Chimney Sweep and Masonry Repair in Temple City

Temple City and the streets off Las Tunas Drive, between Arcadia to the north and El Monte to the southeast

A Temple City visit starts at the top of the chimney. We look at the crown, the cap and the mortar joints above the roofline, then work down to the flue, the smoke chamber and the firebox. Brick that has lost mortar gets photographed joint by joint, so you can see which courses need tuckpointing and which are still sound. From there we write the path in order: what to fix first, what can wait a season, and what a partial rebuild would involve if it ever comes to that. Nothing starts until you have that list in hand.

ZIP codes: 91780

El Monte, on the valley floor between the Rio Hondo and the San Gabriel River, southeast of Temple City

When an El Monte fireplace has gone unused for a few winters, the first job is a sweep and a search for nests, fallen brick and old creosote in the flue. Next we check the smoke chamber walls. Rough, stepped brick in that chamber holds soot and slows the draft, and parging it smooth may follow the sweep as its own step on the written path. If the lot has a second unit with its own fireplace or stove pipe, we look at that one too and write it up separately, with its own photos.

ZIP codes: 91731, 91732, 91734, 91735

Arcadia, north of Temple City, from the flat blocks along its southern edge up to the Highland Oaks foothills

Arcadia work can swing from an old brick chimney one day to a new gas insert the next. For the brick ones, we start with the crown and the joints above the roof, then check the smoke chamber from below with a light and a camera. If the crown is cracked or the upper courses have lost mortar, we lay out the fix in steps: a crown repair first, tuckpointing second, and a partial rebuild above the roofline only if the brick itself has failed. Each step carries its own photos, so you can decide one at a time.

ZIP codes: 91006, 91007, 91066, 91077

San Marino, west of Temple City, bordered by Pasadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra and San Gabriel

When a San Marino chimney needs brick work, matching what is already there comes first. We photograph the face brick, the mortar color and the joint profile before anything is removed, then mix and tool the new mortar to match. If a smoke chamber needs parging or a crown needs replacing, we write each piece up as its own step, with the reason for it. That way the order of work is clear before the first joint is cut, and the finished chimney still looks like the one the house was built with.

ZIP codes: 91108, 91118