Chimney repair in Billings MT - a chimney that keeps water out of your house
Water stain by the fireplace or crumbling joints up top? We fix the brick, crown and flashing so the leak actually stops.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What does chimney repair in Billings involve?
The short answer: Chimney repair in Billings is mostly about keeping water out of your house, so we fix the worn mortar joints, the crown on top and the flashing where the chimney meets the roof, and replace any brick that's too far gone.
You've probably noticed a stain near the fireplace, a little sand on the shingles or a crack across the top, and the brick usually takes the blame first. Sometimes it's the brick, but more often the water is getting in at the crown or along the roof, and tuckpointing alone won't stop that. The price moves with how much of the chimney needs work and how hard it is to reach, so a few loose joints on a short chimney cost far less than a new crown, new flashing and a rebuild above a steep roof. The schedule turns on the size of the repair and on whether the city wants a permit for it. I'll give you your own number at the estimate, once I've been up there and seen it.
How can you tell your chimney needs repair?
A stain by the chimney
A brown ring on the ceiling or a damp patch on the wall next to the chimney usually means water is getting in at the flashing or the crown, not through the brick face. Left alone, it soaks the framing and drywall behind it, and that can cost more to fix than the chimney did.
Sand falling from the joints
If you can scrape the mortar out with a key or you find grit on the roof or the hearth, the joints have worn down, usually because water's been working on them. Wait long enough and the bricks at the top start to loosen, which turns a joint repair into a rebuild.
Cracks across the crown
The crown is the concrete cap on top of the brick around the flue, and even hairline cracks there let water run straight down inside the chimney. Caught early, a crack can often be sealed, but once the crown breaks up it has to come off and be poured again.
What our chimney repair covers
Most chimney calls turn out to be water calls, so I check the crown, the flashing and the cap along with the brick before I price anything, because fixing the joints and leaving the leak isn't much of a repair. On the job we work from the top down. We seal or rebuild the crown first, since the crown and the seal around the flue are an easy place for water to slip in and run down the gap between the chimney wall and the flue liner, where nobody sees it until the ceiling does. Then we replace the flashing if it's failed, rake out the worn mortar and pack new mortar into the joints to suit your brick, swap out bricks that have gone soft, and clean up the roof and the ground before we leave.
If the joints are wearing thin all the way down the chimney or across the walls of the house, that's tuckpointing, the same raking and refilling done across a whole wall face. Bricks that have cracked or lost their faces get cut out and replaced under brick repair, and I'd rather swap out a dozen bad bricks than sell you a new chimney you don't need.
Repair what's failing
This suits a chimney that's still straight and solid but leaking or wearing at the joints, and it covers the crown, the flashing and whichever joints need it. It's the job most chimneys need, and it keeps your original brick where it is.
Rebuild from the roofline up
When the brick above the roof is loose, leaning or soaked through, patching it is money spent twice, so we take it down to sound brick and lay it back up with a new crown and flashing. It costs more up front, and I'd rather not suggest it unless the brick can't be saved.
What happens when you call about your chimney?
Here's how a chimney job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end. I handle the estimate myself, and our crew does the work with me.
- Step 01
Call or send us a note
Call or use the form and tell us what you're seeing, and we'll get back to you to set a time. Photos of the crown, flashing and mortar joints, plus the age of your house, help me know what I'm climbing up to.
- Step 02
I come out and look
I go up on the chimney, check the crown, flashing, joints and brick, and ask a few plain questions. You get an estimate for the repair it actually needs, and I'll tell you if part of it can wait.
- Step 03
We fix it and walk it
If you go ahead, we sort out any permit paperwork first, then our crew does the work, usually with me right there on the roof. Before we pack up, we walk the finished job with you.
Chimney repair permits and older chimneys in Billings
The City of Billings Building Division takes every permit application online through its public portal, and whether your chimney repair needs one is the city's call, not mine. We check before work starts, and if a permit is needed we help with the paperwork, can file it through the portal for you and keep you posted on where it stands.
