Sweeping
Rotary and brush clean of flue, smoke chamber and firebox, drop cloths down, HEPA vacs running.
from $289
Chimney & masonry . Boston, MA
Old brick, laid right again.
CSIA-certified sweeps and masons for Boston chimneys built between 1790 and 1970.
- flues swept and inspected
- 3,184
- from 412 Google reviews
- 4.9
- years on Boston rooftops
- 17
- masonry workmanship warranty
- 5 yr
- Boston
- Cambridge
- Brookline
- Newton
- Somerville
- Quincy
- Needham
- Back Bay
- Beacon Hill
- South End
- Jamaica Plain
The work
Seven trades, one crew on the roof
Laid out the way we build: course on course. Prices are for a single flue on a standard two-storey roof.
Camera inspection
Full-flue video scan to NFPA 211 Level 2, footage and written report the same day.
$385
Relining
Insulated 316Ti stainless liners sized to the appliance, for cracked clay tiles or oil-to-gas swaps.
from $2,740
Crown rebuilds
Cast-in-place crowns with a 2 inch overhang and drip edge, replacing the cracked mortar wash.
from $1,180
Caps and dampers
Copper and stainless caps, top-sealing dampers that cut winter draft on an idle fireplace.
from $415
Repointing
Joints raked 3/4 inch and refilled in lime mortar matched to the original colour and hardness.
per course
Flashing
Step and counter flashing let into the joints, in lead-coated copper that ages with the roof.
from $860
Anatomy of a chimney
Six parts, and what goes wrong with each
Tap a marker. These are the six places we check on every inspection, top to bottom.
Crown. The concrete slab that seals the top of the stack. Hairline cracks let water into the brick, and one winter of freeze and thaw widens them.
Restorations
A Beacon Hill stack, before and after
Top 11 courses taken down to sound brick, rebuilt with 212 salvaged water-struck bricks and a lime mortar matched to the 1840s joint. New crown, copper cap, counter flashing.
- Courses rebuilt
- 11
- Bricks salvaged
- 212
- Mortar
- NHL 3.5 lime
- On site
- 4 days
‹›
BeforeAfterThe houses we restore
Three eras of Boston chimney
-
Colonial
1720 to 1830
Beacon Hill, Charlestown
Massive central stacks, soft hand-made brick, no liner at all. We reline from the top without opening the plaster.
-
Victorian
1840 to 1905
Back Bay, South End, Brookline
Corbelled caps, decorative brick and shallow coal-burning fireboxes. Most need crowns rebuilt and flues sized down for wood.
-
Mid-century
1945 to 1972
Newton, Needham, Quincy
Wide exterior stacks on ranch and cape houses, often venting an oil boiler beside the fireplace. Relining for gas is the usual job.
A note from the bench
“A chimney is the only part of a house that stands out in the weather on every side. Most of what we do is give it back the joints it was built with.”
-
CSIA
Certified chimney sweeps
Cert. #11482
-
MA HIC
Registered contractor
#198473
-
NFPA 211
Inspection standard
2024 edition
-
$2M
Liability insured
plus workers comp
Reviews
From the houses we have been up on
4.9 from 412 Google reviews
“They sent the camera video before they left the driveway. Two cracked tiles about eight feet down, which the last company never mentioned.”
“Declan matched the brick on our 1868 stack so well that our neighbour asked if we had done anything at all. That was the point.”
“Booked a Level 2 for our purchase on a Tuesday, had the report Thursday. It knocked $6,400 off the price.”
FAQ
Questions homeowners ask us
Straight answers, the same ones we give on the phone.
How often should a chimney be swept in Massachusetts?
NFPA 211 calls for an annual inspection of every chimney in use, with sweeping when creosote reaches 1/8 inch. For a wood-burning fireplace used most winter weekends, that usually means one sweep a year, best booked between May and August.
What is the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 2 inspection?
A Level 1 inspection covers the readily accessible parts of the chimney and is right for a system you already use without problems. A Level 2 adds a video camera scan of the full flue and is required by NFPA 211 when you buy or sell a home, change fuel type, or after a chimney fire.
Do you work on historic and landmark district homes?
Yes. Most of our work is on pre-1940 brick in Back Bay, the South End, Beacon Hill, Brookline and Cambridge. We match brick by size and colour and mix lime-based mortar to the original, which soft historic brick needs to survive freeze and thaw.
How much does a chimney sweep cost in Boston?
A standard sweep with a Level 1 inspection is $289 for one flue. A Level 2 camera inspection with written report is $385. Masonry and relining are quoted in writing after the inspection, with photos of every item we list.
Which towns does Coursework Chimney serve?
Coursework Chimney & Masonry serves Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Somerville, Quincy and Needham. Jobs just outside these towns are booked case by case.
Are you licensed and insured?
Coursework holds a Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor registration (HIC #198473) and carries $2 million in general liability plus workers compensation. Every sweep on the crew is CSIA-certified.