Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Styles & brands we work with
- Sweep & inspection
- Caps & crowns
- Flue relining
- Masonry repair
- Gas fireplace service
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterHow Much Does Chimney Liner & Rebuild Cost in St. Louis?
A chimney liner installation in St. Louis typically costs $1,800-$4,200, and a partial chimney rebuild usually runs $3,000-$9,000. A full top-to-bottom rebuild on a masonry chimney can reach $10,000-$18,000 when the flue, crown, and upper courses all need replacing at once. The written estimate you get after an inspection sets the final price.
Those ranges cover the two jobs most often quoted together: relining the flue and rebuilding the masonry that surrounds it. Both matter, and in older St. Louis housing stock they tend to show up on the same report. Clay tile liners crack. Bricks spall. Mortar joints let water in. Our technicians have up to 12 years of experience reading exactly these failure patterns, and the Hawk-eyed inspection we run goes from cap to firebox before anyone quotes you a number.
Chimney Liner & Rebuild Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s how the work breaks down on a typical estimate. Your actual price depends on flue size, chimney height, roof pitch, and how much of the existing masonry can stay.
| Line Item | Typical St. Louis Range |
|---|---|
| Standard stainless steel liner (single flue, average home) | $1,800-$3,200 |
| Insulated flexible liner, installed (DuraFlex system) | $2,400-$4,200 |
| HeatShield flue resurfacing (cracked or spalling liner) | $1,400-$3,000 |
| Partial chimney rebuild (top courses and crown) | $3,000-$6,500 |
| Full chimney rebuild (above roofline, full stack) | $9,000-$18,000 |
| Crown rebuild or repair | $600-$1,800 |
| New chimney cap with screen | $250-$650 |
| Flue tile replacement | $500-$1,200 per section |
| Chimney sweep and inspection (often bundled with the above) | $150-$400 |
What pushes the number up: a tall chimney (St. Louis has plenty of two-and-a-half story brick homes where the chimney runs 30 feet or more), a flue that’s off-center or partially collapsed, and masonry that’s soft enough to need reconstruction instead of repair. What brings it down: catching liner cracks early, when HeatShield resurfacing can seal the flue without a full reline, and keeping the crown sound so water doesn’t work its way down the brick and freeze.
We work with professional-grade materials from six brands – DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield – because a liner is a 20-to-30-year component and the difference between a proper grade and a big-box substitute shows up in the failure column years later.
What Affects Chimney Liner & Rebuild Pricing in St. Louis
The single biggest driver is whether the flue can be saved or has to be replaced. Everything else stacks on top of that.
- Flue condition. A hairline crack can often be sealed with HeatShield resurfacing for a fraction of a reline. A flue with missing tile joints, gaps between sections, or a collapsed run needs a new flexible liner, and that jumps the price from the low thousands into the mid thousands. If a gas appliance is venting through it, a compromised liner is a carbon monoxide risk, not a scheduling item.
- Chimney height and roof access. St. Louis has a lot of century-old brick housing in neighborhoods like Soulard, Tower Grove, and Shaw, and those chimneys sit high above steep roofs. Scaffolding and careful access add labor, and taller flues need longer liner runs, which cost more by the foot.
- Masonry condition. Spalling brick and crumbling mortar are common in this climate. Freeze-thaw cycles here do damage that sunbelt cities never see: water soaks into the brick, freezes, and pops the face off. If several courses are shot, a partial rebuild makes more sense than patching one brick at a time.
- What you’re venting. A wood-burning fireplace, a gas insert, and a wood stove each need a correctly sized liner. An oversized flue on a stove that replaced a fireplace can lead to poor draft and creosote buildup, so getting the sizing right is part of the quote, not an upsell.
- Crown and cap. The crown is the concrete top of the chimney, and it’s the first line of defense against the water that drives most rebuilds in St. Louis in the first place. A cracked crown that’s left alone will cost you far more in masonry later than fixing it now.
- Whether the sweep and inspection are bundled. If we’re already onsite for a cleaning and inspection, the inspection findings drive the repair quote directly. That single-company accountability – sweep, inspection, and repair from one outfit – is the reason we run the full assessment before the brush goes in.
How to Save on Chimney Liner & Rebuild
The cheapest chimney repair is the one you do before it becomes a rebuild. A few practical ways to keep the number where it belongs:
- Get the inspection first. An inspection is a small line item that tells you exactly what you’re dealing with. Skipping it means quoting a rebuild you might not need, or worse, missing a liner crack that’s already a hazard. The Hawk inspection standard exists for this reason: top to bottom, cap to firebox, findings in writing.