On older houses around town we often find a crown that was little more than a sloped smear of mortar, or flashing that's been patched with roof tar more than once, and both tend to leak long before the brick gives out. We see the same kinds of chimneys on jobs in Lockwood and Laurel, and we handle them the same way, checking the top and the roofline before we touch a joint.
Get a free on-site estimate for your chimney
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the chimney and give you a free estimate on site, with no pressure to book.
Why Billings homeowners call Stonecraft Billings Concrete and Masonry
I write the estimate myself
I come out, look at the chimney and price it, and I'm usually on the roof with the crew when the work gets done. The person who told you what it needs is the one making sure that's what you get.
Licensed and insured, ask to see it
We're licensed and insured, and Montana now requires every construction contractor to hold a license from the state Department of Labor & Industry. Ask to see ours when I come out, because anyone climbing on your roof should be able to show you theirs.
Fixing what it needs, not more
I started out mixing mud on someone else's crew and opened this business in Billings in 2021, and we're known for careful repair on older brick. A few bad joints don't call for a new chimney, and I'd rather tell you that than sell it to you.
If your chimney's leaking or shedding mortar, the sooner I see it, the smaller the job usually is. Send us a note or call (406) 318-2106 to set up a visit.
Chimney repair questions from Billings homeowners
Why does my chimney leak when it rains?
Most chimney leaks come in where the chimney meets the roof or through a cracked crown, not through the brick face. Trade guidance calls for two layers of flashing at that roof joint, base flashing that lies along the shingles and counter flashing set into the brick that laps over it, so a repair meant to keep your rooms dry has to cover that joint as well as the brick.
What causes the mortar on a chimney to crumble?
Age and water, mostly, because mortar wears over time and the joints are where masonry wears first. A chimney stands above the roof with weather on every side, so its joints usually go sooner than the walls below. The fix is to rake out the worn mortar and pack in new, which masons call repointing, and it holds best once whatever let the water in is fixed too.
What is the best way to repoint an older brick chimney?
Use a mortar chosen to suit the old brick and the original mortar, not the hardest mix on the truck. On historic homes, preservation guidance warns that hard modern mortars like Portland cement can make the bricks take on moisture and fail, and it says the choice should weigh the brick's condition, its exposure to weather and the job the mortar has to do. If your house is older, ask any mason how their mortar compares with the original lime mortar, and I'll walk you through mine at the estimate.
How much does chimney repair cost in Billings, MT?
Chimney cap, crown repair and waterproofing work usually costs about $550 to $2,300 per job across the US, which is a national figure and not a Billings quote. Where your chimney lands depends on how much of the crown, flashing and brick needs work and how hard it is to reach. The estimate I write on site sets your actual cost.
Who can legally repair my chimney in Montana?
A contractor holding a Montana construction contractor license, because state law counts a business that repairs or improves a structure attached to real estate for someone else as a construction contractor, with some exceptions the law sets out. Contractors who had an active state registration at the end of 2025 were moved over to the new license. Ask to see it before anyone starts on your chimney.
Should my chimney liner be replaced during a chimney repair?
Only if it's damaged or the wrong size for what's venting through it, and it's worth a look while the chimney is already being worked on. One liner maker says correct sizing is critical where outdoor temperatures stay low for long stretches, because a poorly sized liner may lead to extra condensation, creosote buildup and poor draft. That maker also notes liner work is sooty, and advises moving or covering furniture and rugs near the fireplace.
Other masonry work a chimney job can lead to
Tuckpointing
When joints are wearing thin across the whole chimney or the house walls, tuckpointing refills them all at once instead of chasing one crack at a time.
Brick repair
Cracked, flaked or loose bricks on any wall of your house get cut out and replaced with a close match before water works further into the wall.
Call about your chimney repair today
Our phone hours run 6 AM to 11 PM on weekdays and 7 AM to 11 PM on weekends, so you can call (406) 318-2106 right after you've spotted the stain or the crack, or send the contact form any time.