Chimney Rebuilds
Full and partial chimney rebuilds: deteriorated stacks torn down to sound masonry and rebuilt with new brick, cast crowns and stainless caps.
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Masonry repair in Stillwater starts with the age of the houses. Of the city's 8,545 housing units, 2,121 were built in 1939 or earlier, by Census Bureau estimates. That is about one home in four, and more than were built in any single decade since. Another 1,015 went up from 1940 through 1969, so more than a third of Stillwater's homes were built before 1970. Our crew repairs chimneys and brick on houses of that age, and we restore older commercial walls too.
Stillwater is the county seat of Washington County, on the west bank of the St. Croix River. Brick and mortar in Minnesota face 80 to 100 freeze and thaw cycles a year. Soft old mortar gives way first, and water then works into the wall behind it. The early signs are sand in the gutters and loose bricks near the top of the chimney. We see the masonry in person first. Then the scope and the price come to you in writing.
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The city's rehab brochure calls wood clapboard historically appropriate for most historic homes in Stillwater. On those houses, the chimney is often the only brick above the foundation. It takes weather on every side above the roofline. On a house built before 1940, an original stack has done so for more than 85 winters. Loose top courses and a stain on the ceiling below are the usual signs. Chimney repair and a new liner keep the original stack in service.
The same brochure says deteriorated historic materials should be repaired and reused, and only severely deteriorated ones replaced. We work in that order on chimneys. Sound brick stays in the stack, and only failed units and joints come out. A stack that leans, or has brick split through above the roof, is past repair. Then a full chimney rebuild replaces it above the roofline, course by course, in brick matched to the house. Photos of the damage come with the written scope, before any brick is removed.
The city's historic context study divides Stillwater into 16 neighborhoods. Its reports cover North Hill and South Hill, along with Dutchtown, Holcombe and the Greeley Addition. Our service area takes in every one. In an old wall, the mortar joints usually fail before the brick. A soft joint lets rain into the wall, and a hard freeze can then split the face off a brick. Caught early, tuckpointing soft mortar joints keeps the original brick in the wall.
Spalled or cracked bricks need more than fresh mortar. Damaged brick at porch piers and foundations has to come out. Cracked brick over window and door lintels gets the same repair. Brick repair swaps each failed unit for one that matches the wall in size and color. The brochure also warns against sandblasting and other harsh treatments that can damage historic materials. The city relies on property owners to keep Stillwater's historic character. Its Heirloom and Landmark Sites Program honors the owners who do.
Downtown Stillwater's commercial historic district covers 11 blocks. The city dates its heyday to the 1860s through 1911, when the town was a prosperous lumbering and manufacturing center. The City Council made it a local preservation district in 1989. The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 1992. Commercial masonry restoration is another major line of our work. That covers storefronts, churches, schools and apartment buildings, and the crew works upper walls from lifts and scaffolds.
Exterior alterations in the district need Design Permit approval from the city's Heritage Preservation Commission, which a 1980 ordinance created. Downtown design review covers alterations to existing structures, and staff or the commission may review them. The commission also regulates painting previously unpainted masonry. Check with the city before any exterior masonry work downtown. Our written scope comes with photos of each wall, which helps when you talk to the city. Where a building has stone sills or a stone foundation, stone restoration goes into the same scope.
Communities & areas we serve around Stillwater: North Hill, South Hill, Dutchtown, Holcombe, Greeley Addition, Staples and Mays Addition, Carli and Schulenburg's Addition, Hersey Staples and Co., Churchill Nelson and Slaughter.
Stillwater ZIP codes served: 55082.
Free, no-obligation estimates throughout Washington County.
(320) 465-1161 Full and partial chimney rebuilds: deteriorated stacks torn down to sound masonry and rebuilt with new brick, cast crowns and stainless caps.
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Leak tracing, crown repair, joint repointing, spalled brick replacement and stainless caps, the fixes that stop water before it forces a rebuild.
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Stainless steel liners sized to the furnace, boiler, water heater or fireplace insert on your chimney, plus replacement of cracked or missing clay flue liners.
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Failed mortar ground out and repointed to match the original on chimneys, houses and full commercial elevations. The fix that saves the wall you already have.
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Spalled brick cut out and replaced, cracks stitched, bowed sections rebuilt, porch piers and steps restored, matched so the repair does not read as one.
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Restoration for factories, apartment buildings, churches, schools and storefronts: wall rebuilds, stone and brick repair, parapets and lintels, run by a crew that works occupied properties.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Stillwater. Don't see yours? Call us, we're happy to help.
Have a chimney, wall, set of steps or driveway that needs work? Call or send the form and we will look at the site with you and give you a written quote.
Tell us about your project and we’ll get right back to you.