Why Advance chimneys need a custom cap
Advance and Bermuda Run have a higher concentration of homes over 4,000 square feet than almost anywhere else we work, and those larger custom homes tend to carry larger custom chimneys to match. We see big masonry stacks with multiple flues, decorative brick detail, and crowns that no stamped, home-center cap will ever fit. A 21” x 21” big-box cap is built for a tract house — it sits an inch high on one side of a true custom chimney, gets pinned in with sheet-metal screws into mortar, and is rattling or gone within a few storms.
We don’t work that way. We measure your chimney at the house, The cap is built to those exact dimensions, and come back to install it. About a 20-25 minute drive west across the Yadkin River from the shop, so two trips to Advance is routine for us.
What we install for Advance homes
On the premium Bermuda Run and Highway 158 custom homes, copper is the natural choice. It patinas from bright orange to bronze to the green you see on old churches, it outlasts the roof, and on a chimney that’s visible from the curb it reads as the architectural element it should be. Plenty of these homes already carry copper gutters, and a copper cap finishes the roofline to the same standard.
For modern and contemporary homes — and homeowners who want a 30-50+ year cap without the copper price tag — we install in stainless steel, which stays bright and runs roughly 40% of copper’s cost.
Every cap we build is a full system, not just a lid on a flue:
- Top plate covering the entire crown of the chimney
- Drip edge overhanging the masonry on all sides so water runs off, not down the brick
- Spark screen to keep embers in and birds, squirrels, and raccoons out
- Standoff legs at the right height for proper draft clearance
- Multi-flue configurations — one cap covering two or three flues with correct clearance, common on the larger Advance stacks
- Decorative elements — finials and custom edge profiles when the home calls for it
Advance-specific considerations
- River-proximity humidity. Homes close to the Yadkin tend to see slightly higher humidity and more algae growth on shaded, north-facing surfaces. The same conditions accelerate rust on a cheap galvanized or stamped cap — another reason we steer Advance homeowners toward copper or stainless.
- Mature tree canopy. Many Advance homes sit on 1-5 acre lots with heavy canopy. That means more leaf litter and animal pressure at the chimney top, where a proper spark screen earns its keep.
- Bermuda Run HOA. The gated community has architectural standards governing visible exterior work. A custom cap is exactly the kind of detail those standards care about, and we’re familiar with the approval process and can quote to spec.
When the cap is part of a bigger chimney problem
Sometimes the leak isn’t the cap. Before we recommend one, we look at the whole chimney — a cracked masonry crown, failing flashing where the chimney meets the roof, or open mortar joints can each let water in on their own. If your cap is fine and the crown is failing, we tell you that. We assess honestly rather than selling a cap that won’t fix the actual problem.
Why Advance homeowners choose Mid Atlantic
- 20-25 minutes away on Reynolda Road in Winston-Salem
- custom-built to your chimney’s actual measurements — never from a description
- Copper and stainless — the materials that last
- Multi-flue and complex caps most contractors won’t quote
- Bermuda Run HOA-familiar
- In-house W-2 crews — no subs, even on the largest jobs
- A+ BBB, 4.8 stars on Google and Facebook
- 3-year workmanship warranty
Schedule a chimney cap measurement
Call (336) 671-5208 or request an estimate online. We take measurements at your Advance home, install, and install on a follow-up visit. For Advance and Bermuda Run we typically schedule within a week.