Bloomfield Hills, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Bloomfield Hills
A Bloomfield Hills house can have its chimneys built anywhere from the 1920s to last year, and many have more than one. An inspection tells you what each flue is and what shape it's in.
Houses from every decade
The houses in Bloomfield Hills span a long stretch. There are estates from the 1920s and 1930s near Cranbrook, where Eliel Saarinen's buildings went up in the same years. There are post-war modern houses, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Smith House, finished in 1950 on a wooded, hilly lot. And there are large houses built in every decade since. Each period built chimneys differently, so we start every inspection by working out what kind of system you have.
Why people here book one
The city has under 1,800 houses on about five square miles, so lots are big and the houses on them usually are too. That means more chimneys and more flues per house than most places we work. Common reasons for a call:
- Buying or selling. Most sales here come with a detailed inspection, and the chimney is hard to see from the ground.
- A fireplace in a room nobody uses, and nobody remembers when it was last checked.
- A new boiler or furnace, which can change how the old chimney vents.
- After a storm brings down limbs, or after a chimney fire.
What it costs
A Level 1 is $49 per chimney. We go over 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 spaces, and a camera through the flue. It's the one used for home sales, changes to the system, and after a fire or a storm. A camera added to a Level 1 is $75. Our guide to chimney inspection levels sets out what each covers.
After the inspection
You get a walkthrough of what we found, flue by flue, with photos of each. If one flue needs work and the others don't, we say which is which, so you aren't paying to fix a chimney that's in good shape. If the fireplaces you use most are due, the chimney sweep and cleaning includes an inspection on the same visit.
Questions
We're selling a Bloomfield Hills house with four fireplaces. Does each one need a Level 2?
Each flue gets inspected on its own, because each one can be in different shape. Call us with the address, the number of fireplaces and any other appliances venting into the chimneys, and your listing or closing dates. We'll price the visit for the whole house up front and plan enough time to cover every flue on one day if we can.
The fireplace in our guest room hasn't been used in years. Is it safe to light?
We can't tell you that until we've looked. A flue that sits unused collects nests, leaves and debris, and the damper or cap may have rusted. Book an inspection, or a cleaning and inspection for $349 if you plan to use it this winter, and we'll tell you what we found before you light anything.
Chimney inspection near Bloomfield Hills
Chimney inspection in Bloomfield Hills
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.