Chimney repair in South Bend, IN - a sound flue and tight brick above the roofline

Crumbling joints, flaking brick or a cracked flue? We find what's failing and fix it so water stays out and smoke goes up.

Request an estimate (574) 213-0235

Curved stone retaining walls and steps create landscaped terraces in front of a stone-and-stucco house.

Does my chimney need new mortar, a new liner or a rebuild?

Chimney repair in South Bend closes open mortar joints, rebuilds brick that's flaking or cracked, and puts in a new flue liner, the lining inside the chimney, when the old one has failed, so water stays out of the brick and smoke goes up and out where it should.

Most calls start with something you can see from the yard or the attic: mortar washing out of the joints, brick faces flaking off, or a water stain on the ceiling near the chimney. Open joints let water into the brick, and once that water freezes, the faces pop off, which masons call spalling. The price depends on how far the damage has gone, from joint work to a new liner to a rebuild down to good brick, and on how tall your chimney is and how hard it is to work on from your roof. The schedule turns mostly on how much brick has to come down and whether a permit has to come through first. When I walk the job, I'll write up an estimate with your own figure and plan in plain words.

How we handle chimney repair, inside the flue and out

I start by looking down the flue as well as at the brick up top, because a cracked liner is a safety problem you can't see from the yard. Then I tell you plainly whether your chimney needs joint work, a new liner or a rebuild down to good brick, and if the liner is cracked, that gets fixed before anything cosmetic. Before our crew opens anything up, we cover your floors and furniture near the fireplace, since the inside of a chimney is almost always sooty. From there we cut out the failed mortar and pack in new, take loose or spalled brick down to sound brick and lay it back up, set the liner if it needs one, and clean up the roof, the yard and the room before we leave.

A chimney is rarely the only tired brick on an older house. If the joints on your walls are washing out the same way, our tuckpointing work cuts out the old mortar and fills the joints so water stops getting in. Cracked, loose or flaking brick lower down on the house is a job for our brick repair crew, and it's often easier to look at both while the ladders are already up.

Joint work on sound brick

This fits a chimney where the brick is still solid and only the mortar has gone soft or opened up. We grind out the bad joints and fill them with new mortar, which stops the water before it starts spalling the brick faces.

A new flue liner

This fits a chimney that looks fine outside but has a cracked or missing liner inside. Most replacement liners go in from the top without tearing the chimney apart, and the questions below cover which kind suits yours.

Partial rebuild down to good brick

Once the damage has gone past the joints into spalled, cracked or leaning brick, a patch won't hold, so the chimney comes down to sound brick, typically at the roofline. We lay it back up with new or salvaged brick.

Why South Bend homeowners call M&K South Bend Concrete & Masonry for chimney repair

I look at your chimney myself

I come out to look at the job and write the estimate myself, and when the work starts I'm up there with our masons and laborers. The person who told you what your chimney needs is the same one making sure it gets done that way.

Older brick is what we know

I learned masonry working under an experienced mason around South Bend and started this business in 2023. Careful repair on older brick, like repointing and chimney work, is what we're known for, and most people who call us own an older house they want fixed right.

Fully licensed and insured for roof work

We're fully licensed and insured, which matters more on a chimney than on most masonry jobs. The work happens up high, over your shingles and right against your house, so you want a crew that's covered before anyone climbs a ladder.

A fix that won't start the next problem

I grew up on a farm, where a patch done wrong costs more than doing it right once, so I won't patch over brick that needs to come down. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Call (574) 213-0235 or send the form below to set up a visit.

Get a free on-site chimney estimate, written in plain words

We reply to every call and message within 1 business day. I'll set a time to come out, walk the chimney with you and write up the estimate, free and with no pressure or obligation. If you can, send photos of cracks, loose brick or the chimney top, and tell us whether the chimney serves a furnace, a wood stove or a fireplace.

Phone: (574) 213-0235
Email: projects@southbendconcreteandmasonry.com
Location: South Bend, IN 46601
Hours: Mon–Fri: 6 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM

Chimney repair permits and contractor rules in South Bend

In South Bend, the city's renovation permit covers masonry and chimneys, and the application needs a signed contract showing what the work will cost. Before work starts we check with the office that covers your address, and when your job calls for a permit we pull it as part of the job. Every contractor and subcontractor working in the city and St. Joseph County has to be registered or licensed with the Building Department, so check that before you hire anyone for chimney work. The city requires registration so work gets done safely and to code, and if inspections find work below code, a claim may be filed to get it corrected or paid for. If you own and live in a single family home, the city lets you do the work yourself after you sign an affidavit and give the proof it asks for.

We're based in South Bend and work in many cities around it in northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. On jobs here we mostly see brick chimneys on older houses, with the top few feet in worse shape than the rest because that part stands fully exposed above the roof, and liners nobody has looked at in a long time. We do the same work in Mishawaka and across the state line in Niles.

Chimney repair questions we hear most

How much does chimney repair cost in South Bend?

Common chimney repair across the US usually costs about $200 to $750 per job. Larger chimney projects cost far more, and their price depends on the type of damage. I'll give you your own figure after I walk the job and write up the estimate.

Is a cracked chimney liner dangerous?

Yes, any vertical crack in a chimney liner is a safety issue and not just a cosmetic one, because combustion gases can leak into the wall cavity around the flue. That's why a liner crack gets fixed ahead of mortar or brick that only looks bad. Call (574) 213-0235 if you've spotted one.

Which chimney liner is best for my chimney?

For most existing chimneys, a stainless steel flexible liner is the usual retrofit, because it threads down the flue without tearing out brick and it suits gas, oil and wood-burning appliances. Clay tile is practical only when the chimney is being rebuilt anyway. A cast-in-place liner forms a seamless insulated flue and is the choice for chimneys that are oddly shaped or damaged inside.

How do I know if I need a chimney inspection before relining?

Ask whether an inspection is part of the quote, because a draft national chimney standard calls for a Level II inspection before relining. The same draft also calls for one when a home is sold and after a chimney fire or weather damage. It's a proposal, not a South Bend rule, but it's a fair question if you're planning a new liner.

How do I get my house ready for chimney repair?

Move rugs, small furniture and anything breakable away from the fireplace, because one liner maker's instructions advise removing or covering furniture and rugs during cleaning and liner work, since chimneys are usually very sooty and dusty inside. It also helps to tell us ahead of time what the chimney serves, so we know what liner to plan for.