Chimney pointing
Cut-out and repointing of failed mortar joints in the chimney brick or stone. The most common chimney repair we do, and usually the cheapest fix that holds the longest.
Specialty · Chimney Repairs
Chimney repair & pointing in Philadelphia.
What we offer
Chimney repair & rebuild across Philadelphia.
Chimneys take more weather damage than any other masonry on a Philadelphia row home. They’re fully exposed, hit constant freeze-thaw cycles, and are usually the last piece anyone bothers with until something goes wrong. Chimney repair, chimney pointing, crown work, brick rebuilds — the work that keeps water out of your roof line.
Crown repair & rebuild
The cement cap on top of the chimney is the first piece to fail — cracked, crumbling, or completely missing. We pour a fresh crown with a drip edge, sloped off the flue, sealed where it meets the brick.
Brick replacement
Spalled, cracked, or missing bricks — cut out and replaced with matched brick. Common chimney repair on row homes 50+ years old where individual bricks have failed before the rest of the chimney.
Partial chimney rebuild
When the top several courses of brick are too damaged to repoint, we tear them down and rebuild — matched brick, fresh mortar, fresh crown. Stops at the sound courses below.
Flashing & roof tie-in
The seam where the chimney meets the roof needs proper step flashing and counter-flashing. We coordinate with your roofer when the flashing has failed, or handle it ourselves on smaller jobs.
Cap installation
Stainless steel chimney cap to keep rain, leaves, and animals out of the flue. Sized to your specific flue, installed with a proper bracket, holds for decades.
Chimney details
The four ways a chimney loses its weather-tightness.
Most chimney repair calls come from one of four failures. Diagnosing which one decides the scope — and the cost. The wrong fix on the wrong failure is wasted money.
Failed crown
The cement cap cracked, broke, or fell off. Water gets in through the top and tracks down inside the chimney. Crown rebuild stops it.
Failed mortar joints
Mortar between bricks crumbled. Water gets in sideways, through the wall. Chimney pointing fixes the joints — same technique as façade pointing, harder access.
Failed flashing
The metal flashing where chimney meets roof is rusted, lifted, or improperly installed. Water gets into the attic. Flashing repair or replacement is sometimes our work, sometimes a roofer’s.
Spalling brick
Individual bricks losing their faces from freeze damage. Brick replacement is the right move when the failure is limited; partial chimney rebuild when more than a handful of bricks have failed.
Why Marcello
Chimney repair that actually keeps water out.
Old-Philly chimney experience.
Pre-1930 row-home chimneys are the work we do most often. We know the standard brick courses, the typical crown failure patterns, and which mortar mix actually matches a 100-year-old chimney.
Diagnose before we quote.
Most chimney repair quotes are scoped wrong because the contractor didn’t diagnose properly — either over-scoping (full rebuild when pointing would hold) or under-scoping (pointing when the crown is gone). We assess all four failure modes on site.
Right materials for the wall.
Lime-rich mortar on old chimneys; matched brick for replacements; proper crown mix with a drip edge. Not generic Portland-and-bag-mix work that fails inside five years.
Owner-done, owner-finished.
Marcello and his father on most jobs themselves. The hands that diagnose your chimney are the hands that fix it. Roof-line work isn’t volume work — we don’t treat it like that.
Recent chimneys
Recent chimney repair across the city.
Note: dedicated chimney repair photo set in the queue for the next photo intake. Chimney work is a newer service offering in our scope; we’ll swap in chimney before/after pairs as we accumulate them. Placeholders below are from related masonry work.
Featured · Masonry repair
Masonry & pointing · Philadelphia
Joint repointing
Same techniques · NE Philly
Repointing detail
Mortar work · Philadelphia
Just-finished
Masonry repair · Philadelphia
What to expect
What happens when you hire us.
You call. We pick up.
No call center. No answering service. Most days it’s Marcello himself on the line. We’ll talk through the project and schedule a free walk-through.
We come out. Free walk-through.
We measure, talk through what you’re looking for, and walk the existing condition with you. You’ll get a written quote with a clear scope — no pushy sales.
