Before & After Portfolio | Prime Chimney Experts
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Title (60ch): Before & After Portfolio — Chimney Repair DFW | PCE Meta Description (150ch): Eight master-craft chimney repair projects shown in before/after framing — Westover Hills parging, Mira Vistasmoke chamber rebuild, Trophy Club crown.—
Before & After Portfolio
*By Daniel Ortega, CSIA Certified Master Sweep, F.I.R.E. Certified — Updated May 8, 2026*
What master-craft chimney repair actually looks like
Chimney repair is one of those trades where the difference between adequate and excellent does not show until five or ten years later. Adequate work passes a Level 1 inspection on the day it is done. Excellent work is still passing a Level 1 inspection three decades on, and the homeowner has not had to make a single warranty call in the meantime.
The eight projects below are a working portfolio of what we mean when we say master-craft. Each is shown in before-and-after framing, with the structural problem, the repair approach, the materials, and the outcome described in the language we use with our own field crews.
To discuss a project of your own, call 682-226-6257 or read on.
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Project 1 — Westover Hills 1948 parging
The before. A 1948 estate in Westover Hills with original masonry chimney. The smoke chamber had been built to 1940s code — corbeled brick, no parge — and seven decades of use had produced surface erosion and joint failure that was no longer code-compliant and was beginning to compromise draft. The repair. Full smoke chamber parge in refractory mortar, hand-troweled to a smooth interior profile. The parge brought the chamber to current code, improved draft measurably, and returned the chimney to a clean Level 2 condition. The after. Inspected at Level 2 thirty days post-parge: clean, code-compliant, drafting correctly. Covered by our lifetime workmanship warranty.—
Project 2 — Mira Vista post-fire smoke chamber rebuild
The before. A Mira Vista estate with a kitchen fire in 2024 that had backdrafted through the chimney, with the smoke chamber sustaining heat damage and the lower flue showing creosote ignition residue. The homeowners’ insurance covered remediation; the kitchen contractor referred us in for the chimney portion of the claim. The repair. Smoke chamber demolition and rebuild in firebrick with refractory mortar, full code compliance restored. Lower flue cleaned to bare metal, scoped, and verified clear. New stainless reline through the upper flue to address heat-stress hairlines. The after. Returned to working condition with full insurance documentation, a Level 2 close-out inspection, and our lifetime workmanship warranty on the rebuild. The kitchen contractor has referred us into three additional Mira Vista projects since.—
Project 3 — Trophy Club 2007 crown rebuild
The before. A 2007 build in Trophy Club with a stock crown that had hairline-cracked across the full surface. Water intrusion was beginning to delaminate the upper-course mortar joints. The original crown sealant had failed at multiple points. The repair. Full crown demolition and rebuild in proper crown mix, sloped 2:12 to drain, with a 2-inch overhang past the masonry face on all sides and a drip kerf. Crown sealed with a high-modulus elastomeric coating after cure. Two upper-course mortar joints repointed in matching mortar. The after. Crown is sound, water intrusion has stopped, and the upper masonry has dried out across the following season. The homeowners passed a Level 2 inspection">Level 2 inspection ten months later when the home went under listing contract.—
Project 4 — Colleyville tuckpointing on a 1985 estate
The before. A 1985 Colleyville home with a chimney that had not been mortar-maintained since original construction. Mortar joint failure across approximately 60% of the visible chimney face, with one section near the roofline at structural concern level. The repair. Comprehensive tuckpointing across the chimney face in matching mortar (color and joint width hand-matched on three test panels). Structural concern section was rebuilt — masonry units removed, substrate inspected, and rebuilt in matching brick. The after. Chimney face is structurally sound and visually consistent with the rest of the masonry. Crown was scraped and resealed during the same engagement.—
Project 5 — Southlake stainless flue reline
The before. A Southlake residence built in 1998 with a clay-lined flue that had cracked at multiple points, presumably from a small lightning event the homeowners had associated with a nearby strike two summers prior. The clay tiles were intact in place but no longer continuous; flue gases were escaping through the cracks into the chase. The repair. 304-stainless insulated flue liner installed through the existing flue. Original clay tiles left in place; the reline runs inside them. Top-cap matched to the chimney profile, bottom termination tied to the firebox correctly. The after. Code-compliant flue, no draft issues, and a manufacturer lifetime warranty on the liner stacked with our lifetime workmanship warranty on the installation.—
Project 6 — Keller waterproofing application
The before. A Keller homeowner whose chimney had repeatedly stained the interior wall around the firebox after every significant rain event. The chimney face was sound but porous; water was wicking through the masonry and tracking down into the wall cavity. The repair. Vapor-permeable waterproofing applied to the chimney exterior masonry per manufacturer spec, after a full cleaning and dry-out cycle. Crown sealed during the same engagement. Flashing inspected and confirmed sound. The after. No interior wall staining through the following two rainy seasons. Manufacturer 7-year warranty on the waterproofing product, stacked with our lifetime workmanship warranty on the application.—
Project 7 — Grapevine cap and damper replacement
The before. A Grapevine residence whose original chimney cap had been displaced in a hailstorm and never replaced. Animals had nested in the flue across two seasons. The damper was rusted closed and had been operated by force, damaging the seat. The repair. Animal removal and full flue cleaning. New stainless cap sized correctly to the flue and installed with proper anchoring. Damper extracted, seat repaired with refractory mortar, and a new top-mount damper installed for better cold-air sealing. The after. Clean flue, animal-proof cap, and a working damper that the homeowners can operate from inside the firebox. Inspection and documentation produced for the homeowners’ insurance carrier on the storm-damage portion of the work.—
Project 8 — HEB mid-cities chimney repair after a 2025 storm
The before. An HEB mid-cities home with significant storm damage to the chimney exterior — hail dents on the cap, displaced flashing on the south side, cracked crown sealant, and one missing brick at the top course. The homeowners had a documented insurance claim with the carrier. The repair. New stainless cap, flashing repair with proper integration into the roof system, full crown rebuild in proper crown mix, and one brick replaced and repointed in matching mortar. Documentation produced and submitted to the carrier with line-item itemization. The after. Insurance claim closed at full claim amount. Chimney returned to better-than-pre-storm condition. Lifetime workmanship warranty on the work.—
How to use this portfolio
If you have a chimney problem and you are not sure what kind of work it needs, the projects above are a useful reference for what the major repair categories actually look like. If you can identify a project here that resembles your situation, that is a useful conversation-starter.
The most useful first step on any chimney repair conversation is a Level 2 inspection. Inspections are $249 (or $0 on a covered warranty claim). Call 682-226-6257 to schedule.
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Adjacent pages
For service detail, see chimney repair, chimney reline, the stainless vs cast liner editorial guide, or the lifetime workmanship warranty page. For real-estate-grade inspection partnerships, see the Realtor Partnership program.
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Our Sister Companies — Specialists in Related Services
Texas Service Experts is part of a network of CSIA-certified chimney specialists. Depending on your specific need:
- Texas Service Experts — general chimney sweep/inspection
- Texas Chimney Experts — chimney repair/masonry