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 Fort Collins
Chimney repair in Fort Collins typically runs between $350 and $2,800 depending on what failed, and most non-emergency jobs are booked within a few days, not weeks. The most common repairs we handle across Fort Collins are flashing leaks, cracked crowns, and spalled brick faces, usually caused by bentonite clay soil movement and freeze-thaw cycles rather than fire damage. If you’ve spotted water stains near the chimney, crumbling mortar on the stack, or rust streaks down the brick, call (830) 251-4560 and we’ll schedule an inspection with a written quote before any work begins.
Fort Collins sits on expansive bentonite clay that swells and contracts with seasonal moisture. That ground movement shifts chimney stacks and opens cracks that let water in. Left alone, those cracks turn into spalling brick and rusted dampers. Hank Delano and our crews know exactly what that looks like, because we see it in neighborhoods from Old Town to Harmony corridor every single week. We’re not guessing at your chimney from a call center. We’re on your roof, looking at your flashing, with a camera down your flue.
Why Flint Chimney Sweep Is Fort Collins’s Preferred Chimney Repair Company
We’ve been repairing chimneys in Fort Collins since 2002, operating under The Garrison Standard, the code every Garrison Partners location follows: a written price before any work starts, background-checked and uniformed technicians on every call, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every repair. That guarantee is valid for one full year from the service date. If a covered repair fails within that period, we come back at no charge. No argument, no re-inspection fee, no fine print.
Fort Collins homeowners call us because the number on the invoice is the number they approved before the first tool came off the truck. There is no door-shift pricing, no “while we’re in there” add-on. If a repair can wait, we tell you it can wait. If it cannot, we show you camera footage that proves why. Hank Delano built the company on that discipline, and it is why our customers in Fort Collins stay with us year after year.
Response time to Fort Collins is typically two to four business days for standard repairs. We coordinate scheduling from our Denver office, but our crews work locally across Fort Collins, so you are not paying a travel fee or waiting on a crew from out of state. A live person answers the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No voicemail trees, no callback forms.
Chimney Flashing Repair in Fort Collins
Chimney flashing repair addresses the metal strips where the roof meets the chimney stack, the single most common leak point in Fort Collins homes. Flashing is the sheet metal, typically aluminum, galvanized steel, or copper, that seals the gap where roofing material runs into the masonry. When that seal fails, water runs down the flue, into the attic, and down the drywall near the fireplace. In Fort Collins, where we get drenching summer thunderstorms followed by hard freezes, flashing gets stretched, lifted, and cracked faster than in drier parts of Colorado. Chimney flashing repair in Fort Collins typically runs $450 to $1,400 depending on whether we are replacing a section or the full counter-flashing and step-flashing assembly.
Repair or Replace
If the flashing is less than ten years old and the leak is isolated, we can often reseal the affected section with a new caulk or patch. But if the metal is rusted through, or if a previous installer used roof cement instead of proper step flashing, replacement is the only fix that holds. We always look for the root cause, not just the symptom.
What a Flashing Repair Includes
Every flashing repair starts by finding the actual leak path, so we remove the shingles around the stack and inspect the underlayment. We replace the damaged flashing with new metal, cut into the mortar joint where required, and seal everything with a high-grade flashing sealant. We photograph the work so you can see exactly what was replaced and why.
Chimney Crown Repair in Fort Collins
Chimney crown repair addresses the concrete or mortar cap on top of your chimney, the horizontal surface that sheds water away from the flue. In Fort Collins, cracked crowns are probably the most common repair we do after flashing. The reason is the soil, not the fire. The expansive bentonite clay under much of Fort Collins shifts with every wet-dry cycle, and chimneys lean and crack from the top down as the ground moves beneath them. Once the crown cracks, water enters the masonry, freezes, and spalls the brick faces. Chimney crown repair in Fort Collins typically runs $550 to $1,900 depending on whether we are sealing hairline cracks or rebuilding the crown with a proper overhang and drip edge.
Seal or Rebuild
Hairline cracks can often be sealed with a flexible crown coat that bridges minor movement. But a crown that has cracked wide open, or one that was poured flush with the brick without an overhang, needs to be rebuilt. A proper crown extends past the brick edges by at least two inches and slopes away from the flue, so water never pools on top of the chimney.
How We Do It
We were called to a 1970s ranch in the Parkwood neighborhood after the homeowner noticed a water stain on the ceiling near the chase. Our tech found a cracked chimney crown with spalling brick faces and failed counter-flashing where the roof met the stack. We rebuilt the crown with a proper overhang, replaced the flashing with new copper, and sealed the mortar joints, no more leak, and the Level 2 inspection we did while on the roof caught first-degree creosote that brushed right out.
Trusted Brands We Service in Fort Collins
We stock and install professional-grade materials from HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Famco. That means the ceramic coating we apply to a repaired flue, the waterproofing we roll onto a rebuilt crown, and the cap or damper we install are products with independent specifications and warranties we can stand behind. When a Fort Collins homeowner asks what we are putting on their chimney, we can name the manufacturer, show the spec sheet, and explain why that product is right for the job. That is how Chimney Repair should work: named products, real warranties, no generic “sealer” that nobody will stand behind.
