CBD's Graham Chimney Cap Page

This is the largest gable style copper chimney cap project I've worked on to date. This is for Mr. & Mrs. Graham in Portland, Oregon. I replaced their gutters as well with 20oz copper. They first contacted me 1/13/09 and we gradually worked out this project through 39 e-mails along with several photos and finally to this diagram.

I designed the roof line to resemble the house with the gable ends and a 16/12 pitch, so this will look more like what the architect might have designed for this house. The client approved this design and has been pleased with the results seeing it in person here in my shop close up. We discussed aesthetic options like adding strips of metal over the roof to make it look like a standing seam construction. After some discussion and sharing photos from another resent project they decided that adding 4 bands of 1.5" wide copper flat over the roof would be best.

Below is the final product installed along with the copper gutters. They also are having me make a gable end mount just to the right of this chimney cap to support the medium size Roster styled weathervane I have on order for them.

Here is some shots of the Ipe hardwood support frame I need to build inside the copper base to help anchor this down in high wind storms. Below right you see the collar made to cover the flue liners that protrude up from the top of the chimney.

This was a bit more tricky to build than I had imagined. It took me a few days just to build these roof support frames and took 60 rivets for each frame. These should be placed no more than 12" apart. I made the end pieces with the 16 gauge stainless steel screen flush with the sharp edges bent at a right angle to set into a channel. These screens are what I get my hands lacerated on more than any other aspect of my work, so it's important to cover all the edges of this SS screen.

I designed this with the long side screens to lay horizontally, as seen in the lower right image.

As all these pieces get fastened together it gradually adds more and more strength to this structure. Then the roof skin goes over these frames and holds everything together quite well.

Here is the completed chimney cap before and after I added the decorative copper strips.

This is 122.45# in all.
Weights and cost breakdown of these pieces are as follows:

30.75# - wood frame inside the base/skirt

4.88# - SS screen

86.82# of copper sheet metal

$1,736.50 - 69.46 sq' of copper X $25

+ $154 for 5/4 x 6 hardwood boards

+ $146 for SS screens

+ $100 for installation (not including the crane rental)

= $2,136.50 total

Here is the installation. I was not asked to do the installation, but I happen to be there installing gutter the day that the lift truck arrived and they asked if I would be willing to do the honors.

He parked the big diesel truck crane out on the street just in front of my van, so there was a good 50' reach sideways just to get to the base of the chimney, then another 45' up in the air. It was very exciting.

It was a snug fit. For a bit there I was not sure it was going to slide down over the chimney. Once it was in place it was easy to just tighten the SS screws.

Here it is after just 6 months. I took these pictures when was called back to add a gable end weathervane roof mount for a Rooster style weathervane they wanted.