Chimney repair in Lansing MI - a chimney that keeps water out of your house
Ceiling stains, crumbling joints or a rusty damper by the fireplace? We find where the water gets in and fix that first.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does my chimney need new mortar or a bigger repair?
Chimney repair in Lansing usually means replacing crumbling mortar joints, fixing the flashing where the roof meets the chimney, or repairing the liner inside, so water stays out and smoke goes where it should.
Most calls start with something small, like a stain on the ceiling beside the chimney, sandy mortar in the gutter or bits of brick on the roof. The price moves with what's actually failing, because pointing up a few joints is a small tuckpointing job, while flashing, a damaged liner or a section that has to be rebuilt adds up fast, and a tall chimney on a steep roof takes more setup to reach safely. The schedule mostly turns on whether the job needs a permit and how much staging it takes to get to the work. Your estimate lays out what I see, what I'd fix first and what can wait, so you know where your money's going before anything starts.
What our chimney repair covers
Stains on the ceiling or a rusty damper mean water's getting in, and fresh mortar won't solve that by itself. So we look at the joints, the flashing and the liner together before I tell you what the fix is. Once we know, we set up safe access and start with repointing, which most people call tuckpointing, where we grind out the worn mortar and pack new mortar into the joints. Then we repair or replace the flashing at the roof line and deal with the liner if it's cracked, and we clean up the roof and the ground below before we leave.
A chimney usually isn't the only spot showing wear. If the walls below have the same tired joints, our tuckpointing work handles them the same way, and bricks that are cracked or flaking apart on the chimney or anywhere else get swapped out through our brick repair service.
Repointing the chimney joints
This suits a chimney where the mortar is crumbling but the brick and flashing are still sound. We replace the worn joints, and on an older chimney soft lime mortar is often the better match, since it's the kind of mortar written up for historic buildings.
Flashing repair at the roof line
This suits chimneys leaking where the roof meets the brick. Brick industry guidance calls for both base and counter flashing there to keep water out of the house, so we repair or replace both rather than adding more tar.
Stainless steel flexible liner
This suits most chimneys that need a new liner and are otherwise in decent shape. One contractor guide calls it the most common retrofit, because it threads down the existing flue without tearing anything out.
Cast-in-place liner
This suits chimneys whose flue is irregular or damaged. One contractor guide points to it for those chimneys, while clay tile is practical mainly when the chimney is being rebuilt anyway.
What chimney repair in Lansing involves at City Hall and on the roof
In Lansing, building permits come from the city's Building Safety Office, and the city requires one before construction or remodeling begins. Whether your particular chimney repair falls under that isn't something I'll guess at, so before work starts I check with the office that covers your address. If the job needs a permit or a historic district review, we work out the paperwork with you before anyone picks up a trowel.
Around Lansing we see a lot of older brick chimneys where the mortar has worn back and the flashing has been patched with tar more than once, so those are the first two places we look. We're based in Lansing and work across the cities around it, and we run into the same kinds of chimneys on jobs in East Lansing and Holt. If your city isn't on the site, call and ask.
Why Lansing homeowners call Craftsman Lansing Concrete and Masonry for chimney repair
The owner looks at it
I come out to look at your chimney and give the estimate myself, and I work on site alongside our crew while the job gets done. The person who decided what to fix is the same person making sure it gets fixed that way.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured. Michigan's maintenance and alteration contractor license lists masonry and roofing among its trades, and each license names the trades its holder is qualified in, so it's fair to ask any contractor which trades theirs shows.
We fix the cause first
National preservation guidance has the cause of failing mortar found and corrected before anyone repoints, and that's how I work, so ask any contractor what's breaking down your joints. I'd rather tell you a job can wait than sell you work you don't need.
Pointing up Lansing chimneys since 2023
I started out pointing up old chimneys for neighbors on weekends, and in 2023 the calls turned it into a full-time masonry business here in Lansing. That's three years of chasing the same kinds of leaks on the same kinds of houses you live in.
If you've got a stain on the ceiling, a crumbling joint or a damper rusting shut, call (517) 237-5922 or send a request with a few photos, and I'll come take a look.
Request a quoteGet a chimney repair estimate that names the cause
Send the form with a few photos if you have them, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out, look at the chimney myself and give you a free on-site estimate. There's no obligation, so you can take your time deciding.
What happens when you call about chimney repair in Lansing?
Call or send photos
Call (517) 237-5922 or use the form, and add photos of the chimney, the flashing and any stains inside if you can. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look it over myself
I check the joints, the flashing and the liner, then tell you what I see, what I'd fix first and what can wait. You get that in an estimate you can think over.
Paperwork, then the work
Once you say go, we sort out any paperwork the job needs before work starts. Then our crew gets to it, and I'm up there with them.
Cleanup and a final look
We clean the roof, the gutters and the ground below. Then we look the work over with you before we call it finished.
Frequently asked questions
What causes water stains on the ceiling near my chimney?
Ceiling stains near the chimney usually mean water is getting in through the chimney itself, and the same goes for a rusted damper or a white, chalky crust called efflorescence on the firebox. One contractor guide says those signs point to chronic moisture that simple tuckpointing won't fix, so the flashing and liner need checking along with the mortar. Photos of the stain help me know what to look at first.
Which chimney liner suits my home?
It depends on the shape your chimney is in. One contractor guide calls a stainless steel flexible liner the most common retrofit because it threads down the existing chimney without tearing anything out, while clay tile is practical only during a rebuild and a cast-in-place liner suits chimneys that are irregular or damaged. I look down the flue before recommending any of them.
How much does chimney repair cost in Lansing?
Chimney repair in Lansing usually costs about $500 to $6,000 per project, which is what the work tends to run in the area, not a price of ours. Where yours lands depends on how much mortar is failing, whether flashing or the liner needs work and how hard the chimney is to reach. When you compare quotes, ask whether flashing is included, because it's part of keeping water out of the house.
How do I apply for a building permit in Lansing?
Lansing homeowners can print a permit application and send it to the Building Safety Office's residential contact, or go to the front office for help filling it out. The permit is issued once the application is approved, and whoever applies is responsible for scheduling the inspections. If your chimney job needs one, we work through it with you.
How long does chimney repointing take?
Longer than most people expect, because repointing is careful, slow work done one joint at a time. It's also noisy, and scaffolding or staging may stay up against the house for a while. How long yours takes comes down to how many joints need work and how high the chimney is.
Can a leaking chimney be fixed without rebuilding it?
Often, yes. Most leaks come down to the joints, the flashing or the liner, and those can usually be repaired with the chimney left standing. A rebuild only comes up when the brick itself is breaking apart, and that's something I'll show you on site rather than guess at over the phone.
Other masonry work that often goes with chimney repair
Tuckpointing
When the mortar on your house walls is sandy, cracked or sunk back from the brick face, tuckpointing replaces it before water works into the wall and the bricks start loosening.
Brick repair
Cracked, loose or flaking bricks let water into a wall, and swapping them out with matched brick keeps the wall sound and stops small damage from spreading.
Lansing, MI
Send us photos of your chimney
A few shots of the chimney top, the flashing and any stain, white crust or rusted damper inside tell me what to look for before I climb up.