The photos below show a few rotted chimneys i ve come across in the past few months.
Repairing wood siding chimney.
Wood shingles are often used as siding material for chimneys continuing from the roof area.
However there are alternative ways to extend a chimney top including a wood chase properly constructed around an insulated multi wall fire.
When rotted siding is found at a wood chimney chase the next step is to have some of the rotted siding removed to have the wall sheathing below the siding inspected for water damage.
For example cedar will be more expensive than plywood.
By the time the homeowners notice the siding is soft they ve got a real problem on their hands.
I am way too scared of a house fire to say based on e text that building wood hence combustible chimney to extend repair a brick chimney is safe and ok.
How to repair wood siding.
Replacement and resurfacing can be expensive which makes cladding a masonry chimney with siding an attractive option in some instances.
Wood is beautiful and often selected to achieve a certain traditional aesthetic.
You are likely to set the house afire.
Wood however can have knots that fall out or develop holes that allow water to intrude on the internal structures of the chimney according to the maryland shingle website.
The good news is that damage is usually limited to two areas.
The average cost of wood siding is 7 per square foot.
However wood siding requires more maintenance than other materials.
But the price of wood siding varies by wood type.
Water splashes up from the ground frequently soaking the vulnerable bottom edges.
However a masonry chimney may begin to show its age over time.
The first three courses of siding 2 feet or so up from the ground and wood framed chimneys or chases that aren t protected by a roof overhang.
Wood siding repair cost.
Framed chimney chases seem to be especially vulnerable and i ve repaired a lot of them over the years.
For example the house shown here was built just a few years before my crew and i began working on it but already the paint was peeling from the fiber cement clapboards and the corner boards had begun to rot see image 1.
Installing siding on a chimney requires a layer of wood furring that serves as a base for the siding itself.