Masonry repair on a brick chimney

Before & after

Our work, documented

Every chimney we touch is photographed before and after — so the proof is in the pictures, not in promises.

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We document every job with before-and-after photos. As we complete work across King County's Eastside, our own real projects appear here — chimney repairs, relining, crown rebuilds, cap installs and masonry. Below them, a showcase of representative before-and-after examples shows what each service we offer typically looks like.

Service showcase — before & after

What each service looks like, before and after

For every service we offer, here's the kind of before-and-after transformation it delivers — paired with a representative scenario from the Eastside so you can picture how a typical job plays out.

An honest note: the pairs and scenarios below are representative before-and-after examples and typical situations — not photos or stories of specific customer jobs. They illustrate what each service involves. We add our own completed the Eastside County projects above as we finish them.

Before
After
Chimney Sweep
On the left, a flue and smoke chamber carrying a season of soot and early creosote; on the right, the same masonry brushed and vacuumed back to a bare surface. The difference is more than appearance — a clean flue drafts properly, keeps smoke out of the room, and holds none of the fuel a chimney fire needs. That is why NFPA guidance calls for an annual sweep on any wood-burning system.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A pattern we see every spring: an established Bellevue home that burned wood steadily all winter with no sweep in between. By March the flue carries a full season of soot and early creosote, and the first sign the owner notices is smoke curling back into the room. The typical visit starts with a scan of the flue, then a sweep from the smoke chamber upward and a thorough vacuuming of the firebox — with any glazing or moisture staining flagged for the record. The usual outcome is a flue that draws cleanly again and a documented picture of what next season will need.
Before
After
Chimney Inspection
These frames come from a camera run the full length of the flue — territory no look from the hearth can cover. What the scan documents is a cracked tile or a gap in the liner: precisely the hidden defect that can pass heat and combustion gases toward framing. A Level 1 or Level 2 inspection, photographed and written up, replaces guesswork with a defined scope of work.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A scenario that repeats across Mercer Island and Medina: a buyer closing on a lakefront home asks for the chimney to be checked before signing. From the hearth the firebox looks unremarkable — but the camera run up the flue usually tells the fuller story, a cracked tile or a liner gap left by decades of heat and lake-damp air. Every finding goes into a written report with photographs, so the buyer walks into the purchase with a documented scope rather than a post-move-in surprise.
Before
After
Chimney Relining
Before: a clay flue whose cracked, shifted tiles no longer contain heat or gases reliably. After: one continuous stainless steel liner, insulated and sized to the appliance it serves. The liner is the sole barrier between the fire and the wood structure of the house — and once the original is compromised, replacing it is a code requirement, not an option.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A representative case from Bellevue's established neighborhoods: a 1960s masonry chimney where the camera scan reveals cracked, shifted clay tiles. Decades of Pacific Northwest rain and periodic freezes have quietly broken the liner down until it no longer contains heat safely. The typical remedy is to clear the failed tiles where necessary and install an insulated stainless liner sized precisely to the appliance. The result is a flue that meets code — and a fireplace the family can use without a second thought.
Before
After
Chimney Repair
Before: brick faces spalling away and mortar joints hollowed out where rain found a path. After: the damaged courses rebuilt and the joints repointed until the stack sheds water again. Timing decides the cost here — addressed early it is masonry maintenance; deferred, loose brick and a leaning stack turn it into a rebuild.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A typical job in our territory: a brick stack on an established home that has stood through years of lake-damp air and winter storms, now spalling at the face with joints washed hollow near the top. Left alone, each wet season drives water deeper and each freeze pushes the brick further apart. The methodical fix: rake out the failed joints, rebuild the spalled courses, repoint in a matched mortar until the stack sheds rain again. The outcome is a sound, weather-tight chimney — decay stopped well short of the structure.
Before
After
Chimney Cap Installation
Before: a flue standing open to the sky — collecting rain, leaves and the occasional nesting bird. After: a stainless cap with spark-arrestor mesh fitted over it. Rain down the flue is the single biggest driver of internal chimney decay in a climate this wet, and the cap that stops it (along with embers and animals) costs a fraction of the damage it prevents.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A find we make regularly near Lake Washington: an open, capless flue, water staining inside the firebox, and the debris of a bird's nest at the top. An uncovered flue is the shortest route for rain, damp air and animals to ruin a chimney from the inside out. The standard remedy is a stainless cap with spark-arrestor mesh, fitted to the flue's exact dimensions. The result is a dry, animal-free chimney — a modest part standing in for a far more expensive repair.
Before
After
Masonry Repair (Crown / Repointing)
Before: a cracked crown and weathered top joints — the highest, most exposed masonry on the house. After: the crown recast and the upper courses freshly repointed so water sheds clear of the stack. The crown is effectively the chimney's own roof; once it splits, rain runs straight into brick and flue, so restoring it early protects every course beneath.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
