Finding a chimney mason for 300 year old colonial in Massachusetts
Hello GBA Community,
My parents live in a ~300 year old colonial in Milford, Massachusetts. They have an unlined five flue brick chimney, one flue of which is currently used with a wood stove. Three of the flues are in various states of disrepair and rain comes down them during heavy rain, and they want to have them repaired. They have contacted a number of chimney masons in their area, but none have been knowledgeable enough, or willing to work on a chimney that old. This makes sense, since there are not many chimneys this old, and the trades are more focused on “new” construction, not buildings that predate the republic.
Do folks have any general recommendations on how to find chimney masons that would have the relevant expertise for this project? Or does anyone have a specific recommendation for a business in the area?
Thank you,
Joshua
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Replies
Suppliers of traditional lime based mortars may have ideas of which masons buy them in your area. Try:
https://www.lancasterlimeworks.com/
https://www.limeworks.us/
https://atlaspreservation.com/
Get the mason on This Old House.
Hi Joshua, I suggest you contact Richard http://restorationmasons.com/ he is the best you can get in New England.
You can buy lime mortar from Jon at https://www.lancasterlimeworks.com/ or Fabio from http://www.florentinemasonry.com/.
If you end up hiring local masons, make sure they don't use type N mortar. From my experience they have no idea how to work with lime mortar nor have any desire to learn.
Good luck
Gabriela