Beverly Hills, Oakland County
Chimney sweep and cleaning in Beverly Hills
In Beverly Hills the thing that blocks a chimney is as likely to come from the trees as from the fireplace, so a sweep here is about what falls in the top as much as what builds up inside.
Trees, the river and the chimney
The main branch of the Rouge River runs through the village, and the houses along it, near Riverside Park and around Beverly Park, sit under heavy tree cover. Branches over a roof drop leaves, twigs and seed pods onto the chimney, and on a flue without a cap they collect on the smoke shelf or the damper. Squirrels and raccoons use those same branches to get onto the roof.
From May to August, chimney swifts nest inside open flues. They're federally protected while they're raising young, so the nest stays until they've left. Our guide to chimney swifts explains how long that takes and what to do afterward.
How fireplaces get used here
Many Beverly Hills houses still have the wood-burning masonry fireplace they were built with in the 1950s or 1960s. Some burn every weekend in winter. Others had an insert put in for heat, which sends the smoke up a smaller liner and builds up faster when it's run slow. Gas logs leave little behind, but a gas flue still blocks from the top, and we check it the same way.
Every wood fire leaves soot and creosote on the flue walls. How fast depends on how much you burn and how hot. Our guide on how often to clean a chimney goes through the usual intervals.
Timing
Book before the first cold weekend. If you run a wood insert most of the winter, a second sweep partway through the season is sometimes worth it, and we'll tell you after the first visit whether yours needs one. September and early October are the easiest months to get a day that suits you, and the sweep is done before you need the fireplace.
What it costs
The sweep and cleaning is $349. That covers one flue and an inspection on the same visit, so you leave with a clean flue and a plain account of what condition the chimney is in. A camera through the flue is a $75 add-on. If the inspection turns up a cracked crown or a rusted cap, you'll get photos and a written quote for the chimney repair before anything is done.
Questions
We hear scratching in the chimney. Can you sweep it out?
Call us before you light a fire. If it's a squirrel or raccoon, the animal has to leave or be removed first, and we can tell you whether that's a job for a wildlife service. If it's chirping between May and August, it's probably chimney swifts, which are federally protected while nesting. Once the chimney is empty, we sweep it and quote a cap to keep them out.
Our Beverly Hills house has a basement fireplace too. Is that a separate flue?
Usually, yes. On a lot of houses from the 1950s and 1960s the basement fireplace has its own flue in the same chimney as the one upstairs. The $349 price covers one flue, so set the quantity to two when you book if you want both swept, and we'll inspect each of them on the same visit.
Chimney sweep near Beverly Hills
Chimney sweep in Beverly Hills
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.