Rebuild, restore or remove
Chimney Rebuild & Restoration in Eau Claire, WI
When a chimney is loose, leaning or patched past saving, we take it down to sound masonry and relay it. If nothing vents through it anymore, we can take it down for good.
Serving Eau Claire, Altoona, Chippewa Falls, Lake Hallie, Menomonie, Fall Creek and the surrounding Chippewa Valley
Chimney Rebuilding in Eau Claire: Partial vs. Full Rebuild
A rebuild is a different job from a repair. Nothing gets patched. The failed part of the chimney is taken apart, and new masonry is laid on whatever is still solid underneath. Most of the time that solid point is at or just below the roofline, because everything under the roof has spent its life warm and dry.
Signs a chimney is past repair
- Brick moves in your hand. Whole courses above the roofline rock or lift out. The mortar bond is gone and the stack is stacked, not built.
- The chimney leans. A lean you can see from the yard means the top has been shifting on failed joints for years.
- Joints are sand all the way through. When a joint is opened and the mortar pours out an inch deep and keeps going, there is nothing left to point against.
- It has been patched before. Smeared joints, tar at the base and a skim coat on the crown are the marks of two or three repairs that did not hold.
None of these? Then you probably don't need this page. A cracked crown, a leak at the flashing or washed-out joints on a solid stack are covered on our chimney repair page, and they cost a fraction of a rebuild.
| Roofline up | Below the roofline | Full rebuild | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What comes down | The exposed stack, to the flashing line | The stack plus courses in the attic, down to sound brick | The whole chimney, to the footing or the fireplace |
| When it fits | Damage is from weather. The usual case. | Water has run inside the roof for years and rotted the joints below | Settled footing, a chimney pulling away from the house, or fire damage |
| What it disturbs | Roof around the chimney | Roof, and access through the attic | Roof, siding or interior walls, sometimes the hearth |
| Published range | $1,500–$4,000 | No separate figure published | $3,100–$15,400 |
Ranges are HomeAdvisor's national figures for a stack rebuild and a full chimney replacement. See the cost section below.
Chimney Restoration on Older Eau Claire Homes
Restoration means the chimney looks the same when we leave as it did when it was built. That matters most in the city's older neighborhoods. The National Register listings describe Third Ward homes built from 1870 to 1910, Randall Park buildings from about 1870 to 1920, and the Emery Street bungalows on the Eastside Hill from 1915 to 1930.
Chimneys from those years were not built the way chimneys are now. The National Park Service notes that mortar in buildings from 1873 to 1930 ranges from pure lime and sand to a mix of lime and portland cement, and the brick is softer than modern brick. So before a restoration we photograph the top, count the corbel courses, scrape the old mortar to judge its hardness, and measure the brick.
- Reuse what is sound. Good brick from the take-down is cleaned and relaid. It is the only brick that truly matches.
- Fill in with salvage. Old brick is a different size from new. Salvaged brick keeps the coursing lined up.
- Match the mortar to the brick. No harder than the original, and close in color and sand. More on that under mortar matching for tuckpointing.
If your house is a local landmark or in a locally designated historic district, the city's Landmarks Commission may need to review exterior work before a permit is issued. A like-for-like rebuild in matching brick is the easy case. Ask before the scaffolding is booked.
Removing an Unused Chimney vs. Rebuilding It
Plenty of older chimneys no longer do anything. The furnace that used them was replaced with one that vents out the side wall, and the brick has sat idle above the roof ever since, taking on water. If a chimney is failing and nothing uses it, rebuilding it is optional. There are three ways to go.
Repair or Rebuild? We'll Tell You Which, and Show You Why
If someone has told you the chimney has to come down, ask to see why. We take photos from the roof with a joint raked open and a hand on the loose courses, so you are looking at the evidence and not taking our word for it.
If tuckpointing and a new crown will do the job, that is what we'll write up, even though it is the smaller sale.
What a Chimney Rebuild Involves, Day by Day
A roofline-up rebuild on a house chimney is a job of days, not weeks. Weather sets the pace more than anything else. This is the order it happens in.
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Before day one: permits and staging
We ask the city whether your address needs a permit. Then scaffolding or roof staging goes up, and the shingles, gutters and plantings below get covered.
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Take-down
The chimney comes apart by hand, a course at a time, and the debris is lowered or chuted, not thrown onto the roof. We stop when we reach brick that is tight and mortar that is hard. If that point is lower than the estimate assumed, we show you and agree on the change before going on.
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Relaying the stack
New or salvaged brick goes up in mortar suited to it, and the clay flue tile in the rebuilt section is reset as the brick rises. If the old chimney was short, this is when to fix it. Wisconsin's dwelling code wants a fireplace chimney at least 3 feet above the roof where it passes through and 2 feet above anything within 10 feet.
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Flashing tie-in
New step and counter flashing is cut into the fresh joints, at least 6 inches up the brick, with a cricket behind chimneys more than 30 inches wide. Old flashing is not reused.
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Crown and cap
A cast concrete crown with an overhang and drip edge goes on, with a gap around the flue tile so the tile can expand, then a cap.
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Cure, clean-up and walk-through
Fresh mortar is kept from drying too fast or freezing. Debris is hauled off, the roof and yard are cleaned, and you get photos from the top, since most people never see their own chimney up close.
