Fireplace and Chimney Service in Thornton, Colorado

Thornton was farmland until 1953, when Sam Hoffman bought land off Washington Street, about seven miles north of Denver, and laid out the first fully planned community in Adams County. Crews broke ground on three model homes on April 2, 1953, and Hoffman's houses usually sold before they were finished. The city incorporated in 1956 and took the name of the sitting governor, Dan Thornton. The 2020 census counted 141,867 residents, all in Adams County, up more than 19 percent from 2010.

Thornton has two very different housing stocks. The original Hoffman neighborhood is single-story brick built from 1953 into the 1960s, and the city's Original Thornton Pattern Book points to its decorative brickwork in multiple colors. Most of the rest is new: Census figures (ACS 2024) put the median Thornton home at 1997, with 45 percent built in 2000 or later. Gas heats about 70 percent of homes. That means brick repair in the original neighborhood and factory-built fireplaces, chase covers and gas service farther north.

Original Thornton brick

The Original Thornton Pattern Book, prepared for the city by the University of Colorado Denver, says masonry there should be repaired and repointed by a qualified mason. It warns that stucco or paint over brick can trap moisture, and that neither should be used to cover failing mortar joints. It also notes that brick matching the original color is often readily obtainable.

The same goes for a brick chimney on one of these houses. Repointing typically runs $500 to $2,500, a new crown $600 to $2,200 and replacing spalled brick $1,000 to $3,500. We match brick and mortar color as closely as we can and show you the samples first.

Newer Thornton: chase covers and hail

In the subdivisions built since the 1990s, the chimney is usually a metal flue inside a framed chase, capped with a sheet-metal chase cover. The Front Range sits in Hail Alley, and a dented cover holds water, rusts, stains the siding and leaks into the chase. A new chase cover typically runs $300 to $700 and a cap $250 to $850. We photograph storm damage so you can give it to your insurance adjuster.

Gas fireplace service

Thornton sits at about 5,210 feet. Gas appliances typically lose about 4 percent of their input for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet, roughly 13 percent here, so a gas fireplace has to be set up for altitude to light and burn cleanly. A yearly service typically runs $150 to $350, a pilot, thermocouple or igniter repair $100 to $350, and a valve or control board $300 to $1,000.

Where we work in Thornton

Original Thornton · Hunters Glen · Thorncreek · Cherrywood Park · Quail Valley · South Thornton · Eastlake area