampers on bluff homes. The salt-laden marine air rolling off Puget Sound — particularly along Marine View Drive South — corrodes factory-built metal components at 2–3 times the rate seen in inland suburbs. We’ve replaced chase covers that were installed less than ten years ago and were already perforated.
• Spalling brick and cracked clay flue liners in mid-century ranches. Homes in neighborhoods like Laurelwood and Hearthside, built with original single-wythe construction and clay tile liners, have absorbed decades of rainfall. The liners crack from thermal shock and moisture expansion; the brick spalls when trapped water freezes.
• Mortar joint deterioration at chimney crowns. With 40 inches of annual rainfall saturating old masonry, the crown — the concrete or mortar cap that seals the chimney top — develops cracks that funnel water directly into the structure. This accelerates joint failure throughout the chimney stack.
• Flashing corrosion and fastener failure. The combination of constant moisture and salt particulates in the air attacks both the flashing metal and the nails or screws that secure it, creating leaks that can go undetected until interior damage is significant.

Pricing for Chimney Repair in Des Moines, WA

We Also Serve Cities Near Des Moines

Our service radius extends naturally to the communities surrounding Des Moines, including Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Kent. While Kent’s inland location spares it the aggressive salt-air corrosion we see on Des Moines’s Puget Sound bluffs, many of the same mid-century housing stock and aging masonry issues apply across the region. Wherever you are in south King County, the same technician expertise and material standards apply.

FAQs — Chimney Repair in Des Moines