Chimney repair in Richmond Hill — where most roof leaks actually start.

Timing and location are the first clues. Damp that appears in wind-driven rain but not in steady vertical rain usually points to a flashing detail rather than the roof field. Staining that runs down beside the chimney breast, white efflorescence on the brick, or a damp smell from an unused fireplace after rain all point at the stack. That said, water travels along framing before it drops, so the only reliable answer comes from tracing it — which is what the inspection and sectioned water testing are for.

Counter-flashing is the metal that laps over the step flashing and tucks into a groove cut in the mortar joint, so water running down the brick is directed out onto the roof rather than behind the flashing. It leaks when it was never set into a cut reglet in the first place — sealant applied to the face of the brick is the usual shortcut — or when the mortar joint holding it has opened. Both are repairs.

Generally yes if the chimney is wider than about 30 inches across the slope. Without one, snow and debris pack against the up-slope face and meltwater sits against the flashing for weeks. Crickets are frequently missing on older Richmond Hill homes and on additions where the chimney was widened, and adding one is a straightforward framing and flashing job.

Above the roofline, yes, provided the brick faces are still sound. We rake out the failed joints and repoint with a mix matched to the original mortar — using something too hard causes the brick to spall instead of the joint, which makes matters worse. Where the brick faces have already spalled or the stack is leaning, that's a rebuild and a mason's job, and we'll say so.

That's efflorescence: mineral salts left behind when water moves through masonry and evaporates at the surface. The deposit itself is harmless, but it's evidence that water is getting into the brick, which matters in a Richmond Hill winter because trapped water freezes, expands and spalls the face off the brick. Worth investigating while it's still a pointing and flashing repair.

It depends which component has failed. Resealing and re-setting counter-flashing is the least involved; rebuilding step flashing back into the shingle courses is more; adding a cricket or recasting a crown is more again. All are a fraction of a chimney rebuild. We give a fixed written price after inspecting it, because the difference between a reseal and a full flashing rebuild is only visible from the roof.

No. We repair the roof-to-chimney interface and the masonry above the roofline — flashing, crickets, pointing, crowns and caps. Full rebuilds below the roofline, flue relining, fireplace work and WETT inspections are other trades. If that's what yours needs, we'll tell you at the inspection rather than quoting around it.

Flashing work can, in reasonable conditions. Mortar work generally cannot: repointing needs temperatures reliably above about 5 °C for the mix to cure rather than freeze, and mortar that freezes before it sets is weaker than what you removed. If your chimney is leaking in January we'll secure the flashing to stop water entry and schedule the pointing for spring.

Often the sensible option, and considerably cheaper than maintaining a stack you'll never light. A properly fitted cap keeps rain and animals out of the flue while still allowing the masonry to breathe. Note that fully sealing an unused flue with no ventilation can trap moisture inside the chimney, so it needs doing correctly rather than with a sheet of plastic.