Gatewood, King County
We waterproof Gatewood chimneys for $320 to $795. Where in that span yours falls depends on two things: how many square feet of brick rise above your roofline, and how awkward it is to work safely beside them. The product is a breathable water repellent soaked into masonry that is already sound, so that rainwater rolls off while dampness already inside the brick can still leave as vapor. It is not paint, it does not change the color of the brick, and it is not a cure for a cracked crown or open joints, which we fix first or tell you about before spraying.
Typical investment
$320–$795
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Book your $99 inspection
$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Gatewood home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Gatewood homes.
Level 1 examination of everything reachable, with a Level 2 camera pass when the reachable parts leave a question open
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Full-height brushing of the flue with a head sized to its shape and material
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Assessment of the stack from roofline to crown, with a photo of each defect
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Camera survey and measurement of the existing flue before anything is ordered
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Measurement of each flue tile, or of the whole crown for a multi-flue cap
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Burner, pilot assembly and firebox cleaned; logs or media put back in the layout the manual shows
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
The long-term weather record nearest to the peninsula averages a little over 38 inches of precipitation a year, and very little of it in summer: about 6.1 inches in November, 5.8 in December and 5.8 in January, against roughly three-quarters of an inch in July. For brick, that means half the year spent wet and the other half drying out. A repellent applied in the dry months lets a chimney enter the rainy season with its pores already closed to liquid water.
Gatewood School's enrollment, HistoryLink notes, went past 800 again in the 1950s, following a wave of new families in the surrounding blocks. Census estimates for the ZIP code area around Gatewood put 20.4 percent of today's housing units in the 1940 to 1959 window, on top of the large share built before 1940.
A brick chimney from those years was designed around a fire. If it has since been fitted with an insert or a gas unit, or simply gone unused, the masonry gets far less warmth from inside than it once did and dries more slowly between rains. That is where a breathable repellent earns its keep: the brick no longer has the heat to drive water out, so it helps to keep the water from going in.
Every chimney waterproofing we do in Gatewood includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowMasonry is a sponge. Untreated brick and mortar pull rain inward, and what goes in has to come out somewhere: as white salt bloom on the outside, as a damp patch on a chimney breast indoors, as rust on a damper, or, after a cold night, as a flake of brick face popping off. A sealant that traps vapor makes that worse by holding moisture behind a skin. That is why we use only vapor-permeable repellents made for masonry, and only on brick we have checked.
The city's landslide study shows how the peninsula's slopes behave once they are full of water: nearly half of its dated slides came in January alone, almost nine in ten fell from December through March, and the storm that straddled New Year 1997 hit West Seattle's slopes harder than most. WeatherSpark's Seattle page draws the same calendar: wet from October 10 until April 30.
Ground and brick soak up water in the same months. A chimney on the sloping edge of the Gatewood hill is often wetted on its uphill side by runoff off the roof and on its exposed faces by wind-blown rain. A treatment timed for August or September, ahead of the long wet stretch, gives the repellent the best chance to cure into dry brick.
We look at the brick, joints and crown up close. Sealing over a crack just hides it, so damage is repaired or reported first.
The brick needs to be dry on the surface for the repellent to soak in, so we book the job between rain spells.
Moss, grime and loose particles come off with brushes and low pressure, never a blasting nozzle that would open the joints.
The repellent goes on in flooding coats until the brick stops taking it in, on every exposed face.
A splash of water should bead on the treated surface. We photograph it so you can see the result yourself.
What this work is quoted at for Gatewood homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Gatewood | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chimney Waterproofing | $320–$795 | Breathable sealer — reapplied every 3–5 years in this climate |
| Chimney Sweep | $189–$449 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Gatewood. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Gatewood is a hilltop neighborhood named for Carlisle Gatewood, the developer who financed its streetcar line in 1907, with older homes, about three in ten of those in its ZIP code area built before 1940 and half before 1960.
GatewoodKing County, WA · 47.545, -122.386
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
$320 to $795, depending on the area of brick above the roofline and how difficult access is.
Several years, as a rule, before a breathable repellent wants renewing. The treatment date is printed on your invoice as a reminder.
Only if the water comes through the brick. Many leaks come from flashing or a cracked crown instead, which is why we look before treating.
We check the outside before spraying as part of the job. A full camera inspection of the flue is separate, at $99 plus tax per chimney, credited toward approved work.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