How this usually begins: a homeowner in Clyde Hill or Somerset notices a damp patch spreading on the ceiling, and the roof visit finds the crown cracked with the top joints eroded. On a high, exposed roofline the crown absorbs the full force of wind-driven rain and every freeze that follows; once split, it channels water directly into brick and flue. The typical repair recasts the crown and repoints the upper courses so water sheds clear. The outcome is a watertight top protecting every course beneath it.
Before
After
Chimney Waterproofing
Before: porous, stained brick that absorbs rain the way a sponge does. After: the same masonry treated with a breathable, vapor-permeable repellent. The distinction matters — the treatment turns liquid water away at the surface while letting moisture already inside escape, so the brick never traps water to freeze and split it. For sound masonry in a wet climate, few measures buy more life for less.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A representative scenario from the lakefront streets: a brick chimney that never quite dries between rains, its face beginning to flake after a run of hard winters. Porous brick drinking in wind-driven rain and then freezing is exactly how spalling starts around Lake Washington. Once the masonry is confirmed sound, the treatment is a breathable repellent — liquid water turned away, trapped moisture still free to escape. The result is brickwork that sheds the rain and meets the next freeze-thaw season on better terms.
Before
After
Chimney Flashing Repair
Before: rusted, lifted flashing at the seam where chimney meets roof — the classic origin of a recurring ceiling stain. After: new step and counter-flashing, lapped in layers and sealed. Proper flashing is sheet-metal work, not a bead of caulk, and it is the only detail keeping that junction watertight through a Pacific Northwest winter.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A job we know well: a lakefront home where the same ceiling stain returns near the chimney after every heavy storm. On an exposed roof the culprit is nearly always flashing — rusted through, lifted, or held together by old caulk that has finally let go. The proper repair strips the failed metal and installs true step and counter-flashing, lapped and sealed at the roofline. The result is a junction that stays dry through the winter storms — and a stain that stops coming back.
Before
After
Gas Fireplace Service
Before: dusty logs, sooted glass and a low, uneven flame. After: the firebox cleaned and the burner and pilot serviced to a steady, efficient burn. The service goes past appearance — pilot, thermocouple and venting are all verified, so the unit lights dependably and carries its combustion byproducts safely outdoors. A gas fireplace left unserviced is a carbon-monoxide question as much as a comfort one.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
The classic autumn call: an Eastside homeowner flips the switch on the gas fireplace as the weather turns, and finds sooty glass, dusty logs and a flame that burns low and uneven. A damp Pacific Northwest off-season is hard on pilots and burners left idle. The standard service cleans the firebox and glass, tunes the burner and pilot, and verifies the venting and safety components. The result is a fireplace that lights on the first try, burns even, and vents the way it should.
Before
After
Creosote Removal
Before: heavy Stage 3 creosote — the hard, glassy glaze an ordinary brush slides straight over. After: flue walls returned to clean masonry. That glaze is intensely flammable and feeds most chimney fires, so stripping it with the proper equipment is safety work in the strictest sense. It is also the deposit an annual sweep exists to prevent.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A representative case: a household that has burned heavily — often with under-seasoned wood — across several Issaquah winters without a sweep in between. The flue ends up coated in hard, glazed creosote that an ordinary brush cannot touch, and that glaze is what most chimney fires run on. The proper job breaks the glazing down with specialist tools and returns the flue to clean masonry, then identifies the burning habits behind the buildup. The outcome is a flue that is safe to use and a plan to keep it that way.
Before
After
Dryer Vent Cleaning
Before: a vent line packed solid with lint. After: a clear duct moving air freely. The blocked run forces the dryer to labor hot and slow, wears it out early, and ranks among the leading causes of household fires. Clearing the full line restores airflow, shortens drying cycles, trims energy use — and removes the hazard, which matters most on long or constricted runs.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
A frequent call from larger Eastside homes: a long dryer run where laundry has crept up to two cycles per load and the laundry room turns hot and humid. That is the signature of a lint-packed vent line — and a genuine fire risk hiding behind an appliance problem. The thorough fix clears the entire run from the dryer to the exterior hood and confirms the flap swings freely. The result is a cooler, faster dryer, a lower power bill, and one hazard off the list.
Before
After
Air Duct Cleaning
Before: supply ducts and registers carrying years of settled dust and debris. After: clean ductwork and unobstructed airflow. The gain is practical — the HVAC system pushes air with less effort, and each cycle recirculates less dust into the rooms. Worth doing after a renovation, following a pest problem, or whenever visible dust blows from the vents.
Representative exampleTypical scenario — not a specific customer job
How this typically starts: a family finishes a remodel in one of Bellevue's established neighborhoods — or moves into a home that has stood by the lake for decades — and notices dust streaming from the registers and resettling within days. Whatever has collected in the ductwork over the years gets pushed back into the rooms on every cycle. The standard job cleans the supply and return runs along with the registers. The outcome is freer airflow, noticeably less recirculated dust, and an HVAC system under less strain.

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