Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Dearborn Heights

A city in two pieces

Residents voted in 1960 to make Dearborn Heights a city, out of two separate parts of the old Dearborn Township joined by a narrow strip of land. The north end sits along Warren Avenue, with Hines Park and the Rouge River running through it. The south end is around Van Born and Telegraph. Both halves are mostly brick houses built in the 1950s and 1960s, with some older bungalows mixed in. On a house from those years, the chimney is usually brick, with a flue for the fireplace and often a second one for the furnace or water heater.

Tar at the base of the chimney

After sixty or seventy years and a few roofs, it's common to find black roofing tar smeared where the brick meets the shingles, as in the photo. Tar is a quick fix somebody used to stop a leak. It dries out and cracks within a few seasons. Worse, it hides whether the flashing underneath is still any good. If you can see tar around your chimney from the yard, mention it when you book. Our guide to chimney flashing leaks covers the other signs to look for.

Flashing done properly

When the flashing on one of these chimneys has failed, we take the tar off and look at what's under it. Then we tell you whether the flashing can be resealed or needs to be replaced, and we repair it so there's nothing left to patch.

Along Hines Park

Houses that back onto Hines Park and the Rouge have the parkland trees right behind them. Branches over the roof drop leaves on the chimney top and give squirrels and raccoons a way up. A chimney without a cap is an open door for them. If you hear scratching in the fireplace, call before you light a fire.

A cleaning before the first fire

If the fireplace in your ranch hasn't been used in a while, or you don't know when it was last swept, book a cleaning and inspection before the season starts. We sweep the flue, check the other flues in the chimney, and look at the crown and flashing on the same visit.

Getting to you

We work across both ends of Dearborn Heights, on Telegraph, Ford Road, Warren, Van Born, Beech Daly and Inkster Road, and pair visits with Dearborn, Garden City and Westland. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.