Ottawa Precision Chimney Sweep is who you call when the fireplace smells like a campfire in July, when the cap has rusted through, or when a handful of mortar lands on the lawn. We sweep chimneys, look inside them with a camera, put on caps and chase covers, reline flues, repoint brick and rebuild the stack when it can't be saved. Most of our days go to ordinary houses with an ordinary problem, and we like it that way.
Honestly, the part customers remember is how little drama there is. We look first, then write the price, and the number on the quote is the number on the invoice. Drop sheets go down at the fireplace, the soot stays in the flue, and if a chimney needs nothing more than a good sweep we tell you so. Pierre has worked on chimneys since 2006, and he still climbs up for most estimates himself.
Free estimates around Ottawa
Written price before any work
Fully insured, scaffolding on tall stacks
Built to the Ontario Building Code
Drop sheets and a tidy finish
About us
We Climb Up Before We Quote
Pierre Gauthier grew up in Orleans and carried mortar for a bricklayer at 16. He has worked on chimneys since 2006 and started his own crew in 2015. Pierre still walks most estimates himself, because the roof is where the price gets decided. A chimney looks fine from the street about half the time.
Since 2015 the crew has swept about 1,100 chimneys, put on roughly 240 caps, covers and crowns, relined around 140 flues and rebuilt close to 35 stacks. In our experience, most of that work is small jobs found early. Nobody calls us for the chimney that is fine, and nobody should wait for the one that isn't.
These are the calls we get all year, and what each one involves. Prices are typical for Ottawa in 2026, before HST.
1
Chimney Rebuild and Removal
A chimney that leans, sheds brick or has a cracked stack above the roof usually needs a partial or full rebuild, and a chimney nobody uses can come down instead. We put up scaffolding, take it down course by course and match the old brick. A partial rebuild runs $2,500 to $6,000. Read more on chimney rebuilds.
2
Chimney Liner Installation
A liner is a pipe inside the old flue that keeps heat and fumes in the right place. Wood stoves and inserts get a stainless steel one, and furnaces and water heaters get a thin aluminum one that lasts about 15 years. Most stainless relines cost $1,800 to $4,500. See chimney liner installation.
3
Chimney Repair
Most chimney repairs start the same way: someone notices a stain, a loose brick or a smell, and calls. We find the cause first, which is usually water, then fix that part and leave the rest alone. Small repairs often cost less than $800. A repair that can wait until spring is one we will tell you can wait. Small ones are cheap.
4
Chimney Repointing and Tuckpointing
Repointing means replacing the crumbly mortar between the bricks before water gets in behind it. We chisel the old mortar out to about twice the joint width, then fill it with new mortar mixed softer than the brick. Expect $700 to $3,500. Details on chimney repointing.
5
Chimney Crown Repair
The crown is the concrete lid on top of the brick, and it sheds the rain. When it cracks, water runs down into the stack and the bricks start to flake. We patch small cracks and pour a new crown with a drip edge when it's too far gone. Crowns run $350 to $1,600. See chimney crown repair.
6
Chimney Cap Installation
A cap is the little roof over the flue. Without one, rain, snow, squirrels and sparks all have a straight path down your chimney. A standard cap with a mesh screen costs $150 to $450 installed. We use stainless steel for most homes. Read about chimney caps.
7
Chase Covers and Rain Caps
Many newer Ottawa houses have a metal fireplace inside a siding-covered box on the roof, called a chase. Its flat metal lid is the chase cover, and when it rusts the rain gets in behind the siding. A custom bent cover costs $450 to $1,400. Our cap and cover page shows the options.
8
Chimney Leak and Flashing Repair
If the ceiling stain sits beside the chimney, the flashing is the first thing we check. Flashing is the metal strip where the chimney meets the roof, and the freeze-thaw cycle works it loose over the years. Repairs run $350 to $1,500. We cover the details on chimney leak repair. Look up.
9
Chimney Sweep and Cleaning
A sweep brushes the soot and creosote off the flue walls so the next fire burns safely. Creosote is the black tar that wood smoke leaves behind, and it burns hot if it catches. A standard sweep in Ottawa runs $175 to $325 and takes under an hour. Plan on one every year if you burn wood.
10
Chimney Inspection
Before a winter of fires, we look at the cap, the crown, the brick, the flashing and the inside of the flue. A visual check runs $120 to $275, and a camera scan of the whole flue is $250 to $450. Buyers and insurers often ask for the scan. See chimney inspection.
11
Fireplace and Wood Stove Cleaning
We brush and vacuum the stovepipe and the firebox along with the flue. A stovepipe loads up faster than a masonry chimney, so a wood stove burning every day may need two sweeps a winter. Every fireplace sweep includes a look at the damper and the firebox bricks.
12
Creosote Removal
Heavy creosote glazes the flue like hard black tar, and a regular brush won't touch it. We use chemical treatments and rotary tools to take it down, and if the glaze is too thick we'll tell you before we start. Expect a heavy-buildup job to cost $300 to $600 on top of a sweep. It happens.
