Chimney Repair Cost Calculator

Most chimney repointing jobs land between $500 and $2,500 — HomeGuide and Fixr publish the same band, and Angi's March 2026 data puts the average at $1,200. In this model an 80 sq ft face on a 1.5-story chimney with scaffold access runs about $1,337; height and brick matching, not the mortar itself, are what push a quote toward the top of the range.

316-grade handles seasoned wood in a fireplace or stove and is the standard relining choice; 904 has more nickel and resists the acidic condensate that coal and multi-fuel appliances produce, so it lasts longer under corrosive use. In this model upgrading a 25-ft flue from 316 to 904 adds roughly $877 (about 35% on the material side of the kit).

Because a bead of roof cement over rusted metal is a patch, not a repair — it buys one or two seasons. A lasting fix replaces the step flashing up the roof slope and the counterflashing cut into the chimney's mortar joints as two interlocking pieces. A reseal runs about $410 while a full replacement in new metal is the version that actually ends the leak.

Usually only for sudden events — a chimney fire, lightning strike, or a tree limb that cracks the stack. Gradual wear (spalling brick, a washed-out crown, failed mortar joints) is treated as deferred maintenance and excluded, which is why annual sweep inspections matter: a documented clean bill of health is your evidence that any later damage was sudden. Chimney-fire claims typically require a certified sweep's report and a Level 2 camera inspection before the carrier pays for a relining, and carriers have been known to non-renew homes with visibly deteriorated stacks — one more reason to fix crown and flashing problems before they photograph badly.

Most single-flue relines are a one-day job: the crew drops the insulated kit from the top, connects the appliance, and caps it in 4–8 hours. Three things stretch it: breaking out old clay tiles first (hours of chain-weight work), a flue shared by a furnace and water heater — each appliance needs its own correctly sized liner, never a shared one — and sizing itself, since an undersized liner causes the condensation and draft problems the liner exists to prevent. Reputable crews run a Level 2 camera inspection before and after the reline ($300–$600 per Fixr) to document the flue's condition.

A Level 1 visual check runs $55–$250 (HomeGuide); a Level 2 camera inspection — required after any chimney fire, before relining, or when selling a home — runs $300–$600 per Fixr. Many municipalities permit chimney relines and rebuilds since they touch the heating vent system; caps, flashing and tuckpointing generally don't need one.

If more than a third of the exposed brick is spalling or the stack leans, patching it is paying twice: repointing a failing stack, then rebuilding it in five years. Repairs that stack up past $4,000–$5,000 (reline + crown + tuckpointing) on a badly deteriorated chimney are the point where most masons quote a partial or full rebuild instead, roughly $4,000–$8,000+ for a standard residential stack.

Access and brick. A crew that rents perimeter staging ($700+ in this model) quotes higher than one that works off roof jacks; matching 50-year-old brick — custom color-matched (+15%) or salvaged reclaimed (+25%) — adds real hours over standard red brick. HomeGuide lists masons at $40–$60 per sq ft for brick replacement work, so surface area and scaffolding explain most of the spread.