Seattle · WA
Chimney sweep and repair for Seattle’s bungalow stock
The base city: Craftsman-era brick chimneys downtown, factory-built systems further out.
No obligation. Someone answers every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The short answer
In Seattle, most calls start with one of two things: a flue that has not been swept since the last owner, or water finding its way in around the crown or the flashing after a wet winter. Nation Wide Chimney Sweep&Repair handles both from a single visit (a sweep and Level 1 or Level 2 inspection first), then a written scope for anything the camera or the ladder turns up, whether that is repointing a Craftsman-era brick stack in Wallingford or resealing the flashing on a 1960s rambler in West Seattle. The city’s stock runs older than most of the county’s, which is exactly why the crown, the mortar and the liner do most of the work here.
Local specifics
What is true about Seattle
- 01
Seattle’s housing boom followed the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, and the Craftsman bungalow that boom produced is still the city’s most common older house (Wallingford, Ravenna, Ballard and West Seattle all carry dense pockets of it, each with an original brick chimney).
- 02
The Seattle Fault runs directly beneath the city, from West Seattle through South Park and Beacon Hill, and after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake the U.S. Geological Survey documented more than 1,500 damaged chimneys concentrated in exactly that corridor.
- 03
Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections does not require a permit to repoint a chimney with no structural change, but any work touching a load-bearing support or the building envelope needs one regardless of cost.
- 04
The city averages roughly 150 days a year with measurable precipitation, and on a cedar or composition roof that means moss and needle litter build up on the crown fast enough to trap water against the masonry within a season or two.
Housing stock
What the housing stock means for the chimney work
Seattle’s older core (Wallingford, Ravenna, Ballard, Capitol Hill, West Seattle) is Craftsman bungalow country, built mostly between 1905 and 1930 on unreinforced brick chimneys that were never designed with steel reinforcement or seismic bracing. That masonry needs mortar, crown and liner attention as it ages, and it is the type of chimney the Seattle Fault has damaged before. Away from that older core, newer builds and postwar infill lean toward factory-built, metal-flue systems instead of masonry, and those tend to break down at the cap and the storm collar first, well before the flashing or the flue itself gives out.
Neighbourhoods: Ballard · Wallingford · Magnolia · West Seattle
Approximate coverage; call to confirm a specific address.
Services here
What we do in Seattle
Reviews
What customers actually said
5.0
35 Google reviewscounted
A selection of our 5-star reviews on Google.
Anthony G.
Water started dripping into our attic during heavy rain so we knew the chimney needed attention fast. Team showed up prepared and diagnosed a completely eroded concrete crown and pulled-away flashing. They removed the old crown material, poured a new sloped reinforced one with drip edge, rebedded all flashing using lead boots and roof cement, cleaned wet debris from the flue, and tested for leaks with a garden hose afterward. Attic stayed dry through the next storm. Very meticulous work and clean job site.
Gregory P.
Moved into a new-to-us house in Ballard with a gorgeous brick fireplace but no service history. Scheduled an inspection to be safe. Camera showed light glaze creosote, bird nesting material in the upper flue, and minor mortar erosion on the stack exterior. They removed the nest carefully, performed a full rotary brush clean, tuck-pointed about fifteen exterior bricks, applied a breathable sealer, and fitted a new copper cap with spark screen. Draft is strong and steady now. Patient explanations made first-time homeowners feel confident.
Questions
What people ask about Seattle
Do you serve all of Seattle, or just certain neighborhoods?
Yes, all of it — Ballard, Wallingford, Magnolia, West Seattle, Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, and everywhere else in between falls comfortably within our twenty-mile radius out from downtown Seattle.
My chimney is original to a 1920s Seattle bungalow. Is that a problem?
Not automatically. A brick chimney that old is a good bet for needing repointing and a new crown, but what our technician actually finds on the inspection decides it, never just the build date.
After an earthquake, do I need a chimney inspection even if everything looks fine?
Yes, if there is any visible crack or lean, call regardless of how it looked before. NFPA 211 puts a post-earthquake check at Level 3, its most thorough tier, precisely because a stack can pass a casual glance and still be compromised inside.
Do I need a permit for chimney repair in Seattle?
Simple repointing that does not touch the structure typically clears without one, per Seattle’s Department of Construction and Inspections — but anything reaching a load-bearing support or the building envelope needs a permit no matter the price tag, and we will say so upfront before quoting the job.
Is a chimney inspection required to sell a house in Seattle?
Seattle has no citywide requirement, but a Level 2 inspection — the depth NFPA 211 recommends at a change of ownership — is what most local closings end up asking for, and we can get one scheduled quickly for a pending sale.
Book a visit in Seattle
Tell us what you have noticed. We will confirm the right service.
Or call (206) 866-2929, every day, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.