The Junction, King County
Removing creosote from a chimney in the Junction starts at $245. That opening figure fits a flue whose deposit has gone past loose soot into crusty, flaky buildup that ordinary brushing will not lift. Shiny, tar-like glaze, the third and worst stage, takes chemical treatment and more than one visit, so it costs more. We look at the deposit on camera, tell you which stage it is, and price the method that stage needs before anything starts.
Typical investment
From $245
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$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your The Junction home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for The Junction 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.
Fire protection in the Junction goes back more than a century. HistoryLink records that Hose Company 32, the area's first fire company, opened on March 14, 1914 at 44th Avenue SW and SW Alaska Street with a horse-drawn hose wagon. Its successor, Station 32 at 4700 38th Avenue SW, now houses Engine 32, Ladder 11, Medic 32 and Battalion 7, according to the Seattle Fire Department. A chimney fire is exactly the kind of call they would rather not get.
Unreinforced brick chimneys across the Seattle area have been hurt by three deep earthquakes, in 1949, 1965 and 2001, and USGS researchers note that West Seattle had concentrated pockets of damage each time. HistoryLink describes the earliest as a 7.1, roughly thirty seconds long, after which roughly 10,000 chimneys around the region had to be fixed.
A creosote fire inside a sound flue is serious. Inside a flue whose tiles cracked in one of those quakes, it is worse, because flames and heat can escape through the gaps into the brick and toward wood framing. Before we clean heavy creosote out of an older Junction chimney, we look at the tile joints on camera, and if the flue is cracked, we say so before anyone lights another fire.
Every creosote removal we do in The Junction includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowIn a release dated September 21, 2026, Washington's State Fire Marshal's Office counted six deaths in the past year from fires started by home heating equipment, and asked residents to have chimneys inspected and cleaned each year. It also advised putting ashes in a metal can with a lid and keeping it outside. What actually ignites in a chimney fire is creosote, and it accumulates quickest when wood is damp, fires smolder and the flue never gets properly hot.
On camera we decide whether the buildup is flaky, crusty or glazed, because each stage needs a different tool.
The opening is sealed and the HEPA vacuum switched on before any cutting tool goes in.
Rotary heads break up hardened crust; for glaze, a chemical modifier is applied first to soften it over days.
Everything that falls is scooped from the smoke shelf and the firebox by hand and bagged.
A last camera pass shows the bare liner, and the footage goes into your report.
Section R1006.2, a state amendment reproduced in Seattle's 2021 residential code, asks two things of any wood-burning fireplace or appliance: close-fitting doors made of metal or ceramic glass, and an outside air supply delivered by a duct whose diameter is 4 inches or more and whose length stays within 20 feet, or an equivalent that has passed testing. Doors and outside air both affect how hot a fire burns, and a hotter, steadier fire leaves less creosote behind.
The regional clean air agency adds a standing limit that has nothing to do with bans: a plume denser than 20 percent opacity, held for six unbroken minutes in any hour, breaks it, and the fuel list stops at manufactured logs and wood that has been properly seasoned. Thick smoke is the visible sign of the cool, smoky fires that produce creosote, so the rule and the cleaning point in the same direction.
What this work is quoted at for The Junction homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in The Junction | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Creosote Removal | From $245 | Priced by creosote stage — glazed stage 3 is the heavy end |
| 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 The Junction. 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.
The Junction is the commercial heart of West Seattle, named in 1907 when two streetcar lines met at California Avenue SW and SW Alaska Street, with brick and terra cotta storefronts from the 1910s and 1920s on California Avenue and residential blocks on every side. We work every part of it — the Alaska Junction included.
The JunctionKing County, WA · 47.561, -122.387
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.
From $245 for crusty buildup. Glazed creosote needs a modifier and repeat visits, and the camera tells us which case you have.
Not with glazed creosote in the flue. A hot fire can ignite it, so we ask you to stop burning until it is removed.
Split wood that has dried for a season, an open air control and short, hot fires all help. Having the flue looked at each fall catches the rest early.
No. The camera visit, billed at $99 plus tax, is credited against any creosote job you sign off on.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
