Chimney repair in Newport News VA - mortar joints that keep water out of the brick
Mortar crumbling out of your chimney joints? We find what's letting the water in, fix that first, then repoint so the new joints last.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
When does a brick chimney need repair, and what's involved?
Chimney repair in Newport News usually means repointing, where we cut out the worn mortar between the bricks and pack in fresh mortar, and it's one of the surest ways to keep water out of the brickwork for the long run. Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years while the brick itself can go well past 100, so on most older chimneys you're paying to redo joints, not to replace brick.
Most people call when the chimney starts looking tired and they can't tell from the ground whether it needs a few joints or a lot more. The price turns on how many joints have gone, how tall the chimney is and how hard the roof is to work on, whether the cap and crown on top need work too, and whether there's a drainage problem to fix first. The schedule turns on dry weather, since fresh mortar doesn't like rain, and on whether your address needs a permit or review before we start. Your own figure comes in the written estimate after I've looked at the chimney with you.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
Mortar crumbling out
If the joints are sandy, sunk back from the brick face or come away when you scratch them with a key, water has been washing the mortar out. Left alone, those gaps let more water into the brick every time it rains, and a small repointing job turns into a big one.
Thin cracks around the bricks
Hairline cracks in the mortar, or a crack running along the edge where brick meets mortar, mean the joint has let go of the brick. Water gets into that line and opens it a little wider every winter it freezes in there.
Stains inside by the chimney
A damp patch on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney, or a stain by the fireplace after rain, means water is getting past the masonry somewhere up top. The longer it runs, the more drywall and framing you end up fixing on top of the chimney.
How we handle chimney repair
On a chimney I look past the mortar to where the water is coming from, because new joints won't last long if something keeps soaking them. A leaking downspout can wash mortar right out of the joints, so we replace it and fix any other drainage problem first, and it's worth planning that into the job from the start. Then we cut the worn mortar back to sound joints and repoint, mixing the new mortar to match the old or a little weaker, since mortar harder than the brick around it can damage the brick for good. While I'm up there I take photos of the cap, crown and joints you can't see from the ground, so you see what I saw.
A tired chimney often means the same wear is showing elsewhere. If the joints on the walls of the house are going the same way, tuckpointing brings them back before water gets behind them, and bricks that have cracked or lost their faces need brick repair, not just new mortar.
Repointing the joints
This suits a chimney with sound brick and worn mortar, which is most of the ones we see. It's the main fix for keeping water out of the brickwork, done wherever the joints have gone.
Cap and crown repair
This suits a chimney where water is getting in from the top, through a cracked crown, the sloped concrete top around the flue, or a missing cap. The joints below won't stay sound if the top keeps letting rain straight in.
Get a free on-site estimate for your chimney
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, look at the chimney with you and write up a free estimate, with no obligation.
(757) 782-8614- Based in
- Newport News, VA 23606
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens after you call about your chimney?
Here's how a chimney job runs from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and who you'll be dealing with along the way.
Call or send the form
Call (757) 782-8614 or send the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time. Tell us what you've noticed and where the house is.
Walk the chimney with me
I come out, look at the chimney with you and point out what I see before I write anything up. The estimate lays out what's causing the damage and what we'll fix, so you can see what the price is paying for.
Permits first, then the work
Once you say go, we take care of any permit or review your address needs. Then we fix whatever's feeding the water and repoint the joints.
Walk the finished job together
When we're done, we walk the chimney with you and go over what we did and why. That way, if something changes years from now, you'll know what you're looking at.
Why Newport News homeowners call K&R for chimney repair
I look at every job myself
I come out to every chimney, look at it with you and write the estimate, and on the job I work alongside our masons. The person who saw the problem is the one making sure it gets fixed.
Licensed and fully insured in Virginia
We're licensed and fully insured, working on Virginia homes from our base in Newport News. Chimney work means ladders and roofs, so you want the crew on yours covered.
Six years on lived-in homes
Since 2020 we've worked on homes people already live in, and we're best known for repointing and repair on older brick. That's exactly what a tired chimney needs, where the new mortar has to suit the old wall it's going into.
If your chimney joints are starting to go, call (757) 782-8614 or request an estimate and I'll come take a look.
Chimney and brick work on Newport News homes
Newport News Codes Compliance issues building permits, and its list names building, mechanical and fuel gas permits but not chimney repair, so it isn't settled whether your job needs one. Before work starts, we check with the permit office for your address and handle the paperwork when the job calls for it. Virginia's rules for existing buildings leave the parts of your house we aren't repairing out of the requirements for new buildings, so fixing the chimney doesn't pull the rest of the house up to new-home rules. If you live in Hilton Village or North End/Huntington Heights, the city's two historic districts, an architectural review board looks after the character of those streets, so we flag it early, the same as we do for homes near the water, and let any review happen before we start.
On older houses here and in Hampton and Poquoson, the chimney we're called to has often had a patch or two smeared over the joints instead of packed into them. We take those out with the rest of the worn mortar, because a patch sitting on a bad joint just hides the water.
Questions about chimney repair in Newport News
How do I know if my chimney needs repointing?
Your chimney needs repointing once the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch from the brick face, or you see crumbling mortar, holes in the joints, hairline cracks in the mortar or cracks between the brick and the mortar. Any one of those is enough to book the repair. A few photos from the ground help, and I'll check the parts you can't see when I come out.
How much does chimney cap and crown repair cost in Newport News?
Across the US, chimney cap and crown repair usually costs about $550 to $2,300 per job, installed. That's a national figure for the top of the chimney, not our price, and it doesn't include repointing the joints below. Your Newport News number comes in the estimate after I've looked at your chimney.
Where do I get a building permit in Newport News?
You get a building permit from the city's permit office, either online or in person at City Hall. If we're doing your chimney, checking whether you need one and filing it is part of our job, so you won't have to go yourself.
Who is allowed to do chimney repair work in Virginia?
In Virginia, a business that repairs property owned by someone else has to be licensed by the state's Board for Contractors. Each license pairs a class, which sets how large a contract the business can take on, with a specialty, which sets the kind of work it can do. It's fair to ask any contractor which class and specialty they hold.
What is the best way to reline a damaged chimney?
For most existing chimneys, a stainless steel flexible liner is the most common way to reline, because it threads down the old flue without tearing anything out and works for gas, oil and wood-burning appliances. A clay tile liner is only practical when the chimney is being rebuilt. A cast-in-place liner forms a seamless insulated flue and suits chimneys that are oddly shaped or damaged.
How often should I have my chimney inspected?
A Level One inspection, the standard check, is the recommended level for a routine cleaning or yearly inspection when nothing about your chimney is changing. The easy way to stay on top of it is to have it done alongside your regular chimney cleaning.
Related services that often go with chimney work
Tuckpointing
When your house walls show the same sandy, sunken joints as the chimney, tuckpointing renews that mortar before rain starts working its way behind the brick.
Brick repair
For bricks that have cracked or lost their faces, brick repair swaps out the damaged ones so new mortar has solid brick to hold onto.
Service areas for chimney repair around Newport News
K&R Newport News Concrete & Masonry is based in Newport News, VA, and we work in the cities around it, including Williamsburg and Norfolk. These nine cities have their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Newport News, VA
Start your chimney repair estimate today
Have photos of any cracked or crumbling mortar and your street address handy when you call or send the form, so I know what I'm looking at and what your address needs.