Do you repair chimneys in all Cambridge neighborhoods?

Yes. We work across Cambridge — Harvard Square, Old Cambridge, Cambridgeport, Mid-Cambridge, Inman Square, Porter Square, Avon Hill, North and West Cambridge, the Fresh Pond district, Kendall Square, and East Cambridge. Our shop is on Raymond St in North Cambridge, so we are usually on a Cambridge roof the same week you call.

Why do so many Cambridge chimneys need re-pointing?

Cambridge's housing stock skews old, and most of it was built with soft, lime-based mortar that erodes faster than modern mixes. Add a century of New England freeze-thaw and the joints crumble, the crown cracks, and water starts tracking down the flue. Re-pointing with mortar matched to the era of the home restores both the seal and the strength.

Will you work within Cambridge Historical Commission requirements?

Yes. We have done masonry and flashing work on properties under Cambridge Historical Commission jurisdiction, including period-correct brick and mortar matching on Avon Hill and Old Cambridge homes. We work to local preservation standards and pull the permits the city requires.

Is a leaking chimney really a roof problem?

Most of the time, yes. On Cambridge's older homes the chimney is the single most common source of a roof leak — water gets in through failed mortar, a cracked crown, or rusted flashing, then tracks down inside the masonry and shows up on a ceiling two floors below. Fixing the chimney early is often what protects the rest of the roof.

Chimney Repair in Cambridge, MA

Chimney Repair · Cambridge, MA

From a hairline crown crack to a full rebuild from the roofline up, on the brick chimneys that sit over most of Cambridge’s older homes. Mortar matched to the era, brick matched to the home, copper flashing sweat-soldered. We are based on Raymond St in North Cambridge, so this is the work we do in our own neighborhood.

Schedule a Free Chimney Walk

The work we do

Where Cambridge roof leaks actually start.

If your roof leaks during a snow melt, the chimney is the suspect far more often than the field of the roof. The crown, the cricket behind it, and the step-flashing where the brick meets the slate fail first, and they fail invisibly. Water tracks down inside the masonry, behind the wall, and surfaces on a ceiling two stories down.

Cambridge makes this worse than most towns. The housing here is old and was built with soft lime mortar, and a hundred Cambridge winters of freeze-thaw pry the joints apart. Around Inman Square and Porter Square we see a steady stream of aging masonry that needs re-pointing or a partial rebuild. In Old Cambridge and on Brattle Street, the chimneys sit on Federal and architect-designed homes where the brick and mortar have to be matched exactly. Up on Avon Hill, the Victorian stock calls for period-correct work that meets preservation standards.

We do the full range. Re-pointing failed mortar joints with a lime-and-cement mix matched to the original. Rebuilding crowns with proper drip-edge and overhang. Replacing rusted flashing with sweat-soldered copper. Tearing a compromised chimney down to the roofline and rebuilding to brick-match. And the quieter preventive work that keeps a sound chimney sound — breathable waterproofing and a properly sized cap to keep rain, snow, and the occasional squirrel out of the flue.

Brick chimney in Cambridge with newly installed copper flashing

Our Process

How a Cambridge chimney job actually runs.

Owner-walked, period-correct materials, sweat-soldered copper. The same in-house crew on every Cambridge roof, no subcontractors.

01 / DIAGNOSE

Full Diagnostic Walk

Crown, mortar, flashing, cap, cricket. We document each component and tell you what is leaking now versus what will leak in three years.

02 / SCOPE

Honest Scope

Re-point only what needs re-pointing. Rebuild only what will not hold. On older Cambridge masonry the smaller fix is often the right one, and we say so.

03 / REPAIR

Period-Matched Repair

Brick matched to era and color. Mortar matched to the original lime-cement composition. Copper flashing where steel had rusted. Cricket added if one was missing.

04 / WARRANTY

Documented Warranty

A binder with photos of every component before and after, the material spec, the installation date, and the warranty terms in writing.

What Cambridge owners say

In their own words.

★★★★★

Art Slate Roofing installed a new roof for our 1890s Mansard in Cambridge: 5,000 sq feet, 49 roof facets, 340 ft of ridges, and 117 ft of valleys. Not an easy roof, and Arturo’s team did a phenomenal job. He communicated every step of the way, from the preliminary inspection to permits to the last day, when the crew left our garden and yard better than they found it. As long as I have a roof over my head, I will be using Art Slate.

Tamara G. · 1890s Mansard, Cambridge

This is the same crew, the same standard, whether the job is a full reroof or a single chimney re-point. See more of the chimney and masonry portfolio or read the full Cambridge reviews.

Related work

The rest of what we run in Cambridge.

Chimney work rarely stands alone on an older roof. We handle the slate, copper, and historic work around it with the same crew.

CHIMNEY

Chimney Repair (all of Greater Boston) →

The full chimney service — re-pointing, crowns, caps, reconstruction.

CAMBRIDGE

Roofing in Cambridge →

Slate, copper, historic, and gutter work across every Cambridge neighborhood.

HISTORIC

Historic Roof Replacement in Cambridge →

Period-correct slate and copper for Cambridge’s older homes.

Schedule in Cambridge

If the roof is leaking, the chimney is usually why.

We bid Cambridge chimney work honestly, and the smaller repair is often the right one. The best time to find out which you need is fall, before winter turns a crown crack into a rebuild. The diagnostic walk is free, no obligation, and because we are based in North Cambridge we can usually be out within days.

Schedule Your Free Walk →

or call 617-913-1130 — available 24/7 for emergencies

Chimney Repair in Cambridge, MA. Re-pointed, rebuilt, flashed.