Draft in two sentences
Hot gas is lighter than room air, so it rises up the flue and pulls fresh air in behind it. Anything that cools, narrows or blocks that column, or starves the room of air, pushes smoke back toward a Santa Monica living room.
Chimney Masonry Repair in Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica coverage
Draft checked on every Santa Monica visit
Joint gaps that bleed draft closed up
Draft Tested on Every Visit
Licensed & Insured
Same-Day Service
Smoke Cause Explained
Google Guaranteed
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Trusted Locally
Draft Tested on Every Visit
Licensed & Insured
Same-Day Service
Smoke Cause Explained
Google Guaranteed
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Trusted Locally
Everett Chimney Works drives to ZIP codes 90401, 90402, and 90403 for chimney masonry repair and the draft complaints that tend to come with it. Marine fog keeps brick and mortar damp, which brings out a musty smell from the firebox in summer. Damp flues also start cold, so we often suggest warming the flue before a full fire and keeping the crown sealed.
Where the smoke call is
Santa Monica, CA
Postal codes on route
5
Booked alongside
Ocean Park and Venice
Houses we meet
1920s Spanish houses, Craftsman bungalows, post-war duplexes, and newer modern homes on narrow lots
How a chimney masonry repair call runs at an Santa Monica address
Many Santa Monica houses share a lot line closely with taller neighbors, and a two-storey addition next door can leave an old chimney sitting in a wind shadow. That is a common cause of smoke rolling out of the fireplace on a breezy evening even when the flue is clean.
Marine fog keeps brick and mortar damp, which brings out a musty smell from the firebox in summer. Damp flues also start cold, so we often suggest warming the flue before a full fire and keeping the crown sealed.
Joint gaps that bleed draft closed up
Repointing with a matched mortar mix
Spalled brick cut out and replaced
Crown rebuilt where it has cracked
Seismic cracks photographed and explained
Breathable water repellent where suited
Streets we reach
Where the Santa Monica route runs
All of the town is on our route. The places listed below border it; if yours is not named, read the address to the desk and we confirm it while booking.
Ocean ParkVeniceBrentwoodNorth of MontanaPacific PalisadesMar Vista
What we do at the hearth
The chimney masonry repair work covers joint gaps that bleed draft closed up, repointing with a matched mortar mix, and spalled brick cut out and replaced. We photograph the damper, smoke shelf and flue so you can see what we saw.
After the visit
You get the cause in plain words and a written price for anything beyond the day's job. Neighbours in Ocean Park and Venice get the same treatment.
Other hearth jobs at Santa Monica homes
Smoke problems often lead to a second job, a damper, a cap or a gas part. These are booked the same way.
Chimney Sweep in Santa Monica
Soot, nests and creosote narrow the flue until smoke backs up; brushing them out is usually the first draft fix we try.
Open this jobChimney Inspection in Santa Monica
Flashlight, mirror and a smoke test: a visual look at every reachable part of the chimney, priced at $57 for Level 1.
Open this jobChimney Repair in Santa Monica
Cracked liners, gaps in the smoke chamber and broken caps all leak draft; we repair the part that lets smoke escape.
Open this jobFireplace Inspection in Santa Monica
Firebox, damper, lintel and hearth looked over with a draft test at the opening, so you learn why smoke spills.
Open this jobFireplace Repair in Santa Monica
Warped dampers, oversized openings and missing smoke guards push smoke indoors; we fix the one causing your spillage.
Open this jobChimney Level 2 Inspection in Santa Monica
Camera footage from the full flue, used when smoke, a chimney fire, a sale or an earthquake raises questions; $355.
Open this jobChimney Cap Installation in Santa Monica
Downdraft from gusty canyon wind often stops with the right cap; we fit stainless caps sized to the flue, $170 to $695.
Open this jobChimney Flashing Repair in Santa Monica
Damp, musty fireplace smells often start where roof meets chimney; we reseal that joint so the masonry dries out.
Open this jobChimney Rebuilds in Santa Monica
Sometimes a short or damaged stack can only draw properly once rebuilt taller or straighter; we quote that honestly.
