The chimney on this house in Waterloo was originally terminated at the top with a stepped out/stepped back in corbelling, topped with a soldier course of brick. No concrete drip cap on top with 2″ drip edge, as required by the Ontario Building Code. This type of construction is often employed by European trained masons, however these chimneys almost always fail prematurely. Water is able to penetrate the chimney structure much more easily than if there is a concrete cap with drip edge.
In order to achieve a distinctive, visually appealing appearance, we corbel out 4 rows, then install the required concrete cap with drip edge.