Chimney repair in Ventura, CA - a chimney that's sound from the firebox to the top
Crumbling joints, loose brick at the top or a chimney nobody's checked in years? We find what's actually wrong and fix that.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does chimney repair involve on a Ventura house?
Chimney repair in Ventura can mean cleaning the chimney and putting in a liner, or taking it down to the shoulder, the spot where it narrows, and rebuilding everything above. Done well, it keeps the brick tight and lowers the risk of a chimney fire.
Most people call us after they find sandy mortar on the roof or a few loose bricks up top, or after a chimney sweep tells them something needs fixing. The price moves with how much of the chimney needs work, how hard the top is to reach and whether it needs a liner, and patching a few joints costs far less than a rebuild. The schedule mostly turns on the city's permit and inspection steps, which I'll get to further down, and on finding brick that matches. I won't guess at a number from the street, so once I've been up there you get a written estimate that says what we'd do and why.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
Crumbling mortar near the top
If you find sand in the gutter or see joints at the top that look sunken and soft, the mortar is wearing out. Left alone, water gets deeper into the joints every rainy season, and a job that started as fresh mortar turns into rebuilding the top.
Loose or leaning bricks
Bricks that wiggle, a cap that's shifted or a top that leans even a little usually means the upper part has lost its grip on the mortar. That's the one I wouldn't wait on, because loose brick can come down onto the roof or into the yard.
Water stains near the fireplace
Damp brick, stains on the wall or ceiling beside the chimney, or a musty smell after rain usually point to a cracked crown, the concrete cap on top, or a gap in the flashing where the chimney meets the roof. Every rain that gets in softens more mortar inside, where you can't see it.
How we handle chimney repair, from the first look to cleanup
One of the first things I ask is when your chimney was built, because that helps decide which repair makes sense, and then I go up and look at the top, the joints and the flue. On the day, we cover your furniture and floors around the fireplace, since chimney work gets sooty no matter how careful anyone is. We take out mortar that's failed and reset or replace loose brick, and if the chimney needs a liner we clean it out first and then put the liner in. If the top is too far gone, we take it down to the shoulder and rebuild it on sound brick, then clean up the roof and the room before we leave.
The chimney is usually the hardest-weathered brick on a house, so it's worth a look at the rest while we're there. If your walls have the same sandy joints, tuckpointing fills them with fresh mortar, and cracked or loose bricks on walls, steps or planters fall under brick repair.
Joint and brick repair
This suits a chimney that's standing straight but has crumbling joints or a few loose bricks near the top. It's the smallest of these jobs, and when it's caught early it's often all you need.
Cleaning and a new liner
A liner is the lining inside the flue that carries smoke and heat up and out, and this suits a chimney that's solid outside but cracked or worn inside. It's the right call when the brick looks fine from the yard and the trouble is in the flue.
Rebuilding above the shoulder
This suits a chimney whose top is loose, leaning or cracked through. We take the upper part down and build it back, keeping the firebox, where the fire burns, when it's still sound.
Get a written plan for your chimney repair
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come out for a free look at your chimney, and you're under no obligation once you have the written estimate.
(805) 507-9163- Based in
- Ventura, CA 93001
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about your chimney in Ventura?
Here's how a chimney job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and what you'll have in hand before you decide anything.
Call or send the form
Call (805) 507-9163 or fill out the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. If you know roughly when the house or chimney was built, have that handy.
Look at the chimney together
I go over the chimney with you and answer your questions before I write anything up. You get a written estimate that says what we'd do and why, so you know what you're paying for before you agree to it.
Line up permits and a start
Once you're ready, we line up any permits and set a start. City inspection requests have to be in by the business day before, and since city offices are closed Fridays, a Monday inspection means calling by 5 PM Thursday, so we plan the work around that.
Do the work and walk it
Our masons do the work while I run the job on site and check it as it goes. At the end I walk the finished chimney with you so you can see what was done.
