Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
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AfterFast, Reliable Chimney Repair Across Cambridge
Chimney Cleaning & Sweep - Cambridge and repair typically runs $350-$2,800 depending on the scope, and most jobs we book are completed in a single visit after a Level 2 camera inspection. If you own or manage a pre-1920 triple-decker or rowhouse anywhere from Cambridgeport to North Cambridge, the masonry stack serving your units is likely shared, aging, and overdue for a proper look inside.
We’ve been repairing chimneys in Cambridge for decades. Our crews know the tight lot lines around Harvard Square, the roof-access challenges on Inman Street, and the particular way freeze-thaw cycles attack lime mortar on 120-year-old brick. Dispatch is coordinated from our Boston office, but our technicians live in and around Cambridge, which means we’re not guessing at your building type when we arrive. Call (857) 392-4709 - a live person answers, 24 hours a day.
Why Hearthstone Chimney Co. Is Cambridge’s Preferred Chimney Repair Company
Cambridge homeowners and property managers call us because we document what we find. Every inspection ends with photos you can see and a plain-English verdict. No jargon, no scare tactics, no pushing work you don’t need.
Our Chimney Repair in Cambridge reputation was built on triple-deckers and rental properties - the buildings other sweeps rush through. We understand the code-compliance pressures Cambridge landlords face, and we write our reports so they satisfy both you and the city’s housing enforcement team. The 90-Day Done Right Promise backs every repair in writing: if it’s not right, we make it right, no paperwork and no arguing.
Most of our Cambridge appointments are scheduled within a week. Background-checked, uniformed technicians arrive when we say they will. Upfront pricing means the number on your estimate is the number on your invoice.
Over 42 years, we’ve learned that Cambridge’s older housing stock rewards patience and punishes shortcuts. We don’t do shortcuts.
Our Chimney Repair Services in Cambridge
Mortar Repointing
Cambridge’s pre-1930 masonry chimneys were built with lime mortar that breathes but erodes. After 30-40 freeze-thaw cycles each winter, joints on exposed stacks open up, letting water behind the brick face. In North Cambridge and along Broadway, we repoint these joints with color-matched, professional-grade mortar - not the cheap Portland cement slurry that traps moisture and accelerates decay. A typical repointing job on a Cambridge triple-decker chimney runs $850-$1,800.
Spalling Brick Repair
Spalling - the flaking and crumbling of brick faces - is everywhere we look on Cambridge’s older chimneys. Tight urban lots block sun from drying masonry after rain, so moisture sits in the brick, freezes, and pops the face off. We remove damaged brick, match replacement units to the original, and seal the repair. Spalling repair on a Cambridge stack typically costs $400-$1,200 depending on height and accessibility.
Chimney Waterproofing
Water is the enemy of every Chimney Cap & Crown - Cambridge and shared stack on triple-deckers where one leak affects three households. We apply breathable, professional-grade waterproofing agents - never the hardware-store sealers that trap vapor inside. A full waterproofing treatment on a Cambridge chimney runs $350-$750 and carries our 90-Day Done Right Promise.
Flashing Repair
Step flashing where the chimney meets the roof is a common failure point on Cambridge’s low-slope and flat roofs, particularly on the older buildings around Central Square. We fabricate and install custom flashing using materials from Copperfield and Famco, sealed to survive New England’s worst. Flashing repair in Cambridge typically runs $450-$950.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Cambridge
We stock parts and materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, and Copperfield - plus Gelco service in Cambridge - the brands we trust on Cambridge’s hardest-working chimneys. DuraFlex liners handle the multi-flue conversions we see constantly in East Cambridge triple-deckers. HeatShield’s cerfractory resurfacing restores clay tile flues that are sound structurally but eroded internally. Because we keep these materials on our trucks, most Cambridge repairs don’t wait for a second visit. The job gets done, the stack gets safe, and you get back to your day.
Common Chimney Repair Problems We See in Cambridge Homes
- Cross-contamination between rental units. In a shared Cambridgeport or East Cambridge triple-decker chase, one unit’s appliance can vent into a flue a neighbor’s appliance also uses. Flue gas and creosote migrate between floors. The only fix is a per-flue Level 2 camera inspection to map what’s actually venting where, then reline or separate as needed.
