Chimney and fireplace service in Shoreline
Shoreline was the fastest-growing part of the metro in the 1950s, and its post-war houses still have their brick fireplaces. We inspect for free and price everything first.
Shoreline is a post-war city. From 1950 to 1957 it was the fastest-growing area in the Seattle metro, with a 64 percent jump in population, and the Census Bureau's 2024 survey shows the result: 30.3 percent of homes were built between 1940 and 1959, double Seattle's share, and the median year built is 1969. Most of those houses are ramblers and split-levels with one brick fireplace and a masonry chimney now around seventy years old. Richmond Beach, platted in 1890, is the oldest part of the city.
Shoreline also has the most oil heat of any city we serve. About 4.1 percent of homes still burn fuel oil, and many more did once, which leaves old furnace flues that are unlined, abandoned or sharing a chimney with the fireplace. Gas heats 43.6 percent of homes. At the free inspection we check what each flue in the chimney is connected to, whether it is lined and whether it is safe, and we write down the price of any work.
Ramblers, one fireplace and an old furnace flue
A typical Shoreline chimney has two flues: one for the fireplace and one that served an oil furnace. When the furnace was swapped for gas or a heat pump, the second flue was often left open, capped badly or connected to a gas water heater without a liner. Gas exhaust is wet and condenses in a cold, unlined masonry flue. A furnace or water heater liner typically runs $625 to $2,250, and a stainless liner for the fireplace $1,500 to $5,000.
If the oil flue is no longer needed, a cap keeps the rain out, typically $250 to $850. If the chimney itself is not needed, removal is an option too.
Rain and the top of the chimney
Shoreline gets the same weather as Seattle: NOAA's normals put nearby Sea-Tac at about 39 inches of rain over roughly 156 days a year. On a seventy-year-old chimney the crown and flashing are usually the first to fail, and moss on the north side holds water against the brick. A crown typically runs $600 to $2,200, flashing $300 to $1,800 and waterproofing $300 to $800.
Where we work in Shoreline
Richmond Beach · Richmond Highlands · Echo Lake · Meridian Park · North City · Ridgecrest · Ballinger · Briarcrest · Innis Arden · The Highlands
FAQ
Shoreline chimney questions
Our Shoreline house used to have oil heat. Is the old flue a problem?
It can be. An open or poorly capped oil flue lets rain in, and if a gas water heater was later connected to it without a liner, condensation can damage the masonry. We check what each flue is connected to at the free inspection and photograph it.
We switched from oil to a heat pump. What should happen to the old chimney?
It depends on what else uses it. If nothing does, it can be capped to keep the rain out, typically $250 to $850, or taken down. If a gas water heater still vents into it, that flue needs a proper liner. We check what each flue is connected to at the free inspection.
Can I use my fireplace during a burn ban in Shoreline?
Not a wood fireplace. Shoreline is in King County, where the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency bans wood fireplaces in Stage 1 and all wood burning in Stage 2. Gas and propane fireplaces and inserts are allowed in both.
How much does a chimney cleaning cost in Shoreline?
We price the cleaning at the free inspection, once we have seen the flue and how much buildup there is. You get the price in writing before we start. We book Sunday to Friday in 3-hour windows and call to confirm.
Book online
Book in Shoreline. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.