Good to know
Timing Tips for Ottawa Chimneys
No coupons here, just the calendar advice we give every customer.
FallBook your sweep before the first cold snap, while the schedule still has room.*Fall fills up fast. A wait of two or more weeks is normal by November.
Condo, Landlord and Property Manager Chimney Services
We keep this short because most of our work is houses, but a few buildings call us every fall. One visit, one invoice, and a report you can forward.
Condo Corporations and Townhouse Complexes
A row of townhouses with wood fireplaces gets swept in one trip, with caps and flashing checked on every unit. We report what we find unit by unit so the board can plan the spring budget.
Landlords and Rental Homes
A rental with a fireplace nobody mentions is a liability waiting for a cold night. We sweep and inspect, then send photos and a written note you can file with your insurer.
Property Managers
Managing a dozen addresses means you want one crew and one calendar. We schedule by building, send reports by email and keep a record of what was done at each chimney.
How an Ottawa Precision Chimney Job Goes
Most customers get on the calendar within a week or two of their call. Fall is the exception, so call early. We keep about 15 slots a week open in spring and summer.
1
Call or send the form
Tell us what the chimney is doing, how tall the house is and what you burn.
2
We look at it
One of us climbs up, checks the cap, crown, brick and flashing, and scans the flue if it needs it.
3
Written price
You get the work and the price in writing, split into what has to be done now and what can wait.
4
Work day
Drop sheets at the fireplace, scaffolding if the stack is tall, and the old material hauled away.
5
Walk-through
We show you the finished work, photos included, before we pack up.
Specialty work
Insert, Liner, Removal and Specialty Chimney Services
The jobs that need more than a brush and a ladder.
1
Wood Burning Insert Installation
An insert is a steel box that slides into a masonry fireplace and turns it into a wood stove. It keeps most of the heat in your room instead of sending it up the chimney, and it needs a stainless liner to match. We handle the liner and the cap; ask us about liners.
2
Gas Liner Removal and Installation
When a new furnace vents out the side of the house, the old flue liner is left empty. It should come out and the hole should be sealed, or you get a draft and, sooner or later, a family of starlings. We also replace old liners that gas appliances rely on.
3
Chimney Removal
If nobody uses the chimney, it can come down. We take it apart brick by brick from the top, patch the roof and close the openings inside. Removal runs $1,800 to $4,500, and it can end a leak for good. Read about chimney rebuilds and removal.
4
Chimney Parging
Parging is a thin coat of cement over a brick or block chimney above the roof, often seen on older homes. It evens out a rough surface and keeps weather out of the brick. Done badly it traps water, so we check the brick underneath first.
5
Brick Matching on Old Chimneys
A chimney built in the 1950s used a brick nobody makes anymore. We source close matches through local brick suppliers and lay a test patch beside the old work so you can see the colour before we commit.
6
WETT Inspection Arrangements
Insurers and home buyers sometimes ask for a WETT report on a wood stove or insert. We arrange it through a partner inspector, and we sweep and repair what the report finds. See how it works on our inspection page.
Costs
How Much Does Chimney Service Cost in Ottawa?
A chimney sweep in Ottawa costs $175 to $325 in 2026, a camera inspection $250 to $450 and a stainless steel liner $1,800 to $4,500. Local price guides put the average chimney visit at $150 to $250. The size of the chimney, the roof pitch and how far the crew has to climb set the final number. Last winter we priced about 70 chimney jobs from phone photos, and the spread nearly always came down to roof height.
These are the first things we check, before anybody talks price. Most of them show up from the ground.
1
White Powder on the Bricks
That chalky stain is efflorescence, salt carried to the surface by water moving through the brick. A little on a new chimney is normal. A lot on an old one means water is getting in, and it's worth a look before winter.
2
Mortar Falling Out
If you can scrape the joints with a key and sand comes out, the mortar has stopped doing its job. Water gets in behind the brick, freezes and pushes the face off. Repointing now is far cheaper than a rebuild later.
3
A Stain on the Ceiling Near the Chimney
Brown rings on the ceiling or wall beside the chimney point at the flashing, the crown or a missing cap. Rain does not always show up right away, so look after a thaw, not a storm.
4
Rust Inside the Firebox
Rust inside the fireplace says water is coming down the flue. A cap fixes most of those cases for a few hundred dollars. Without one, the rust spreads to the damper and the smoke chamber.
5
A Leaning Stack or a Gap at the Wall
If a gap opens between the chimney and the house, or the stack leans, call before the next thaw. That one needs eyes on it quickly, and sometimes a rebuild.
6
A Smell When the Fireplace Is Cold
A campfire smell in humid weather means creosote in the flue. It is harmless on a cold dry day and strong on a warm wet one. It also means the flue should be swept before the first fire.
Three jobs from the last two seasons, with what we found and what each one cost. We did about 60 jobs that size last year, and these three are typical.
