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After a March nor’easter damaged the upper twelve feet of brickwork, we rebuilt the entire top section to original specifications — with a new crown, stainless liner, and copper cap built to last another fifty years.
The homeowner called us in early March, right after a nor’easter knocked several bricks loose from the upper section of their chimney. They thought they needed a quick patch — maybe replace a few bricks, repoint a couple of joints, and be done with it. We hear that a lot.
What we found when we got up there was a much bigger problem. The original 1962 masonry had been weathering for over sixty years, and the upper twelve feet of brickwork was structurally compromised. We documented failing mortar joints throughout the upper section, multiple cracked bricks with visible spalling, and a crown that had broken into three separate pieces. Worse, the clay tile liner inside had cracked horizontally in two places, allowing creosote and moisture to penetrate into the masonry itself.
This wasn’t a repair job anymore. The top section needed to come down and be rebuilt from scratch. We sat down at the kitchen table, showed the homeowner our inspection photos, and walked through exactly what we’d recommend and why.
We could have repointed the failing joints and replaced the cracked bricks individually — that’s the cheaper, faster fix, and on a chimney with isolated damage, it’s often the right call. But this chimney had a structural problem: the brickwork itself was failing, not just the mortar between bricks. Patching it would have meant returning every few seasons for the same work, and eventually we’d be doing the full rebuild anyway.
So we proposed a full rebuild of the top twelve feet. We took the section down brick by brick, salvaging what was structurally sound and sourcing matching reclaimed brick from a salvage yard in Lawrence. For the new mortar joints, we used a softer Type N mix that moves with the masonry instead of cracking against it — that’s the same approach we take on all of our repointing work in older Burlington homes.
The new crown was poured on site, properly sloped away from the flue, and given a sacrificial sealant layer to extend its life. We installed a stainless liner sized for the existing fireplace, and capped it with a copper top that matches the home’s existing copper gutters. Total project time was nine days, with two weather delays. We worked with the homeowner throughout to keep them updated on progress.
The homeowner now has a chimney that looks original to the house — matching reclaimed brick, period-correct joint profiles, appropriate mortar — but with modern materials inside where they matter. The new stainless liner is rated for both the existing wood-burning fireplace and a future gas insert if they ever convert.
We provided a full written report, photo documentation of every stage of the work, and a five-year workmanship warranty on the masonry. The copper cap comes with the manufacturer’s lifetime warranty. If you’re considering similar work, see our chimney rebuild service page or browse other Burlington chimney projects.
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TopDog Chimney provides chimney cleaning and inspections, liner and cap installation, crown repair, repointing, brick, firebox and smoke chamber repair, gas fireplace service and waterproofing — for homes across Burlington and Greater Boston. Call (781) 782-8727.
