Finished
In progress
L
LBE Masonry Team
Chimney and Brick Repair, York County PA
Chimney tops are the hardest working brick on any house. They take weather from four sides, heat from the inside, and nobody looks at them closely for years. We rebuild a lot of them.
From the ground this chimney looked tired but intact. From the scaffold, the top few feet told a different story: open joints, brick faces flaking away, and a crown that was letting water straight down into the stack. The fix was a chimney top rebuild. Take the bad section down to sound brick, and build it back the right way.
The house is a red brick home in York County with a dormer and a two-flue chimney rising above the roofline. We set scaffold along the side of the house to reach the work. It takes a morning to set up, and it means we can lay brick up there with the same care we would on the ground, instead of balancing on shingles.
Why Chimney Tops Fail Before the Rest
The top of a chimney is exposed on all four sides, with no roof over it and no wall beside it. Rain soaks in, the water freezes and expands, and each cycle opens the joints a little more. Once the crown cracks, water gets into the core of the chimney and comes out through the brick faces as spalling. The bottom of the chimney, protected by the roof and the house, is usually fine. The top goes first, and it goes fast once it starts.
If you catch it at the top, you fix the top. If you wait, the water works its way down and the rebuild gets taller every year.
This one was caught while the damage was still above the roofline, which is the affordable version of this repair.What the Rebuild Involved
01
Scaffold and Roof Protection
Scaffold was set from the ground to the chimney, and the roof around the work was covered so mortar and brick could not mark the shingles.
02
Teardown to Sound Brick
The old crown came off and the deteriorated courses were taken down one by one until we reached brick with solid, well-bonded mortar. That line, where old meets new, is visible in the photos. We stop there, not at a round number of courses.
03
New Brick Around the Flue Liners
The two clay flue liners were in good shape and stayed. New brick was laid course by course around them, keeping the liners plumb and the space around them clear so the flues can expand with heat without cracking the brick.
04
Matching the Decorative Bands
The original chimney had a soldier course and a basket-weave band near the top. Those were laid back in with the new brick so the chimney still matches the house instead of looking like a plain patch on top of an ornate stack.
05
Crown and Cap
A new precast concrete crown with an overhang and drip edge was set on the top course, so water sheds past the brick instead of running down it. A metal cap went on over the flues to keep rain and animals out. Those two parts are what protect the new brickwork for the next few decades.
The crown is the part that matters most. A thin mortar wash on top of the brick, which is what many older chimneys have, cracks within a few years. A proper crown is thick, overhangs the brick on all sides, and has a drip edge underneath. If a chimney quote does not mention the crown, ask.
Signs Your Chimney Top Needs Attention
- Brick faces flaking or popping off near the top, with chips on the roof or in the gutters.
- Open or crumbling joints you can see from the ground with binoculars.
- A cracked or missing crown, or a crown that is just a thin layer of mortar.
- White staining on the brick, which means water is moving through it.
- A lean or a gap between the chimney and the house, which means it is time to call before the next storm.
Questions Homeowners Ask
Do I need the whole chimney rebuilt?
Usually not. If the damage is above the roofline and the brick below is sound, a top rebuild solves it. We only go lower when the teardown shows bad brick continuing down.
How long does a chimney top rebuild take?
Typically a few days including scaffold setup and teardown, depending on height and how many courses come off. We confirm the schedule after we see the chimney up close.
Will the new brick match?
We match size, color blend, and the mortar color as closely as possible, and we reproduce any decorative coursing. New brick starts a little cleaner than brick that has weathered for decades, and the difference fades over a few seasons.
Chimney Rebuilds Across York County
We rebuild chimney tops, replace crowns, repoint stacks, and rebuild full chimneys throughout York County and the surrounding area. If your chimney looks rough from the ground, send us a photo and we will tell you what we see.
📍 York, PA
📍 Red Lion
📍 Dallastown
📍 Shrewsbury
📍 Glen Rock
📍 New Freedom
📍 Hanover
📍 Spring Grove
Chimney Looking Rough at the Top?
Send us a photo from the ground. We will tell you whether it is a crown, a repoint, or a top rebuild, and what it takes to fix it before winter.
Get a Free EstimateProject Details
Job Summary
Location
York County, PA
Work Done
Chimney top rebuild: scaffold, removal of the old crown and deteriorated upper courses down to sound brick, new brick laid around the existing two clay flue liners, original soldier course and basket-weave band reproduced, new precast concrete crown and metal cap
Materials
Matched clay brick, color-matched mortar, precast concrete crown, metal chimney cap
Completed
2026
