Every job in this trade should start the same way: with somebody who knows chimneys actually looking at yours. That is why the inspection here costs nothing and obliges you to nothing. A tradesman climbs up, has a proper look from cap to flashing, checks the flue, the damper and the firebox from below, and runs the camera where eyes cannot reach. Then you get the findings told to you straight.
There is no charge for the look because the look is how honest work begins. Some days it ends with a list of what needs doing and a written price beside each item. Other days it ends with a handshake and the news that your chimney is fine, and we mean that: being told nothing is wrong is a perfectly good outcome at this counter.
What gets looked at
- The whole outside of the stack: cap, crown, brick faces, mortar joints and flashing.
- The flue itself, with the camera run up it where the eye cannot follow.
- The smoke chamber, damper and firebox, read from the hearth side.
- The little tells: stain lines, spalled faces, mineral bloom and grit in the firebox that speak of trouble higher up.
When to book the look
- Before the season's first fire is lit, so winter starts on a known-good flue.
- When a house is changing hands, before the papers are signed rather than after.
- After anything violent: a flue fire, a hailstorm, a lightning strike or a hard shake.
- Whenever something changes: a new leak, a strange smell, a draft gone sulky.
What you get at the end
A plain accounting, in writing. What we found, what needs doing now, what can safely wait a season, and what is simply fine. If work is called for, each piece carries its own written price, and the written number is the number. If no work is called for, you get told exactly that. A trade lives on its name, and ours is over the door.
If the findings point to a sweep, a repair or a liner, you can read about each trade on its own page: sweeping and soot removal, masonry restoration and new flue liners. Or go straight to the contact page and get on the board.
Frequently asked about the inspection
Is the inspection really free, with no catch?
Really free, no catch. No trip fee, no report fee, no obligation to book anything afterward. We would rather look at a hundred healthy chimneys than have one neighbor light a fire over a cracked flue because a fee kept them from calling.
How long does an inspection take?
Most homes take well under an hour: long enough to walk the roof, run the camera and check the hearth side without rushing any of it. Awkward rooflines or multiple flues take a little longer, but the price does not change, because there is no price.
Do I need an inspection every year even if I rarely light fires?
Yes, and not because of soot. Weather works on a chimney whether you burn or not: freeze and thaw pry at the crown and the joints, and animals do not check whether you use the flue before moving in. An annual look catches small trouble while it is still small.