Why brick faces flake off near the ocean
Brick is porous. Salty moisture soaks in, dries, and leaves salt crystals behind; when crystals form just under the surface they break the face of the brick away. The white bloom that shows on the outside is efflorescence, and a bloom that keeps coming back means water is still moving through.
Spalled bricks are cut out and replaced with brick of a similar hardness and size. The mortar is matched to the brick as well, because a joint harder than the brick sends the stress into the brick face and the flaking continues.
Rebuilt homes: chimney repair that is really carpentry
Where a Redondo Beach house has been rebuilt with a factory-built fireplace, the chimney is a framed box clad to match the house. When its metal top has let water in for a while, the damage is rotted plywood and studs inside the chase, found only when the siding or the cover comes off.
That repair is framing, sheathing and a new cover. The metal flue inside is checked while it is exposed; a factory-built chimney is a listed system, and damaged sections are replaced with parts from the same maker, not substitutes.
A close photo of the crack or the flaking brick, and one of the whole chimney, is the fastest way to start. Call or send the details, and ask for an estimate for the work.
Deciding between repair and rebuilding the top
Where the damage is limited to a few courses and the stack is plumb, cutting out and replacing brick is proportionate. When spalling runs over most of the chimney above the roof, or steel has rusted through at several points, rebuilding that section with stainless ties and a proper crown is usually the more durable repair.
Any rebuild of the structure is a question for the City of Redondo Beach building department, which decides what permit applies.
Chimney repair cost in Redondo Beach: the variables
The extent of the damage, how much masonry has to be opened to reach rusted steel, brick matching, and whether the chimney is masonry or a framed chase. Height above the roof, roof pitch and roof material decide the access.
The metal chosen for replacement parts also moves the number. Stainless steel costs more at the outset and is usually the reasonable choice this close to salt water.