Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
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AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Repair Across Cambridge
Chimney repair in Cambridge typically runs $350 – $1,800 depending on whether we’re repointing mortar joints, rebuilding a crown, or relining a flue, and most jobs are completed in one visit. If you own a pre-1950 home near Harvard Square, Porter Square, or Inman Square, your chimney almost certainly wasn’t built to handle the freeze-thaw cycles we get every winter in Middlesex County. Our crews know Cambridge’s housing stock down to the block level, and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts. Call (830) 251-4560 to schedule an inspection, and we’ll send a background-checked, uniformed technician who shows up when we say he’ll show up.
Why Flint Chimney Sweep Is Cambridge’s Preferred Chimney Repair Company
We’ve spent 23 years working on the dense wood-frame triple-deckers and brick rowhouses that define Cambridge’s neighborhoods, and we understand what those chimneys actually need. A home near Central Square built in 1910 has different problems than a three-decker near Alewife built in 1940, and we know what to look for in both. Cambridge customers keep calling us back because we don’t inflate the scope, we don’t recommend work without camera evidence to back it up, and we put every repair in writing with the 365-Day Done Right Promise behind it.
Every job Flintever does in Cambridge starts with a flat price agreed before we book the truck. The number you approve is the number on the invoice. Our technicians carry professional-grade materials from Olympia Chimney and Famco, and they’ll show you the damaged parts before we replace them. We also cover Cambridge with a live person on the phone 24/7, so if you’re up at 6 a.m. worried about a crumbling chimney on your three-decker, you’ll talk to a dispatcher, not a voicemail tree.
Hank Delano, who leads our team, holds every Cambridge repair to The Garrison Standard, the same code every Garrison Partners location has followed since 2002. That means a written guarantee valid for one full year, a free return visit if a covered repair fails within that period, and no exceptions on the written-price rule.
Chimney Repair Companies in Cambridge
Chimney repair companies in Cambridge work on some of the oldest, most heavily modified masonry in New England. Dense lots, shared party walls, and triple-decker construction mean repairs here often involve more than flashing and caps. When a homeowner in Cambridgeport calls about a leak, we typically find the real issue is a cracked crown, spalled brick, or a deteriorated flue liner that needs attention before the chimney is safe to sweep or use. Full chimney repairs in Cambridge generally run $500 – $2,500 depending on the extent of masonry work and whether the flue needs resurfacing.
Flue Liner Restoration
Older Cambridge homes were often built with clay tile liners that degrade over decades. If your triple-decker near Harvard has a liner that’s cracked or delaminating, we can resurface it with HeatShield, which is applied as a ceramic coating inside the existing flue and restores the chimney to safe working condition without tearing out walls. This is a common fix in Cambridge because so many homes pre-date modern liner standards.
Crown Rebuild and Flashing Repair
A cracked crown lets water into the chimney, and in Cambridge that water freezes and thaws all winter. We rebuild crowns with proper overhang and replacement flashing sealed to the roofline, and we’ll document everything with photos before we close the job.
Chimney Masonry Repair in Cambridge
Chimney masonry repair in Cambridge is the single most common call we get from homeowners near Davis Square and Fresh Pond. Freeze-thaw cycles, in particular between December and March, send water into bricks and mortar joints, and the expansion breaks the masonry apart. In Cambridge, a typical repointing job runs $600 – $1,600 depending on access and how many courses of brick need work. Spalling brick replacement, where individual bricks are removed and replaced, usually adds $40 – $80 per brick. Full chimney rebuilding starts around $2,000 and goes up from there on triple-deckers that take lifting equipment to reach.
Mortar Repointing and Tuckpointing
When we repoint a Cambridge chimney, we grind out the old, failing mortar to a consistent depth, pack in new mortar matched to the existing brick, and tool the joints to shed water. Tuckpointing is a finer version where we match thin, delicate joint lines to preserve the look of older brickwork, which matters on historic homes near Brattle Street and throughout Mid-Cambridge.
Spalling Brick and Crown Repair
Spalling is what we call it when the face of a brick pops off, and it almost always traces back to water getting trapped in the masonry. Our technician will inspect the brick, find the moisture entry point, and repair both the brick and the cause, not just the symptom.
Trusted Brands We Service in Cambridge
We install and work with professional-grade chimney products including DuraFlex, HeatShield, Olympia Chimney, and Famco. For Cambridge homeowners, this matters in a practical way: we stock common parts for the older chimneys found throughout Cambridge neighborhoods, so repairs aren’t delayed while someone orders a part from a warehouse. Whether you need a Famco cap replaced on a triple-decker in East Cambridge or a HeatShield flue resurfacing near Inman Square, we arrive with what we need to get the job done in one trip, and the written quote covers the specific materials your chimney requires.
