Chimney and fireplace work in Edina
Edina has 1920s brick in Morningside and the Country Club District and 1960s and 70s homes farther west. Our inspection is free and covers every flue, with photos and a written price.
Edina began in the 1860s as a farming and milling community along Minnehaha Creek and incorporated in 1888, when residents voted to split from Richfield Township. Morningside, its first suburban development in the early 1900s, broke away as its own village in 1920 and rejoined Edina in 1966. The 2024 American Community Survey shows the mix that history left: 7.8 percent of Edina's 24,071 housing units date before 1940, 22.8 percent from 1940 to 1959, and the median home was built in 1971.
That spread means two kinds of work. The older east-side houses have masonry chimneys with clay flues that may still vent a boiler or water heater. The postwar and later homes are more likely to have a large brick fireplace stack with a separate appliance flue, or a gas fireplace. Natural gas heats 78.6 percent of Edina homes.
Older east-side brick
On a 1920s or 1930s house, the chimney has seen close to a century of Minnesota winters. At the MSP airport, a few miles east, NOAA's 1991–2020 normals show about 147 freezing nights a year and roughly 75 days that cross the freezing line. Mortar at the top of the stack goes first. Tuckpointing typically runs $500 to $2,500, and a new crown with a drip edge $1,000 to $3,000.
If the furnace has been replaced with a side-vented unit, look at the water heater. Minnesota's fuel gas rules call for a metal liner in masonry chimneys venting gas, and IFGC 501.15 says a chimney must be resized when an appliance leaves it. A stainless liner typically runs $900 to $3,800.
Wide chimneys and the cricket
Many of Edina's larger ramblers and two-story homes have broad brick chimneys that sit across the slope of the roof. The current Minnesota Residential Code calls for a cricket, a small peaked diverter, behind any chimney wider than 30 inches parallel to the ridge. Without one, snow and meltwater pile up against the back of the chimney, and the leak shows up inside every spring. Flashing repair typically runs $300 to $1,800.
- Stain on the ceiling below the chimney after a thaw
- Ice built up behind the chimney
- Old flashing sealed with roofing tar
Where we work in Edina
Morningside · Country Club District · Highlands · Indian Hills · Interlachen · Rolling Green · White Oaks · Parkwood Knolls · Braemar Hills · Chapel Hill · Sunnyslope · Birchcrest
FAQ
Edina chimney questions
Is a gas insert a good fit for an old Edina fireplace?
Often. An insert puts a sealed firebox inside the masonry opening and runs a liner up the chimney. A gas insert typically costs $2,000 to $5,000 installed, and a gas log set $300 to $2,000. We check the chimney first at the free inspection.
How often should my chimney be inspected?
NFPA 211 says at least once a year, including chimneys and vents serving gas appliances. Cleaning or repair follows only when the inspection shows it's needed.
Will a new chimney cap keep animals and rain out?
Yes, a screened cap does both. A cap typically costs $200 to $850 installed, and a stainless single-flue cap $475 to $600.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Leave the house, then call 911 and your gas utility from outside. After the utility clears it, we can look at the fireplace or appliance.
Book online
Book in Edina. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour arrival window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5, Sunday through Friday. We phone to confirm before we come.