If your chimney is a framed and sided box rather than solid brick, the structure holding it up is wood. When siding splits, caulking fails, or water reaches the framing, the damage is structural and it spreads quietly. We repair the chase itself, not just what sits on top of it.
Plenty of DFW homes have a chimney that looks like brick or siding from the street but is really a wooden frame with siding wrapped around a metal flue. That framed box is the chase. It carries no masonry weight, but it does carry the weather, and it is built from materials that rot.
Why they fail here: North Texas hail splits siding, wind drives rain behind trim, and our humidity keeps wet wood wet. Caulking at the seams is usually the first thing to go, and once water gets past it, the framing behind the siding starts absorbing it. From the ground everything still looks fine, which is why chase damage is usually well advanced by the time anyone calls.
This is different work from replacing the metal cover on top. If the cover is what failed, see chimney chase cover replacement. If the structure itself is damaged, that is this page.
Not sure which you have? Call (214) 225-8874 and describe what you are seeing.
Chase repair is carpentry and weatherproofing as much as chimney work. Here is what we handle:
Every chase repair includes the following at the quoted price:
Wood damage compounds faster than masonry damage. Get it looked at, call (214) 225-8874.
The order matters here. Finding the water path before replacing siding is the difference between a repair that lasts and one that fails the same way in two years. Here is how our DFW crews work:
We check siding, trim, caulking, and the cover, and probe for soft wood rather than judging by appearance.
We trace where water is actually entering, because repairing siding without closing the entry point just hides it.
You get photos of the damage, including the parts you cannot see from the ground.
We separate what is structural from what is cosmetic so you can decide what to do now and what can wait.
Damaged siding and any compromised framing come out. We do not side over rotten wood.
Every seam re-caulked, new siding fitted, and paint matched to the house.
We confirm the chase is weather-tight, check the cover and cap above it, and clean the site completely.
Get the chase inspected before rot spreads to the framing, same day service across DFW, 7 days a week.
(214) 225-8874The questions homeowners ask once they realise their chimney is wood:
If the chimney is sided, stuccoed, or clad in anything other than solid brick or stone all the way down, it is almost certainly a chase. Another giveaway is a metal cover on top rather than a concrete crown. Send us a photo and we will tell you.
Usually just the damaged section. We replace what has failed and what the water reached behind it, then blend the repair into the existing siding. Full replacement is only necessary when the damage is widespread.
It depends on how far the damage has travelled. Replacing a few siding panels and re-caulking is modest. Framing repair costs more because it means opening up the structure. We inspect and photograph before quoting. Request your Free Online Quote.
That is the intention. We match siding profile where the material is still available and colour-match the paint. On older homes where the original siding is discontinued, we will tell you upfront what the match will realistically look like.
More than masonry damage, yes. Wood absorbs water, holds it, and rots, and rot spreads into framing that is holding the structure up. A crack in brick can wait a season. Soft wood generally cannot. Get it assessed here.
The fast version of this job is new siding over whatever is underneath. It looks finished and fails within a couple of seasons. We open it up, replace what the water reached, and then close it.
A chase houses a working flue. We check the cover, the cap, and the flue while we are up there, because a chase that let water in has usually been letting it in from above.
Siding profile matched where the material still exists, paint colour matched to your exterior. The point is that nobody can tell where the repair is.
If a chase repair we performed fails, we come back and correct it at no charge. In writing.
Chases stripped to bare framing and rebuilt, rotted siding replaced, seams sealed and paint matched, browse real before-and-after photos from projects across Dallas Fort Worth.
View the Before & After GalleryA chase is the weather shell around a working flue. When it fails, the problems move inward:
Chase problems rarely start at the chase. See how the system connects on our chimney repair page, or start with a chimney inspection.
From our home base in Plano, our chase repair crews cover 98 cities throughout the DFW metroplex, including:
+ 78 more DFW cities! See our full service area list, or call (214) 225-8874, chances are we serve your neighborhood.
"Very pleased with the professionalism and promptness of service. The chimney sweep was done quickly and efficiently at significantly less cost than the first quote I got from another company. Happy to recommend Lowes Chimney Sweep to anyone in Plano!"
"Outstanding chimney sweep service from start to finish. They were punctual, courteous, and left our chimney spotless with no mess in our home. I won't use anyone else for chimney services in Dallas TX!"
More reviews from homeowners across the metroplex are on our reviews section, or learn more about our team before you book.
If the chimney is sided, stuccoed, or clad in anything other than solid brick or stone, it is almost certainly a chase, a wooden frame wrapped around a metal flue. Another giveaway is a metal cover on top instead of a concrete crown.
It depends on how far the water travelled. Replacing a few siding panels and re-caulking sits at the low end. Framing repair costs more because it means opening the structure. We inspect and photograph before quoting. Request your Free Online Quote.
Usually yes. We replace what has failed plus whatever the water reached behind it, then blend the repair into the existing siding. Full replacement is only needed when damage is widespread.
Hail splits siding, wind drives rain behind trim, and humidity keeps wet wood wet. Failed caulking at the seams is usually the entry point, and once water is behind the siding the framing starts absorbing it.
Generally yes. Wood absorbs water, holds it, and rots, and rot spreads into structural framing. A hairline crack in brick can wait a season. Soft or spongy wood usually cannot.
That is the goal. We match the siding profile where the material is still available and colour-match the paint. On older homes with discontinued siding, we tell you upfront what the match will realistically look like.
The cover is the metal lid on top of the chase. Chase repair addresses the structure itself, the siding, framing, trim and caulking. They often fail together, so we check both. See chase cover replacement.
Yes. Water entering the chase tracks down inside the structure and shows up as ceiling or wall staining near the chimney. See chimney leak repair.
Yes. Every chase repair is backed by our written guarantee. If the repair fails, we return and correct it at no charge.
Usually same or next day across all 98 DFW cities. Visible rot or an active leak gets priority scheduling. Call (214) 225-8874.
Chase problems connect to what sits above and inside them:
Background reading: chimney caps versus chase covers, why chimneys leak, and warning signs your chimney needs repair. You can also browse the before-and-after gallery, see every DFW city we serve, or request your Free Online Quote.
Free online quotes · Same day service · We work Sundays · 5-star rated across DFW
(214) 225-8874📍 1008 Ridgefield Dr, Plano TX 75075 | 🕗 Open 7 days · 8AM-8PM
Factory-built fireplaces became standard in a lot of North Texas housing from the 1980s onward, and they vent through a framed chase rather than a masonry stack. It is cheaper to build and lighter on the structure, and it means your chimney is made of wood.
Almost every chase failure we open up started at a seam. Caulk shrinks, cracks, and lets water behind the siding, where nothing dries. That is why re-caulking every joint is part of the repair rather than an optional extra.
After a hailstorm homeowners look at the roof. Split siding on a chase looks minor from the driveway, but a split panel is an open door for water, and the damage behind it develops out of sight.
When framing rot is localised, repair is the right answer and far cheaper. When it has spread through the structure, rebuilding is the honest recommendation, and we will show you photographs rather than ask you to take our word for it.
A chase repair that does not match reads as damage from the street even after it is fixed. Profile matching and paint matching are part of doing the job properly, not upsells.
A chase that is rotting has usually been fed by a failed cover above it. Repairing the siding without replacing the cover means doing the same job again in a few years.
