Commerce Township, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Commerce Township
A Commerce Township house might be a winterized lake cottage, a 1970s ranch or a 2000s colonial with a factory-built fireplace. The inspection starts by finding out which kind of chimney you have and what it's carrying.
Who books one here
Commerce has been settled since the 1820s, and the village of Commerce was platted in 1836. Most of the houses came much later, in waves. Summer cottages filled the lake shores first. Then year-round neighborhoods and, from the 1990s on, big subdivisions between the lakes. That mix brings in a few kinds of calls:
- Buyers looking at a house on Bass Lake or Long Lake that started as a cottage.
- Owners of older lake houses where a furnace or water heater vents into a flue built for a fireplace.
- People in newer colonials whose factory-built fireplace hasn't been looked at since the builder put it in.
- Anyone after a chimney fire, a lightning strike or a storm that took down limbs.
What each level covers
A Level 1 inspection is $49 and is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. We check the firebox, damper, the flue as far as we can see, and the outside of the chimney.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space, and a camera through the flue. It's the one for home sales, after a fire or storm, and before you change what vents into the chimney. The camera can also go on a Level 1 for $75. See chimney inspection levels for the side-by-side.
Cottage chimneys after additions
When a cottage got a second story, the chimney that cleared the old roof may now sit below the new one. When an addition went on beside it, the chimney may be tied into a valley it was never built for. We check the height, the flashing and the flue on both counts.
Big chimneys on newer houses
Larger houses here often have tall chimneys with more than one flue, sometimes with clay pots on top like the one in the photo. Each flue gets checked separately, and the camera tells you whether the liners inside match what's on top.
When it's time to clean the flue, a chimney sweep in Commerce Township is $349 and includes an inspection.
Questions
We're buying a lake house that used to be a cottage. Which inspection should we book?
A Level 2 for $149. It covers the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space and runs a camera down the flue, which matters on a cottage that was added onto. We'll see whether the chimney still clears the new roof, what vents into it, and whether the flue is lined. Call early in your inspection period.
Our furnace was replaced and now vents out the side wall. Should the chimney be checked?
Yes. If the water heater still vents into the chimney, it may now be alone in a flue sized for the furnace too. That can leave the flue too big for it. Our $49 inspection checks what's venting where, and we'll tell you whether a liner is worth looking at.
Chimney inspection near Commerce Township
Chimney inspection in Commerce Township
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.