Stainless cap with screen, crown sealed, flashing resealed
Cost
$780
Time
Half a day
The old cap had blown off in a windstorm and rain had been running down the flue all winter. We fitted a new stainless cap, sealed the hairline cracks in the crown and tightened the flashing. In our experience, most of them show up from the ground.
$1,350
Flashing on a Metal Roof in Manotick
Home
1990s bungalow with a standing seam roof
Area
Manotick
Job
New step and counter flashing, lower courses repointed, cap checked
Cost
$1,350
Time
1 day
A ceiling stain showed up every March. The old flashing was a bead of sealant over a gap, so we cut in proper counter flashing and repointed the joints at the base.
$4,200
A Partial Rebuild in Cumberland
Home
1950s farmhouse
Area
Cumberland
Job
Top 12 courses rebuilt with matched brick, new crown and stainless cap
Cost
$4,200
Time
3 days
The top of the stack had lost its mortar and leaned a few degrees. We took the courses down from scaffolding, matched the brick through a supplier and rebuilt it with a sloped crown.
Our reviews
Hear From Our Customers
NNathalie R.OrleansChimney sweep and inspection
We have an old brick fireplace we finally wanted to use. Pierre's crew swept it, put a camera down the flue and showed us the screen. One cracked tile, no surprises, and the price was what they wrote.
GGreg T.KanataChase cover
The cap on our Kanata townhouse was rusted through and the rain was running down the siding. New chase cover on in an afternoon and they cleaned the roof up behind them.
SSandra M.NepeanChimney repointing
Our 1962 bungalow chimney had mortar falling out like sand. They repointed all of it in two days, matched the colour, and the scaffolding was gone by Friday.
MMarc-Andre L.CumberlandLiner installation
They relined the flue for our new insert and sent photos of the whole job. Burned the first fire of the winter in November and no smoke smell anywhere.
CCarol W.BarrhavenFlashing and leak repair
There was a wet stain on the bedroom ceiling next to the chimney. Turned out the flashing had pulled away. They fixed it in one visit, and the stain hasn't come back through two thaws.
DDave H.CarpChimney rebuild
We bought an old stone farmhouse near Carp and the chimney scared me. They gave me a straight answer, a price in writing and a rebuild plan that fit my budget.
“A cap costs about what you'd pay for a night out. It's the cheapest insurance on your house, and half the leaks I fix wouldn't exist without one missing.”
Pierre Gauthier
Owner, Ottawa Precision Chimney Sweep
Pierre grew up in Orleans in a house where both languages got used at supper. He started in masonry at 16, has worked on chimneys since 2006 and still walks most estimates himself, with a long ladder and a flat cap.
Questions we hear
Chimney Sweep FAQs From Ottawa Homeowners
How much does a chimney sweep cost in Ottawa?
A chimney sweep in Ottawa costs $175 to $325 for a fireplace or wood stove in 2026, and a chimney that hasn't been cleaned in years can run higher. Local price guides put the average at $150 to $250, and one Ottawa company lists $275 plus tax. We write the price down after we look, and HST goes on the invoice.
How often should I have my chimney swept?
At least once a year if you burn wood, and after about two face cords of firewood, whichever comes first. A face cord is a stack of split wood 4 feet by 8 feet. A wood stove burning daily may need a sweep twice in one winter. If you only light a few fires, once a year is still the rule.
When is the best time to book a chimney sweep in Ottawa?
Spring or summer, when the calendar is open and the roof is dry. Fall is the busy season, and by November the wait can reach two weeks or more. The sweep takes under an hour either way, so the only thing you save by waiting is a place in line.
What is a WETT inspection and do I need one?
A WETT inspection is a written check of a wood stove, insert or fireplace by someone trained through Wood Energy Technology Transfer. Insurers ask for it when you buy a house with a stove or want coverage for a new one. We arrange the report through a partner inspector and handle any repairs it finds.
Do you do chimney repair or just cleaning?
Both. We sweep chimneys, and we also repoint brick, rebuild crowns, install caps and chase covers, reline flues, fix flashing and rebuild stacks. If the sweep turns up a problem, we show you the photos and give you a written price for the repair. You decide whether to go ahead.
Is a chimney cap really necessary?
Yes. A cap keeps rain, snow, birds and squirrels out of the flue, and it stops embers from landing on the roof if it has a mesh screen. Without one, rain can run down the flue and rust the damper. A standard cap costs $150 to $450 installed.
Do I need a permit for chimney work in Ottawa?
Sweeping, caps, repointing and most repairs need no permit. A full rebuild or a new wood stove installation may need a building permit from the City of Ottawa, and we tell you up front when it does. Ask us if you aren't sure, and call the city's building office to check on your own address.
Can you work on my chimney in winter?
We sweep and inspect year round. Masonry is a different story: mortar needs temperatures above about 5 degrees C to cure, so repointing and rebuilds wait for spring unless there is a mild stretch. Caps, flashing and liners can go on in winter if the roof is safe to climb.
Free estimate
Tell Us About Your Chimney
Leave your name, number and a line about the chimney. We call back to set up a look, and the written price follows.
$780
$1,350
$4,200