How to Make a Homemade Chimney Cap

A chimney cap is a protective accessory that you place on the top of the chimney to keep rain, wind, debris or animals from traveling down the chimney, getting stuck or getting into your home. If it’s windy outside, the chimney cap will also help to keep sparks from the fire from coming out of the chimney and being carried into trees or something flammable. Chimney caps thus protect you and your home not only from potential annoyances, but from potential safety hazards, as well. Finally, chimney caps also help to keep heat from escaping out the chimney, and can even become an aesthetically pleasing design element on the exterior of your home.

Unfortunately, if you’re in the market for a chimney cap, you may find that they can be cost prohibitive, costing upwards of $300. The good news is that it is possible to make your own chimney cap for a fraction of that cost. Follow the simple steps below to make a homemade chimney cap.

Step 1 – Measure Your Chimney

Before you can get stated making your homemade chimney cap, you need to know the dimensions that you’ll be working with. For this, you’ll need to climb up on the roof and measure the part of the chimney that extends beyond the roof. Get a partner to help you by supporting the long ladder as you climb to the roof, and remember to exercise great caution. Take your measuring tape and measure the height, width and length of the chimney, and note the dimensions down with paper and pencil.

Step 2 – Acquire the Materials

Take a trip to your hardware store to get the materials that you’ll need. Bring your notes on the chimney measurements with you so that you know how much of each material you’ll need. Purchase some metal sheeting; aluminum is a popular choice, and is cheaper, but copper can be particularly attractive. Purchase some strong, durable wire netting as well.

Step 3 – Tailor the Materials

Measure out the precise dimensions of the materials to create your chimney cap. Remember that the wire netting (which will form the walls of the cap) and the sheet metal (which will form the roof of the cap) need to be greater in dimension than the chimney itself. Put on your safety goggles and gloves, and make sure that your work environment is safe and free of children and pets. Use the ban saw to cut the materials to the precise dimensions you need.

Step 4 – Weld the Metal to the Wire Netting

Still remembering to practice great care with safety measures, weld the pieces of wire netting to the metal sheet. This should create a cube form, with the metal sheet forming the roof, and the wire netting forming the four walls.

Step 5 – Attach the Chimney Cap to the Chimney

Go back up on the roof with your new, homemade chimney cap (remember to have a helper there to support the latter!) Using your hammer and nails, hammer the wire netting into place onto the roof around the chimney, so that the cap is perfectly in place on top of the chimney. Then get ready to enjoy cozy fires in your home fireplace without worry!