Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Bloomfield Township

Township, not city

A lot of township houses have a Bloomfield Hills or Birmingham mailing address, so people aren't always sure which one they live in. It doesn't change anything for us. We cover the whole township, and the address you book with is all we need.

Bradway's subdivisions

Judson Bradway started platting subdivisions here in 1914, with Bloomfield Estates east of Woodward between Big Beaver and Charing Cross. Trowbridge Farms followed in 1917. In 1924 he platted Bloomfield Village, about a square mile between Quarton, Maple, Lahser and the Birmingham line, and his company kept control of the house plans there until 1966. So the Village has 1920s Tudors next to colonials and ranches from the decades after.

A Tudor usually has a big brick chimney on the front or side wall, where you can see it from the street. Many have decorative brickwork, a stepped or corbelled top, and clay chimney pots on the flues. Those details are also where water sits. The mortar around the base of each pot and in the ledges of a corbelled top wears out before the flat brick below it.

Old fireplaces, old dampers

A fireplace in a 1920s Village house may still have its original damper. After a hundred years of water coming down the flue, the plate and frame can rust until the damper sticks or won't close, and a damper that won't close lets cold air in all winter. Our guide to chimney damper problems covers the signs and the fixes, including a top-sealing damper that closes at the top of the flue.

Lake houses

The township has a string of lakes, and the houses on them come from different eras. Square Lake has a lot of brick ranches from the 1940s and 1950s. On Wing Lake the small cottages are gone, and the shore is brick ranches from the 1950s on and large colonials built since. A seventy-year-old ranch chimney and a twenty-year-old stone chase can sit a few lots apart, and they need different things. An inspection tells you which one you have and what it's made of.

Repairs that keep the details

On a Bloomfield Village Tudor, the chimney top is part of how the house looks. When one needs work, we reset loose pots, rebuild the crown around them and match the brick and mortar on any corbelled courses we take down and relay. If a flue with a pot needs a cap, we measure it so the cap fits the pot instead of replacing it.

Getting to you

We work across the township on Telegraph, Square Lake Road, Long Lake Road, Maple, Lahser and Franklin Road, and pair visits with jobs in Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham and West Bloomfield. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.