In short: a chimney sweep in Sydney starts at $350 + GST for a single-storey home, and a standalone safety check with an HD camera inspection is $99 + GST. Repairs are separate: repointing runs $300–$500, a flue liner replacement $800–$2,000, and a full rebuild is quoted on site. Book the sweep and the safety check comes with it.
Below is what sits behind each of those numbers, and what makes a quote go up.
Chimney sweep — from $350 + GST
That is the opening price for a standard single-storey home with normal roof access, and it includes a compliance certificate when the flue passes. What you are paying for:
- Power sweeping with rotating brushes sized to your flue, not a hand brush
- A high-powered vacuum running the whole time so the soot goes into the machine rather than onto your floor
- The throat damper and smoke shelf cleared — the two places debris collects and the two most people skip
- Firebox and grate deep cleaned, ash removed
- A full safety check with HD camera inspection included, which is a $99 service on its own
Safety check — $99 + GST on its own
This is the diagnostic, and it is worth booking by itself if you have just bought the house, if the fireplace has not been used in years, or if something smells or draws wrong and you want to know what you are dealing with before you spend on repairs. It covers:
- HD internal camera inspection of the full flue, looking for cracks and flaws
- The chimney crown and the exterior condition
- Roof-level inspection of the chimney sealing, and leak detection
- Damper operation and airflow test
- Soot, creosote and debris assessment — how much is in there and how urgent it is
- Structural integrity of the firebox
You get the footage and a written report, so if a repair is needed you can see the reason rather than take our word for it. More detail on chimney inspection in Sydney.
Repairs — from $300 + GST
Repairs are priced on what is actually wrong, which is why they are quoted after the inspection rather than before. The common ones and what they run:
- Mortar repointing — $300–$500. Raking out crumbling or missing joints and repointing with a colour-matched mix.
- Flue liner repair or replacement — typically $800–$2,000. Repairing clay liners, or fitting a new stainless-steel liner where the original is past saving.
- Chimney cap or cowl — from $299 + GST supplied and fitted.
- Chimney crown repair — quoted. The concrete cap at the top cracks under weather exposure and lets water into the flue.
- Full rebuild — quoted on site. For a chimney that is structurally unsound, dismantled and rebuilt with matching materials.
Full list of what we repair: chimney and fireplace repair.
What pushes the price up
- Storeys and roof pitch. A two-storey home, or a steep roof, means harness work and a longer set-up. Sydney’s harbour-side suburbs produce a lot of both.
- How long since the last sweep. A flue that has not been touched in five years carries a creosote load that takes a second pass.
- What is living in it. Birds nest in open flues, and a nest has to come out before anything else happens. If there are live birds in there it is a removal job first and a sweep second.
- What you burn. Unseasoned or green wood lays down creosote far faster than dry hardwood. Same chimney, same year, very different job.
- More than one fireplace. Two flues in one house is not two full call-outs, and we price the second one accordingly — ask when you book.
What a cheap quote usually leaves out
If a price sounds well under $350, ask these three things before you book:
- Is a camera inspection included, or extra? Sweeping without looking means nobody knows whether the flue is cracked.
- Is a compliance certificate included? If you need it for insurance or a sale, it matters.
- What happens to the soot? A sweep without a proper vacuum is a cleaning job for you afterwards.
What the compliance certificate is for
When a flue passes inspection we issue a certificate, and it is included in the sweep price rather than charged as an extra. It matters in three situations: an insurer asking for evidence of maintenance after a claim, a sale or a pre-purchase inspection where the buyer wants to know the fireplace is usable, and a strata or managing agent who needs a record for the building file. If none of those apply to you it is simply a dated record of what condition the flue was in, which is more useful than it sounds the next time somebody asks.
If your home is in a conservation area
This is worth knowing before anyone suggests you take the chimney down. On the North Shore, Ku-ring-gai Council’s Development Control Plan states that fireplaces and chimneys are important building elements within heritage conservation areas and are to be retained — that is a planning control in force across the council’s conservation areas, not a suggestion. Mosman Council’s residential DCP takes the same line, asking owners to avoid removing original architectural details and listing the removal of chimneys by name.
The practical effect: in those suburbs a chimney is part of what the property is assessed on, so maintaining it is the cheaper path and removing it is usually not on the table. Between them the two councils cover dozens of conservation areas, and the housing stock inside them — Federation, Californian Bungalow, Inter-War — is exactly the stock with original masonry flues and terracotta pots that need looking after.
We work through these suburbs regularly. There is suburb-specific detail on what we find locally for Mosman, Wahroonga, Lindfield, Killara, St Ives and Pymble.
What we do not do
Burners, pilot assemblies and gas connections are work for a licensed gasfitter, and we do not touch them. Our work covers wood-burning fireplaces, wood heaters and open masonry chimneys. If you have a gas log fire and only need the flue above it looked at, call and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
How often a chimney should be swept
Once a year for a fireplace in regular winter use, and the sensible time is before the season rather than during it — a flue that fails an inspection in May leaves you without a fireplace in June. If you burn most nights through winter, or you burn wood that has not been properly seasoned, twice a year is more realistic. A fireplace that goes unused for a year still wants an inspection before you light it, because nests and moisture do not need you to be burning anything.
Getting a fixed price
We work across Sydney metro, seven days a week, 7:00am to 7:00pm. The price is fixed before we start, and if the inspection turns up something that changes the job we tell you the number before we do the work, not after. Call 0483 928 714 or request a quote.
More on the service: chimney sweeping in Sydney.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to have a chimney swept in Sydney?
From $350 + GST for a standard single-storey home, including a compliance certificate and a full safety check with HD camera inspection. Two-storey homes and steep or difficult roof access cost more because of the harness work and set-up involved.
Is a chimney inspection included in the sweep?
Yes. A full safety check with HD camera inspection is included with a chimney sweep. Booked on its own it is $99 + GST.
How much does chimney repair cost?
Mortar repointing runs $300–$500 and a flue liner replacement typically $800–$2,000. A cap or cowl is from $299 + GST supplied and fitted. Crown repairs and full rebuilds are quoted on site after an inspection.
How often should a chimney be swept?
Once a year for a fireplace in regular winter use, before the season rather than during it. Twice a year if you burn most nights or burn wood that has not been properly seasoned. A fireplace that has sat unused still wants an inspection before you light it.
Do you service gas fireplaces?
No. Burners, pilot assemblies and gas connections are work for a licensed gasfitter and we do not touch them. We cover wood-burning fireplaces, wood heaters and open masonry chimneys. If you have a gas log fire and need only the flue above it looked at, call and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
