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Weathered mortar on a bungalow stack, a cracked crown on a post-war chimney, flashing lifting on a newer roof: Box Hill chimneys fail in ordinary ways. FreshDuct inspects with a camera first and quotes only the repair that is needed.
Damp patch on the chimney breast? Check the flashing and crown before anyone blames the flue.
The masonry chimneys on Box Hill’s California bungalows, post-war brick homes and the odd Victorian have been standing long enough for the weather to find every weak joint. What we usually see is mortar eroded back from the brick face on the exposed side of the stack, a crown that has cracked and lets water into the core, and flashing that has been patched with sealant more than once where the chimney meets the roof.
On the newer Box Hill homes the chimney is a steel flue through the roof, and the repair is almost always at the penetration: a flashing plate that has lifted or a seal that has perished, letting water track down the outside of the flue into the ceiling. It looks like a roof leak from inside the house, which is why the inspection starts on the roof with a camera and not with a quote.
Masonry repairs are done to last: joints raked out and repointed in a mortar that suits the old brick rather than a hard grey cement, spalled bricks cut out and replaced, and crowns rebuilt to shed water clear of the stack. Where a camera shows the unlined bungalow flue has cracked through, we quote a stainless steel liner firm, and we photograph the finished work from the roof so you can see it without climbing.
Masonry, crown, flashing and flue repairs across Box Hill’s older chimneys and newer steel flues, each quoted firm after a photographed inspection.
Bungalow-era mortar in Box Hill was never as hard as the brick around it, so the joints go first. We repoint with a mortar matched to the original so the repair moves with the old brick instead of cracking it.
On an older Box Hill home the flashing wraps a brick stack; on a newer one it is a plate around a steel flue. Both lift and leak with age, and both are resealed or replaced properly rather than smeared with another layer of sealant.
A bungalow flue with no liner can crack through the brick without anything showing outside. If the camera finds it, a stainless steel liner is the repair that makes the fireplace safe to use again, and it is quoted firm before any work.
Real photos from Melbourne jobs — not stock, not staged.
Water in a Box Hill firebox has usually come through the crown or the flashing, not the flue, and the two repairs are priced very differently. We photograph the stack from the roof and run a camera down the flue before writing a number.
You see the photos with the quote and again with the invoice, so a repointed stack or a resealed flashing plate is something you can check from your own driveway rather than take on trust.
Documented end to end — every job, every suburb.
Camera and photo inspection of the stack, crown, flashing and flue.
We find the real cause — water, movement or heat — and explain it.
A firm price for only what is needed, before any work.
Masonry, crown, flashing or flue work done properly and safely.
Draw and weather-tightness confirmed.
Before and after photos and honest advice on what to watch.
Verified 5-star reviews from across FreshDuct’s duct, heating, cooling and chimney services.
“Allen provided exceptional service — friendly, professional and went above and beyond.”
Verified
“Highly impressed with the professionalism and efficiency. On time, and no mess left behind.”
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“Exceeded my expectations. Knowledgeable, meticulous and respectful of our home.”
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“So glad I chose FreshDuct. Knowledgeable team and the whole process was smooth from start to finish.”
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“Quick, efficient and professional — we could immediately feel the difference.”
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“The technician arrived on time and was incredibly thorough — the difference at home is obvious.”
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The same local team covers the suburbs around Box Hill. Explore nearby areas and related FreshDuct chimney services.
Rarely. Eroded joints on an otherwise sound stack are a repointing job: the soft mortar is raked out and replaced with one matched to the original brick. A rebuild is only on the table if the bricks themselves are spalling or the stack has moved, and the photos will show you which.
Almost always the flashing plate where the steel flue passes through the roof, not the flue itself. We check the plate and its seal from the roof, reseal or replace it, and photograph the result. It is a smaller repair than most people fear, and it is quoted firm before anyone touches the roof.
White staining, crumbling mortar, loose or missing bricks, rust marks on the roof, water in the firebox after rain, or smoke seeping into rooms are the usual signs. A photographed inspection tells you what is cosmetic and what is not.
Yes — stainless steel liners for cracked or unlined flues on open fireplaces and wood heaters, quoted firm after a camera inspection. Gas flue work goes through the licensed gas specialists we arrange.
Often, with roof access and harness work. Taller or unstable stacks need scaffold, and we tell you before quoting rather than after.
Send your details and the office confirms a window for Box Hill. No call-out fee, before and after photos, and honest advice on what your chimney needs and what it does not.