Common Chimney Repair Problems We See in Cambridge Homes
- Cracked crowns and spalled brick from freeze-thaw cycles. Cambridge winters drop below freezing dozens of times each season, and water trapped in masonry expands when it freezes. A neglected crown crack becomes a spalled firebox by spring.
- Deteriorated clay tile flue liners in pre-1950 homes. Most older Cambridge chimneys near Porter Square and Harvard were built with clay tile liners that crack and delaminate after decades of heating cycles. We see this on a high percentage of homes built before 1950.
- Shared chimney defects in triple-deckers. A Cambridge triple-decker may have three flues in one chimney structure, and a defect in one flue can draw moisture or gas into the neighboring units. Access is often tight between closely spaced houses.
- Third-degree creosote glazing. When a flue isn’t swept on schedule, creosote bakes into a hard, shiny glaze that a standard brush won’t remove. In Cambridge’s older, cooler-burning fireplaces, this hardening happens faster than most homeowners expect.
Pricing for Chimney Repair in Cambridge, MA
A straightforward flashing repair in Cambridge typically runs $350 – $700. Mortar repointing runs $600 – $1,600 depending on how much of the chimney needs work. Crown rebuilds range from $900 – $1,800. Flue liner restoration with HeatShield usually lands between $2,500 – $4,000. Full chimney rebuilding starts around $2,000 and can exceed $6,000 on tall triple-deckers that require lift access. What moves the price is access, material condition, and whether the flue needs to be resurfaced before the chimney is safe again. We give you a written price before any work begins, and that written quote covers the entire job, including materials. Call (830) 251-4560 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Cambridge
Flint Chimney Sweep runs repair crews into Somerville, Belmont, Medford, and Boston, and we carry the same written guarantee and flat-price policy everywhere we work. If you’re in a neighboring town, you’ll get the same background-checked technicians, the same camera inspection, and the same 365-Day Done Right Promise. Read more about our Chimney Repair service or schedule an inspection at Chimney Repair in Cambridge.
Serving Cambridge, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Cambridge area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Repair in Cambridge
Yes, even if you never light a fire. In Cambridge specifically, the freeze-thaw cycle and older housing stock mean chimneys degrade whether or not they’re used. An annual inspection catches cracked crowns, loose flashing, and deteriorated liners before they become expensive masonry repairs, and our inspection includes camera footage so you can see the exact condition for yourself. Call (830) 251-4560 to book one, and we’ll give you a written price before we come out.
A sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue; a repair fixes damage to the masonry, crown, flashing, or liner. In many Cambridge homes, both are needed on the same visit because a damaged flue can’t be safely swept until it’s repaired. We don’t promise same-day repairs, but when we already have a crew on site and the parts are on the truck, we can frequently complete smaller repairs during the scheduled appointment. Call (830) 251-4560 and we’ll give you a clear answer for your chimney.
Yes, schedule an inspection. Chimney fires often damage the flue liner, the mortar joints, or the chimney structure itself, and the damage isn’t always visible from the ground. In Cambridge’s tightly spaced triple-deckers, heat and smoke from a chimney fire can transfer into adjoining units through shared walls, so the risk isn’t just about your flue. Call (830) 251-4560 for a Level 2 inspection with camera footage, and we’ll show you exactly what we find.
First-degree creosote is a soft, dusty deposit that brushes off during a standard sweep. Third-degree creosote is a hard, glossy glaze that has baked onto the flue walls and cannot be removed with a brush; it requires chemical treatment or mechanical resurfacing. This matters in Cambridge because older fireplaces with cooler flue temperatures and irregular burns produce third-degree creosote more quickly, and attempting to sweep glazed creosote without the right treatment leaves the chimney unsafe. Our inspection will identify what you have, and our written quote covers the correct removal method. Call (830) 251-4560 to book.
The photo report includes full-color images from the camera inspection showing the interior of the flue, the crown, flashing, and any damage we find, along with written notes explaining what each photo shows. You need it because repairs you cannot visually verify are easy to buy unnecessarily, and we will never recommend masonry or liner work without photographic evidence you can see for yourself. That report becomes your permanent record of the chimney’s condition, and it’s yours to keep whether or not you approve repairs. Call (830) 251-4560 for an inspection that comes with a full photo report.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Sweep, serving Cambridge homeowners with documented, guaranteed chimney repair since 2002.