Chimney & fireplace
Chimney Liner Cost Calculator
Prices a liner, which is the component that keeps combustion products out of the house.
Result
A planning estimate, not a quote. Access, the age of the equipment, what is found once it is opened up and local labour rates all move the real figure, sometimes a long way.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Hours times crew times rate, plus the liner and the call-out, priced largely by flue height and liner diameter. A liner contains the flue gases and keeps them away from the masonry and the building structure, and it has to be sized to the appliance: too large and the gases cool and condense, producing creosote and poor draught, and too small and the appliance cannot vent. Stainless flexible liner is the common retrofit, insulated where required, and cast-in-place is used where the flue geometry is difficult.
What moves the number
- Flue height, which sets the material length.
- Diameter, which has to match the appliance rather than the existing flue.
- Whether insulation is required, which many installations need.
- Offsets and bends in the flue, which complicate installation.
Where this one goes wrong
An unlined or failed-liner chimney is a genuine hazard rather than a deficiency, because flue gases reaching the masonry can pass through cracks into the building, which is a carbon monoxide route, and heat reaching combustible framing is a fire route. A cracked tile liner found on a video scan is a reason to stop using the appliance until it is addressed. On sizing, the liner is matched to the appliance and not to the existing flue: fitting an insert or a stove into an oversized masonry flue without a correctly sized liner is a common and consequential error, producing condensation, creosote and poor draught.
Before you quote
- Size the liner to the appliance, not to the existing flue.
- Insulate where the installation requires it.
- Treat a failed liner as a reason to stop using the appliance.
Where the rules come from
Questions
About this calculator
Does my chimney need a liner?
If the existing liner is cracked, missing or unsuitable for the appliance, yes, and it is a safety matter rather than an improvement. Flue gases reaching the masonry can pass into the building through cracks, which is a carbon monoxide route, and heat reaching framing is a fire route.
What size liner is needed?
Whatever the appliance requires, not whatever fits the existing flue. An oversized liner lets gases cool and condense, producing creosote and poor draught; an undersized one cannot vent the appliance. Fitting a stove or insert into a large masonry flue without a correctly sized liner is a common error.
Does a liner need insulating?
Many installations require it, because insulation keeps the flue gases hot enough to exhaust properly rather than condensing, and it maintains clearance to combustibles. Whether it is required depends on the installation and the listing, which is worth confirming rather than treating as optional.
The formula
total = hours x people x rate + parts + call-out, then sales tax
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How to use this calculator
- Hours on site (h). Enter your own figure; the page starts at 2 h.
- People needed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $125.
- Parts and materials ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $65.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $95.
- Sales tax (%). Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to estimated total, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours on site | 2 h |
| People needed | 1 |
| Labour rate charged | $125 |
| Parts and materials | $65 |
| Call-out or diagnostic fee | $95 |
| Sales tax | 0% |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated total main result | $410 |
| Labour | $250 |
| Before tax | $410 |
| Sales tax | $0 |
About $410: $250 of labour, $65 of parts and a $95 call-out.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only labour rate charged, this is what happens to estimated total. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Labour rate charged ($) | Estimated total |
|---|---|
| $63 | $286 |
| $94 | $348 |
| $125 example above | $410 |
| $188 | $536 |
| $250 | $660 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Hours on site (h)
- Measured in h, between 0 and 400, starting at 2 h.
- People needed
- A number, between 0 and 40, starting at 1.
- Labour rate charged ($)
- A money amount, starting at $125.
- Parts and materials ($)
- A money amount, starting at $65.
- Call-out or diagnostic fee ($)
- A money amount, starting at $95.
- Sales tax (%)
- Leave at zero if you are quoting before tax.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Estimated total | The headline result. A money figure. |
| Labour | A money figure. |
| Before tax | A money figure. |
| Sales tax | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.