Common Chimney Repair Problems We See in Fort Collins Homes
- Cracked crowns from soil movement. Fort Collins sits on bentonite clay that swells after snowmelt and shrinks during dry spells. That movement cracks chimney crowns and opens mortar joints before the fireplace ever sees a match.
- Spalled brick faces from freeze-thaw cycles. Water soaks into the brick, freezes overnight, and pops the faces off. South-facing chimneys along Timberline Road and Lemay Avenue get hit hardest because they thaw every afternoon and refreeze every night.
- Failed flashing around the roofline. The repeated heating and cooling of Colorado summers and winters breaks the seal between the flashing and the brick, and water follows gravity into the attic and down the wall.
- Creosote glaze and animal nests in rarely used fireplaces. Homeowners who skip annual inspections because they “don’t burn much” miss the glazed, tarry third-degree creosote that ignites at 2,000 degrees. They also find out about raccoon nests only when smoke stops drafting.
Pricing for Chimney Repair in Fort Collins, CO
| Repair | Typical Fort Collins Price Range | What’s Included |
|—|—|—|
| Chimney Flashing Repair | $450 – $1,400 | Replace step and counter flashing, seal, photo report |
| Chimney Crown Repair | $550 – $1,900 | Crack sealing or full crown rebuild with overhang |
| Mortar Repointing | $400 – $1,200 | Grind out deteriorated joints, reset with fresh mortar |
| Spalling Brick Repair | $500 – $2,200 per face | Remove damaged brick, replace, match color |
| Chimney Waterproofing | $350 – $800 | Clean, apply vapor-permeable sealer to crown and brick |
| Tuckpointing | $400 – $1,200 | Recessed mortar joints to restore the wall face |
| Chimney Rebuilding | $1,800 – $6,500 | Full or partial teardown and rebuild above the roofline |
What changes the price is the condition of the masonry when we open it up, how much brick needs to come out, and whether the flashing can be saved. You will never get a surprise number mid-job. The number we quote before work starts is the number you pay, guaranteed. Call (830) 251-4560 for a free estimate, and we will put everything in writing.
We Also Serve Cities Near Fort Collins
Beyond Fort Collins, our crews cover the surrounding Front Range communities. If you are in Greeley, Boulder, Denver, or Colorado Springs, you get the same written pricing, the same 365-Day Done Right Promise, and the same background-checked technicians. For more detail on how we work across the region, see Chimney Repair in Fort Collins or give us a call.
Serving Fort Collins, CO - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins
Do I really need a chimney inspection every year if I only burn a few fires in Fort Collins?
Yes, and for a Fort Collins-specific reason: the danger here is not only creosote from burning. It is water. The bentonite clay under the city moves seasonally, cracking crowns and flashing even on fireplaces that never get used. An annual inspection catches that water damage before it becomes a $2,000 brick replacement. We are not selling you a sweep every year if you do not need one. We are making sure a small crack does not become a rebuilt chimney. Call (830) 251-4560 and we will schedule the inspection at your convenience.
What’s the difference between a Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 inspection?
A Level 1 inspection is a visual check of the accessible parts of your chimney and fireplace, the standard when nothing has changed since the last inspection. A Level 2 inspection adds a camera scan of the flue interior and is what we recommend before you buy a home in Fort Collins, after any chimney fire, or if you have changed the heating appliance. A Level 3 inspection is invasive, involving demolition of part of the chimney or surrounding structure, and is only done when a Level 2 camera scan finds damage that requires deeper access to evaluate. We will tell you which level you need and why, and the price is written before we start.
How often does a Fort Collins chimney really need sweeping?
For a wood-burning fireplace used regularly during the winter, once per year is the safe standard. If you burn pine, which most people in Fort Collins do, you will want to be more disciplined about it, because pine puts down creosote faster than hardwood. If you only burn a few fires a year, an inspection every year and a sweep every two to three years is often enough. What we do not recommend is going years without looking at the flue, because a blocked chimney is a carbon monoxide risk, and the first symptom is sometimes a headache you cannot explain. Call (830) 251-4560 and we will give you a straight answer about your specific fireplace.
My chimney crown is cracked – can I just patch it?
Sometimes. A hairline crack can be sealed with a flexible crown coating. But if the crack is wide enough to fit a nickel, or if the crown has no overhang past the brick, a patch will not hold through the next freeze-thaw cycle. In Fort Collins, with the soil movement we have, patching a deteriorating crown is often just buying a year or two before the leak returns. We will tell you plainly if a patch is worth it or if a rebuild is the only fix that lasts. You will see the crack on our camera before you decide anything.
Can you fix my chimney flashing leak the same day you inspect?
In most cases, yes, the repair itself takes a few hours once we are on site. But we book repairs in order, so a same-day repair is not something we promise. What we do promise is that we will schedule the repair within days, not weeks, and that you will have a written price before any work begins. If the leak is active and water is coming through the ceiling, call us at (830) 251-4560 and we will get you scheduled as soon as the next available slot, with the price locked before the crew arrives.
*Written by Hank Delano, owner at Flint Chimney Sweep, serving Fort Collins since 2002.*