- Decades of piecemeal relining with mismatched materials. One flue has original clay tile from the coal era, another got flexible stainless in a 1990s gas conversion, a third was never lined at all. A standard sweep can’t read this configuration. Each flue needs its own camera inspection before any work begins.
- Freeze-thaw destruction of exposed lime mortar. Cambridge’s 30-40 annual freeze events, combined with tight lots that prevent solar drying, open mortar joints and spall brick crowns. Water gets in, freezes again, and the cycle accelerates.
- Permit history that doesn’t match reality. Cambridge’s aggressive rental housing enforcement generates paperwork, but the actual flue configuration in a 1910 triple-decker rarely matches what was permitted. We verify with cameras, not assumptions.
In a Cambridgeport triple-decker off Magazine Street, we opened the basement cleanout and found four flues in one chase: the ground-floor rental’s gas furnace venting into a bare-brick flue with no liner at all, second floor on flexible stainless, third on a crumbling clay tile. Camera inspection showed the bare flue had been cross-contaminating the floor above for years, so we installed a Chimney Liner & Rebuild - Cambridge with a DuraFlex liner for the unlined appliance, repointed the shared masonry above the roofline, and waterproofed the crown before the next freeze-thaw cycle.
Pricing for Chimney Repair in Cambridge, MA
Honest numbers for Cambridge’s market:
| Mortar repointing (typical triple-decker stack) | $850-$1,800 |
| Spalling brick repair (localized) | $400-$1,200 |
| Chimney waterproofing (full treatment) | $350-$750 |
| Flashing repair (custom fabrication) | $450-$950 |
| Partial chimney rebuild (crown to roofline) | $1,800-$2,800 |
| Level 2 camera inspection (per flue) | $250-$350 |
What moves the price: height and roof access, extent of water damage behind the brick, whether multiple flues need separate liners, and whether we can complete the work in one visit or need staging. We give you the full number before we start. No surprises on the bill.
Call (857) 392-4709 for a free estimate. Estimates include the camera inspection and photo report.
We Also Serve Cities Near Cambridge
Our crews work across the metro daily. We regularly repair chimneys in Cambridge and in neighboring Somerville, Belmont, Medford, and Brookline - same technicians, same materials, same 90-Day Done Right Promise. If your building shares a wall or a lot line with Cambridge property, we’ve probably worked on your block already.
Serving Cambridge, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Cambridge area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs - Chimney Repair in Cambridge
You don’t know until a Level 2 camera inspection checks every flue individually. In Cambridgeport and East Cambridge, we routinely find four flues in one chase with three different liner types, and sometimes one flue venting into another’s space. We document each flue with photos and a plain-English verdict so you, your tenants, and the city’s housing enforcement all have the same facts. Call (857) 392-4709 to schedule - estimates are free.
Yes. Gas and oil appliances vent through the same flues, and in Cambridge’s triple-deckers, those flues are often shared, unlined, or improperly sized for modern equipment. Carbon monoxide and moisture damage don’t care what fuel you burn. The city’s rental codes require safe venting regardless of fuel type. We inspect and report so you’re covered. Call (857) 392-4709 for a free estimate.
It means the brick face is flaking off because water got inside and froze. Cambridge’s 30-40 annual freeze-thaw cycles, combined with tight lots that keep masonry shaded and damp, make this inevitable on unprotected pre-1920 stacks. Spalling starts cosmetic and becomes structural. We replace damaged brick, repoint open joints, and waterproof to stop the cycle. Call (857) 392-4709 for an exact quote - estimates are free.
We won’t clean a flue we haven’t inspected, and we won’t inspect a shared Cambridge chase without checking every flue. Cleaning a damaged or cross-contaminated flue can make things worse by dislodging debris into a neighboring unit’s vent path. Our Chimney Repair process starts with cameras, then gives you a priority list: what needs immediate repair, what can wait, and what routine maintenance will prevent. Call (857) 392-4709 for a free estimate.
Third-degree creosote is a thick, tar-like, highly combustible coating that forms when wood smoke cools too quickly in an oversized or unlined flue. In Cambridge’s old coal-era chimneys - now venting wood, gas, or oil - the flue is often too large for the appliance, creating exactly these conditions. It ignites at lower temperatures and burns hotter than ordinary creosote. We remove it with mechanical tools or chemical treatment, depending on severity, and we check whether an improper liner size is causing the buildup. Call (857) 392-4709 for a free estimate.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Cambridge since 1984.