Dear James: I added a family room with a fireplace to my home last year. The solid brick chimney has developed several long cracks through the bricks and the mortar. Is this something I should be ...

Q: My house is 16 years old, and I noticed that 1 1/2 to 2 feet below the top of the chimney, there is a crack that appears to go all around the chimney but in some areas, going up the side of a brick ...

Dear James: After using my wood-burning fireplace often this winter, I have found some long cracks in the brick and mortar outdoors. Is this something that needs immediate attention? -- MaryAnn L.

Q: My house is 16 years old. I noticed that about 1 1/2 to 2 feet below the top of the chimney, there is a crack that appears to go all around the chimney but in some areas going up the side of a ...

Where to start with chimneys? Probably here: A chimney is not just an elongated window, not just a portal from inside to outside with deep, brick sills. A chimney, in fact, is a machine for generating ...

Q. This week: The brick chimney on our 1930's era house looks like it needs repair. From the ground I can see cracks in the bricks, and some of the cement and pieces of the bricks have come off and ...

Three years ago I had to replace half my chimney at a cost of thousands of dollars because of crumbling mortar and cracked bricks. The mason who finished the job told me I needed to have the chimney ...

Your new home is going to have a beautiful traditional brick chimney, isn’t it? If you want to maintain its beauty and integrity for many, many years, you need to make sure the brick mason prevents ...

We can't wait to light the first fire of the season, crawl under a blanket, and sip some hot cocoa. But hold on a second—when ...

Q. I have a brick chimney on the west side of the home. My problem is the bricks on the outside of the chimney are flaking and falling off. Do you have any idea what is causing this or what can be ...

Q: A while back you had a column about what to do if inside or around your fireplace shows a lot of whiteness. My brickwork shows white; there is crud inside both upstairs and downstairs fireplaces.