Chimney Repair in Calabasas

The code's minimum height is the 3-2-10 rule in R1003.9: at least 3 feet above where the chimney passes through the roof, and at least 2 feet higher than any part of the building within 10 feet. On a split-level or hillside house, an upper roof section or a later addition can be what sits inside that 10-foot radius.

A chimney that falls short tends to draw poorly and to send smoke and sparks toward the higher roof. Extending a metal chimney means adding listed sections and bracing above the roof; extending masonry means building the stack up. The City of Calabasas building department decides what approvals either needs.

Where a Calabasas house has a brick chimney, repairs tend to follow the path water took: a cracked crown first, eroded joints below it, then bricks loosening near the outlet, where the stack is most exposed.

Fine crown cracks can be sealed; a crown that is breaking up is rebuilt. Eroded joints are repointed with mortar matched to the brick, and loose courses at the outlet are taken down and relaid.

Earthquake Country Alliance describes inadequately braced chimneys as a common problem and advises having a professional judge whether a chimney is safe. The California Department of Insurance lists bracing the chimney among the retrofit measures open to homeowners.

After a significant quake, leave the fireplace unlit until the chimney has been checked. Cracks at the roofline, a stack that looks out of plumb, or a gap opening between chimney and wall are reasons to stay clear of it.

Standard homeowners policies do not cover earthquake damage, and the California Earthquake Authority provides most earthquake insurance in the state. California law does require homeowners policies to cover fire that follows an earthquake.

Gradual deterioration, such as a crown that cracked over years, generally falls under the wear-and-tear exclusion.

Two repairs described in the same words can differ a great deal once these are known.