Open this jobFireplace Cleaning in Santa Monica
Lingering campfire odour usually comes from ash and creosote left in the firebox; a deep clean removes most of it.
Open this jobGas Fireplace Cleaning in Santa Monica
Yellow, lazy flames and soot on the glass mean the burner or logs need attention; we clean and reset them yearly.
Open this jobGas Fireplace Repair in Santa Monica
Pilot that will not hold, burner that shuts off, a gas smell or a headache near the unit: we find the failed part.
Open this jobFireplace Remodel in Santa Monica
Remodeling a smoky fireplace? We fix the draft first, then change the surround, mantel or opening so it stays fixed.
Open this jobFireplace Inserts in Santa Monica
Sealed inserts with their own liner end most smoke spillage for good; gas inserts installed run $2,900 to $5,800.
Open this jobPellet Stove Repair in Santa Monica
Sooty glass, smoke puffs on startup or a stove that shuts down: often a dirty exhaust path or a tired fan.
Open this jobWood Stove Repair in Santa Monica
Smoke leaking from the door, a stove that runs hot or will not hold a fire: worn gaskets and baffles are the usual culprits.
Open this jobGas Logs in Santa Monica
Burning wood but tired of smoke? Vented gas logs in the existing firebox give a cleaner fire, with the damper clamped open.
Open this jobChimney Masonry Repair in towns next door
Neighbouring towns get the same draft test and the same written price. Each page notes what the weather and houses there do to a flue.
the bluffs, canyon rims and rebuilt streets between Sunset Boulevard and the ocean
Chimney Masonry Repair in Pacific Palisades
Here the smoke call often comes from a house that was just rebuilt or remodeled: a new tight envelope pulls air down the old flue, or a new roofline now sits higher than the chimney. Owners who stayed through the January 2025 fire also ask us whether heat or ash reached the flue, which a camera answers.
Go to that townthe flats below Sunset and the winding hillside streets above it
Chimney Masonry Repair in Beverly Hills
Large Beverly Hills living rooms often have wide, tall fireplace openings that look grand but are too large for the flue above them. That mismatch is a classic cause of smoke spilling at the top of the opening, and a smoke guard or glass doors usually cure it without changing the look much.
Go to that townthe leafy streets and canyon roads north of Sunset and down toward San Vicente
Chimney Masonry Repair in Brentwood
Big Brentwood houses often have two or three fireplaces sharing one masonry stack. When one fire is lit, smoke can drift down a neighboring flue into another room, a problem that looks like a leak but is really a short flue partition or uneven flue heights at the top.
Go to that townbeach roads, bluff lots and canyon drives strung along the Pacific Coast Highway
Chimney Masonry Repair in Malibu
Malibu homes face wind from two directions: onshore breezes most afternoons and hard offshore gusts in fire season. A chimney that draws well on a calm night can puff smoke back into the room when the wind comes over the ridge, so we often look at cap shape before anything else.
Go to that towntightly packed blocks of apartments, duplexes and bungalows between the Sunset Strip and Melrose
Chimney Masonry Repair in West Hollywood
In multi-unit buildings, one chimney stack can serve several fireplaces, and a smoky unit may be caused by a neighbor's fire or an old shared flue. We check which flue is which before suggesting any fix, and we note when the work needs the owner or HOA on board.
Go to that townSanta Monica homeowners ask us about chimney masonry repair
Our Santa Monica fireplace smokes or smells. Is chimney masonry repair what we should book?
Start with the symptom and let the test decide. If the draft check points at chimney masonry repair, Everett Chimney Works books it for your Santa Monica address; if it points at something else, you hear that before any work. Streets toward Ocean Park and Venice are on the same drive.
Which parts get looked at when chimney masonry repair is done at an Santa Monica home?
Expect Joint gaps that bleed draft closed up, Repointing with a matched mortar mix, Spalled brick cut out and replaced. Before any of that we watch how smoke or flame behaves at the opening, because that tells us which item matters most in your particular house and flue.
How quickly can a crew reach Santa Monica once we report smoke in the room?
Most Santa Monica visits are set within the week. Open same-day slots go first to smoke spilling indoors or a gas smell, and calls from ZIP codes 90401, 90402, 90403 are booked on that route.