Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Birmingham

The older houses

The original houses in Birmingham's older neighborhoods were built with chimneys meant to be looked at: tall stacks, decorative brickwork near the top, sometimes clay chimney pots. That detail is also where water sits and where mortar wears out first.

Restoring one of these chimneys means matching the original brick, the mortar color and the shape of the details, so it still looks like part of the house when we're done.

The newer houses

A lot of Birmingham lots now hold a house built in the last twenty-five years. Those houses often have more than one fireplace, many of them gas, and chimneys built around factory-made fireplace units instead of a solid masonry flue. Some have brick or stone veneer over a framed chase, and what's under the veneer matters as much as what's on it.

If you've bought a newer house and nobody has told you what kind of fireplaces and flues it has, an inspection will answer that.

Historic districts

Parts of Birmingham are in local historic districts. If your house is in one, exterior work that changes how the chimney looks can need the city's approval before it starts. We'll ask about it before we quote anything visible from the street.

Selling a Birmingham house

Buyers here look closely at older houses. A Level 2 inspection before you list covers the chimney areas in the attic and basement and puts a camera through the flue, so you have the answers before a buyer's inspector asks the questions.

Getting to you

We're regularly on Woodward, Maple, Quarton and Lincoln, and the side streets around downtown can be tight for parking. If there's a driveway we can use, mention it when you book.