Why Ventura homeowners call A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry for chimney work
I look at every chimney myself
I'm the one who comes out and writes the estimate, and our crew of experienced masons does the work with me on site checking it. The person who told you what was wrong is the one watching it get fixed.
In business since 2021
Before starting this business I did stone and block work in landscaping, then learned the trade properly under an older mason. Brick and mortar repair on older homes is what we're best known for, and that's most of what chimney work is.
Licensed and insured in California
California's Contractors State License Board describes a masonry contractor as one who lays brick, stone and fire brick, the heat-proof brick that lines a firebox. We're fully licensed and insured.
If your chimney's been bothering you, ask for an estimate and I'll come take a look.
Chimney repair and brick work in Ventura
Ventura's Building and Safety Division issues permits here, and its permit list names jobs like water heaters and re-roofs but not chimney repair, so whether your job needs one isn't settled until someone asks. We check with that office before we start, and if a permit is needed we handle the application and set up the inspections. The state's building code puts it on the permit holder, or whoever they send, to give the inspector a safe way to reach the work, and the city has a ladder policy to keep its inspectors safe, so on a chimney job we set up a ladder that meets it.
Plenty of chimneys around Ventura have taken years of sun, coastal fog and the occasional shake, and the top is usually where they wear first. We see the same thing on older houses in Ojai and Santa Barbara, and if your city isn't named on the site, call and ask.
Questions about chimney repair in Ventura
How much does chimney repair cost in Ventura?
A single-issue chimney repair across the US usually costs about $160 to $750 per job, and that's a national figure for fixing one problem, not our price. Rebuilding the top or adding a liner is more work, so it usually lands higher. I'll put the number for your chimney in writing after I've seen it.
How do I know if my chimney needs a retrofit?
Start with the year it was built, because FEMA's national guidance says a chimney built on or after January 1, 1995 doesn't need a retrofit, the upgrade it lays out for older chimneys. That guidance isn't a Ventura rule, but it's why I ask the year before anything else. If yours is older, I'll tell you what I see and whether it's worth doing now.
What are my options if my chimney needs more than a simple repair?
FEMA's national chimney plans list two simpler choices, capping the chimney at the roof or ceiling, or rebuilding it above the shoulder on the masonry firebox you already have. Other options in the same plans replace the top with a factory-made insert, or swap the firebox and chimney for an insert with a metal flue. Capping leaves you a shorter chimney, so it mostly comes down to how you want to use the fireplace, and I'll talk it through with you on site.
Which Ventura office handles permits for chimney work?
Permits go through the city's Permit Center at 501 Poli Street, Room 117, phone 805-654-7869, with walk-in counter hours Monday to Thursday from 8 AM to 1 PM. If your job needs a permit, we deal with the city for you, so you usually won't need to go in.
Should I get my chimney cleaned when it's repaired?
Yes, it makes sense to plan the two together. One liner maker's guide says creosote, the tarry residue wood smoke leaves, or soot can build up in any venting system and should be removed. If we're putting in a liner, the cleaning is already part of the job.
What causes the mortar on a chimney to crumble?
Mostly water and time, because the top of a chimney takes more sun, rain and wind than any other brick on the house. Water that gets past a cracked crown soaks the joints, and every season the mortar gets a little softer. Catching it while it's still just the joints keeps the repair small.
Brick and mortar work that often goes with a chimney
Tuckpointing
If the bricks are sound but the joints have gone sandy, new mortar packed in and shaped keeps water out of the wall before it loosens anything.
Brick repair
Cracked bricks, faces flaking off or a loose row on a wall, step or planter get cut out and replaced with matching brick before the damage spreads.
Cities where we do chimney repair
A&B Ventura Concrete and Masonry is based in Ventura, California, and we do chimney repair in the cities around it, including Oxnard and Camarillo. The 12 cities below each have their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Ventura, CA
Have your chimney looked at up close
Most chimney trouble starts at the top where you can't see it from the yard, so a look from up close is the only way to know what you're dealing with.