Chimney Masonry Repair in Arleta, Measured and Photographed

A line that says "mortar deteriorated" does not help anyone decide anything. Our masonry findings say which face of the chimney, which courses, and how far the mortar has worn back from the brick face, measured with a gauge. Under about a quarter inch of loss, the joint is usually marked watch it. Past that, or where you can see daylight or loose brick, it is marked fix. Each face of the chimney gets its own photo with the worn area outlined, so you can see whether the problem is a few joints near the top, which is common, or the whole stack.

In the West Valley, the masonry report has a second job: separating weather wear from earthquake damage. Weather wear is gradual and shows on the faces that take the most sun and rain. Earthquake damage tends to show as a crack that steps diagonally through several courses, or a horizontal crack right at the roofline where the stack is stiffest. The 1994 Northridge earthquake was centered a few miles from here, and many chimneys that were repaired afterward have patches that are now thirty years old. We photograph and map those cracks separately, because repointing over a structural crack does not fix it.

The written plan lists each repair: repointing by face and course, brick replacement by count, crown repair, and any water repellent, which we only apply when the brick is the kind that benefits from it and only a breathable type. Mortar is specified by type. Older chimneys with softer brick get a softer mortar, because a mortar harder than the brick forces the brick to crack instead of the joint. We note the color match too, since a repointed chimney with bright gray joints on a weathered tan brick looks patched from the street.

Masonry repairs are quoted in writing after an inspection, never from a phone description, because joint depth and brick condition decide the price. When the work is done, you get the same photos retaken from the same spots, with the date and the materials listed. On hillside homes along the south side of the Valley, where chimneys can be tall on the downhill side, the quote also says how we will reach the work safely, whether by ladder, roof anchor or scaffold.