- Repair the liner before it fails completely. HeatShield resurfacing can extend the life of a deteriorating clay liner that a sweep-only company would simply tell you to replace. Ask specifically whether resurfacing is an option for your flue. Many companies aren’t equipped to offer it.
- Fix the crown and cap early. Water is the great destroyer of St. Louis masonry. A properly sealed crown and a screened cap cost far less than the masonry they protect. This is the cheapest insurance in the trade.
- Bundle the sweep with the inspection. If you’re due for a cleaning anyway, the inspection rides along and the findings feed straight into any repair quote. No handoff, no separate contractor, no gap in who’s accountable.
- Get a written estimate and compare like for like. Two quotes that look similar can differ hugely in liner grade and warranty. Ask what brand and grade of liner is being installed. We install DuraFlex flexible liner systems, and we’re happy to explain why a professional-grade liner beats a generic substitute over the long run.
Estimates from Hawk Chimney Sweep are free. Call (866) 596-7310 and we’ll get you a real number instead of a range over the phone.
FAQs – Chimney Liner & Rebuild Cost
How much does a chimney liner cost in St. Louis?
A chimney liner in St. Louis typically costs $1,800-$4,200, with an insulated flexible liner on the higher end of that range. The final price depends on flue size, chimney height, and whether the existing flue needs any prep before the new liner goes in. Call (866) 596-7310 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a chimney liner?
Repair is almost always cheaper when it’s an option – HeatShield resurfacing typically runs $1,400-$3,000 versus $1,800-$4,200 for a full reline. The catch is that resurfacing only works on flues that still have structural integrity. A flue with a collapsed section or missing tile joints needs a new liner. The inspection tells you which side of that line you’re on.
How much does a chimney rebuild cost in St. Louis?
A chimney rebuild in St. Louis runs $3,000-$9,000 for most partial jobs and $9,000-$18,000 for a full rebuild above the roofline. The range is wide because it tracks how much sound masonry is left to work with. Freeze-thaw damage is the usual culprit, and the further it’s gone, the more courses come down.
Can you do the work the same day?
Sweeps and inspections are commonly scheduled same day, and smaller repairs like caps and crowns often follow on the same visit. Liner and rebuild work is quoted from the inspection and scheduled after that, since materials have to be ordered to size. Call (866) 596-7310. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday.
Do I need a permit for a chimney rebuild in St. Louis?
Most masonry work above the roofline and any change to the flue system is worth checking with the city before work starts. Permit rules vary by scope and neighborhood, and the building department is the authority on what your job requires. Ask that question directly, and make sure whichever company you hire answers it the same way you do.
Why Choose Hawk Chimney Sweep for Liner & Rebuild Work in St. Louis
A liner is a safety system, not a cosmetic upgrade. When a flue fails, the failure mode is either a chimney fire fed by creosote that reached a cracked liner, or carbon monoxide finding its way into the living space. That’s why we don’t treat liner and rebuild work as a separate transaction from the sweep and inspection. One company handles all three, from the first pass of the brush to the final course of brick, and one company answers for the result.
What that looks like in practice: a Hawk Chimney Sweep assessment of the full flue system, an honest answer on whether your flue needs resurfacing or replacement, and professional-grade materials from DuraFlex, HeatShield, Gelco, Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield – not whatever’s on the shelf at the hardware store. Our technicians have up to 12 years of experience, and we install DuraFlex flexible liner systems designed to bring an out-of-spec flue back into compliance.
If you’re in St. Louis and your chimney has been making you nervous, the estimate is free and the inspection tells you the truth. If you want the broader picture of how we handle the full system, see Hawk Chimney Sweep for the sweep, inspection, and repair services we run as one accountable job.
Call (866) 596-7310. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday. We’re closed on Saturday, and a call outside dispatch hours is booked into the next opening. Free estimates, and the written estimate sets the final price.
Related Reading
- St. Louis – chimney sweep, inspection, and repair for the full St. Louis service area.
Written by the team at Hawk Chimney Sweep.
Pricing reflects the St. Louis market as of 2026. Hawk Chimney Sweep offers free estimates – call (866) 596-7310.
What Our Customers Say
"Swept it, capped it, and installed a proper damper. The downdraft smell in the summer that we'd lived with for years is gone."
- Nathan Schaefer"Work is good and the price was fair. The scheduling was a little loose, the window they gave me was pretty wide and he showed up at the back end of it. Once he was here he was quick and knew what he was doing."
- Jodi Quinn"Good work. The written inspection report took about a week to arrive after I asked for it, which was slower than I expected."
- Danielle Hayes