Mercer Island, King County
Chimney relining on Mercer Island starts at $1,895 for a full-length stainless liner, with the final price set by the flue's height, its shape and the appliance it serves. We scan the existing flue before quoting, so you are paying to fix what the camera shows rather than a guess.
Typical investment
From $1,895
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Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Mercer Island home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Mercer Island homes.
Level 1 or Level 2 inspection, with a camera scan where warranted
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Complete sweep of the flue and firebox, protected by drop cloths and HEPA filtration
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Restoration of brick, mortar joints and firebox
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A stainless cap fitted to your flue's exact dimensions
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Cleaning of the burner, pilot and valve assembly
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Crown recast — or rebuilt outright where the damage demands it
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
The Washington State Residential Code, which adopts the 2021 International Residential Code with state amendments, requires masonry chimneys to be lined with a material suited to the appliance connected to them. Many island houses were built in the boom that followed the 1940 floating bridge, and a clay tile liner from that era has had decades to crack, shift or come apart at the joints.
Close to half of Mercer Island's 12.90 square miles is open lake, since Lake Washington encircles the whole city. King County describes the lake as the second biggest natural body of fresh water in Washington.
A liner is only as good as its seal at the top. Regional climatologists at WRCC say the hardest winds of the year tend to come out of the southern quarter as fall turns to winter, so we make sure the top plate, cap and sealant can take wind-driven rain before we sign off.
Extension specialists at WSU note that moss flourishes in the wet months on any surface that stays damp, and that unchecked it takes years off a roof. OSU Extension ties its growth to shade from nearby trees.
A relining ends at the crown, so the crown has to be sound. If moss has been sitting on it, we clear it by hand, check the masonry underneath, and mention it in the quote if the crown needs work before the new top plate can seal properly.
Every chimney relining we do in Mercer Island includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowThe relining calls we see start in three ways. An inspection finds cracked or missing tiles. A homeowner wants to add a wood insert or switch appliances, and the old flue is the wrong size for the new one. Or a shaking event has left gaps inside the flue that nobody can see from below. In each case the liner has to match the appliance, not just fill the hole.
Mercer Island's emergency management page states that at least two strands of the Seattle fault pass beneath the island. In the survey that followed the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually quake in 2001, researchers found the heaviest chimney damage in a zone along that fault.
FEMA's recovery advisory recommends rebuilding quake-damaged masonry chimneys with metal flues or inserts in light-frame construction rather than relying on repointing. A stainless liner in a sound masonry chimney is a smaller step, but it keeps a continuous metal path for flue gases if the old tile cracks.
CSIA recommends a Level 2 inspection whenever lining or relining is planned. We run the camera down the full flue and record what the tile looks like.
The liner's diameter and material follow the appliance's listing and the manufacturer's instructions, so a wood insert, a gas furnace and an open fireplace each get a different specification.
From the roof, we lower the stainless liner through the old flue, join it to the appliance below, then cap and seal it at the crown so rain cannot run between old and new.
With the appliance connected, we check the draft, photograph the top and bottom connections, and leave you the liner's paperwork for your records.
The Western Regional Climate Center counts 20 to 25 or more rainy days in an ordinary western Washington December or January, with January humidity sitting around 78 to 87 percent from afternoon to dawn.
Water that gets into a cracked clay liner soaks the surrounding brick, and CSIA identifies water as the leading cause of masonry chimney damage. A sealed stainless liner with a proper cap closes that route from the top down.
What this work is quoted at for Mercer Island homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Mercer Island | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Relining | From $1,895 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
| Chimney Cap Installation | $235–$845 | Stainless cap fitted; multi-flue and custom at the top |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Mercer Island. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Mercer Island is an island city in the middle of Lake Washington, on Lake Washington, with mid-century and high-value waterfront homes.
Mercer IslandKing County, WA · 47.571, -122.222
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
From $1,895 for a full-length stainless liner. Tall flues, oval or oversized tile, and insulation requirements push the price up, and the written quote shows each of those items.
Mercer Island handles single-family mechanical permits online through MyBuildingPermit.com. The city's pages do not list each chimney job, so we confirm with the permit desk when a relining ties into a new appliance.
If the inspection found cracked or missing tile, we would not recommend it. A damaged liner no longer separates hot gases from the wood framing around the chimney.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