Chimney Rebuild Cost in Eau Claire
Published figures are national, and they are wide because chimneys are. Use them to judge whether an estimate is in a reasonable range. They are typical ranges, not quotes, and yours gets a written price after we have measured it.
| Job | Typical range | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney stack rebuild, roofline up | $1,500–$4,000 | HomeAdvisor. Fixr lists chimney rebuilding at $500–$4,000, the low end being a few courses at the top. |
| Full chimney replacement | $3,100–$15,400 | HomeAdvisor normal range, average $9,300. Tall or complex chimneys can pass $20,000. |
| Brick chimney, per linear foot | $60–$200 | HomeAdvisor. Stone is listed at $80–$250 per linear foot. |
| Extending a short stack | $500–$3,000 | HomeAdvisor, for adding height to a chimney that is otherwise sound. |
Sources: HomeAdvisor chimney rebuild cost guide (updated June 2026) and Fixr chimney repair cost guide (updated January 2025). National figures, checked October 2026.
What drives the price
- Height and access. A tall stack at the ridge of a steep roof needs scaffolding. A short one near the eave may not.
- Flues. A two- or three-flue chimney has far more brick in it than a single.
- Brick match. Reusing and sourcing salvaged brick takes longer than laying new.
- How far down. Nobody knows the exact stopping point until the top courses are off.
What a rebuild estimate should spell out
Compare bids line by line. Each should say how far down the take-down goes, whether the brick is new or salvaged, what mortar is used, that the flashing is new and cut into the joints, that the crown is cast concrete with an overhang, whether a cap is included, and who handles the permit and the debris. A bid missing those lines is cheaper for a reason. Loose brick elsewhere on the house is a separate item, covered under brick repair.
Chimney Rebuild Questions Eau Claire Homeowners Ask
How do I know if my chimney needs a rebuild or just a repair?
Look at the structure, not the surface. If the brick is tight, the stack is plumb and the mortar is firm a half inch behind the face, it is a repair: tuckpointing, a new crown, new flashing. If brick above the roofline moves by hand, the chimney leans, or the mortar is loose sand deep into the joint, repairs have nothing solid to hold onto and the stack needs to be relaid.
How much does it cost to rebuild a chimney from the roofline up?
HomeAdvisor's national cost guide puts rebuilding a chimney stack above the roofline at $1,500 to $4,000. A full replacement of the whole chimney has a normal range of $3,100 to $15,400 and averages about $9,300. Height, the number of flues, how hard the brick is to match and how far down the damage runs decide the price. We measure and price yours in writing.
Do I need a permit to rebuild or remove a chimney in Eau Claire?
Possibly. The City of Eau Claire's Inspections Division says a building permit is generally needed when a building is altered, repaired or demolished, but its published guidance does not name chimneys. We check with Inspections for your address before the job is scheduled. Outside the city, the town or village decides.
Can you match the brick on an older chimney?
Usually closely, rarely perfectly. Brick saved from the old stack goes back first, with the weathered face turned in if needed. The shortfall is made up with salvaged brick of the same size and color range. New brick is a different size from most brick made a century ago, so on an older house we look for salvage first.
Is it cheaper to remove a chimney than to rebuild it?
Often, but not always. Taking an unused chimney down below the roofline involves no new masonry, so the mason's part is smaller. It adds a roof patch, and a full removal adds floor, wall and ceiling repairs at every level. The national cost guides we cite do not publish a clean figure for removal, so we will not quote one here. We price both options side by side when both make sense.
Can a chimney be rebuilt in winter?
The take-down can happen in any season. The rebuild depends on temperature, because the Brick Industry Association treats work below 40°F as cold-weather masonry that needs heated materials and protection. On a rooftop in an Eau Claire January that is rarely worth the cost. If a chimney is unsafe in winter, we take the loose section down, cap the opening so it is weathertight, and rebuild in spring.
Are you chimney builders or chimney sweeps?
Builders. We lay brick, stone and mortar: rebuilds, restoration, crowns, flashing and removal. We do not sweep chimneys, inspect flues with a camera or install stainless liners. A sweep certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America does that, and it makes sense to have the flue inspected before a rebuild so any liner work can be planned with it.
Get a Free Chimney Rebuild Estimate
Tell us what you've been told or what you can see: a lean, loose brick, pieces in the yard, a chimney nobody uses. We'll look at it up close and tell you how far down it needs to go, or whether it needs to come down at all. Rebuilds are part of what we do as a masonry contractor in Eau Claire.
- We get on the roof and open a joint before recommending a rebuild
- Repair, rebuild and removal priced side by side when more than one fits
- Scope, brick, mortar and price in writing
Get a Free Estimate
Tell us what's going on with the masonry or stucco. Prefer to talk? Call or text (715) 597-4359.
Thanks, we have your request.
We'll be in touch about your estimate. If it's easier, text photos of the job to (715) 597-4359.
Chimney and Brick Repairs That Stop Short of a Rebuild
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Chimney Repair
Crowns, caps, flashing and leaks on chimneys that are still structurally sound.
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Tuckpointing
Joints ground out and repointed when the brick is tight and only the mortar has worn.
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Brick Repair & Restoration
Matching and replacing damaged brick on walls, steps and stoops.
Been Told Your Chimney Has to Come Down? Get It Looked at Up Close.
Call or text a photo. Free written estimates for chimney rebuilds, restoration and removal in Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley.