Chimney inspection in Beverly Hills

A village built after the war

Beverly Hills was incorporated in 1958, under the name Westwood, and renamed the next year. Most of its houses went up in the same stretch of years, from the late 1940s through the 1960s, so the typical chimney here is a post-war one. That age matters for an inspection. These chimneys were usually built with clay flue tiles, and the furnace and water heater often vented up the same chimney as the fireplace. A chimney from then has been through more than sixty Michigan winters, and the parts that age fastest, the crown and the top of the flue tiles, are the hardest to see from the ground.

The flues you don't think about

On the colonials between 13 Mile and 14 Mile, the chimney often has two or three flues: one for the living room fireplace, maybe one for a basement fireplace, and one for the furnace or water heater. Over sixty years, furnaces get replaced and venting changes. Sometimes a flue is capped off. Sometimes the water heater is left venting alone into a flue built for more. We check every flue on the chimney, and our guide to a water heater in an old chimney explains why that's on the list.

Prices and what each covers

A Level 1 inspection is $49. We look at the fireplace, the flue and the outside of the chimney wherever we can reach without tools, and the $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it.

A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney areas in the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the flue. People book it when they buy or sell, change the heating system, or after a chimney fire or storm. A camera on its own is a $75 add-on to a Level 1. For a side-by-side, see our guide to chimney inspection levels.

Moving in

If you've bought a house here and the fireplace history came with no paperwork, an inspection is a reasonable first step. If you already know you want fires this winter, the chimney sweep and cleaning includes the same inspection on the same visit, for $349. Have any paperwork handy, like an old sweep receipt or the year the furnace went in. It helps us match each flue to what it serves.