Schedule confirmed. Materials lined up.
We confirm the start window with you, line up materials and equipment, and walk you through what to move (cars, hose reels, anything along the work line) before the crew arrives.
Stage, repair, seal, clean up.
Set staging or rope up safely, complete the chimney repair (pointing, crown, or brick replacement), seal where appropriate, clean up the roof. Pointing-only chimney repair is a single day; partial rebuilds run 2–3 days.
FAQ
Chimney repair questions, answered.
How do I know if my chimney needs repair?
Common signs: water staining on the ceiling near the chimney, visible cracks in the cement crown on top, missing or crumbling mortar between the chimney bricks, white efflorescence on the brick face, individual bricks losing their faces (spalling), or the flashing where the chimney meets the roof has lifted or rusted.
Any of these mean the chimney is letting water in. The longer you wait, the more chimney repair is needed.
What’s the difference between chimney pointing and chimney repair?
Chimney pointing is the specific work of cutting out and re-pointing failed mortar joints between the chimney bricks. Chimney repair is the broader category — pointing, plus crown work, brick replacement, flashing, and partial rebuilds.
Most chimney repair calls turn out to need a combination — pointing on some courses, crown rebuild on top, sometimes a few bricks replaced.
What does the crown do and why does it fail?
The crown is the cement cap on top of the chimney. Its job is to shed rain off the top so water doesn’t track down inside the chimney structure. It fails because most original crowns were built with the wrong material (mortar instead of proper crown mix) and weren’t sloped properly. Cracks form, water gets in, the freeze-thaw cycle widens them, and eventually pieces break off.
A properly built crown with sloped sides and a drip edge lasts 25–40 years.
Do I need a chimney cap?
Yes — a stainless steel chimney cap with mesh keeps rain, leaves, and animals (especially squirrels and birds) out of the flue. Cheap install, and it adds a layer of protection above whatever crown work has been done. We install them as part of any major chimney repair job.
How long does chimney repair take?
Pointing-only chimney repair: a single day. Crown rebuild: a single day plus cure time. Partial chimney rebuild (top several courses + crown + flashing): 2–3 days. Full chimney rebuild from the roof line: 4–7 days.
How much does chimney repair cost in Philadelphia?
Highly variable — depends on chimney height, access (ground-level vs. needing a lift or staging), scope (pointing vs. crown vs. partial rebuild), and material (brick vs. stone). Cheap online "chimney repair near me" pricing is usually for a different job than what your chimney actually needs.
Free on-site estimate, written quote with a single number once we’ve diagnosed the actual scope.
Other services
Other masonry work we’re good at.
Closely related
Stone Pointing
Mortar joint repair on row-home façades. Same skill set as chimney pointing, ground-level access.
View Service
More stonework
Stone Wall Repairs
Free-standing walls, garden walls, stone façades — partial rebuilds and re-set work.
View Service
For slabs
Concrete Patching & Repairs
Crack chasing, surface spalling, joint resealing on driveways, sidewalks, porches.
View Service
Out front
Concrete Porches
Front porch slab repair and replacement — the visible front of the house masonry work.
View ServiceChimneys by location
Philadelphia & the surrounding counties.
Center City · Mayfair · Holmesburg · West Philly · South Philly · Bucks · Montgomery · Delaware
From our neighbors
Real Philadelphia chimneys. Real customers.
★★★★★
Verified
“I contracted with Marcello Family Concrete to replace my driveway, sidewalk, and steps from the driveway to the front door. The Marcello crew was AMAZING. They showed up on time, worked efficiently, and cleaned up as they went along. They’re true craftsmen who take tremendous pride in their work.”
★★★★★
Verified
“I had Marcello family Concrete come and do three of my pads out front. I could not be happier with the quality of work and the expertise of his workers. They were on time, did a great job, cleaned up everything when they were done. I would recommend this company to anybody.”
Get a free estimate
Need a chimney repair?
Free walk-through. Written quote with a clear scope. No call center, no sales script — Marcello will pick up the phone himself.
Marcello Family Cement Work
Est. 1997
BBB A+ Accredited
Licensed & Insured