Chimney repair, inspection and sweep in Detroit

The part of Detroit we cover

We only work on Detroit's northwest and west side: roughly west of the Southfield Freeway and north of Joy Road and Warren Avenue, plus the blocks near Redford and Dearborn Heights. That takes in Rosedale Park, North Rosedale Park, Brightmoor, Old Redford and Warrendale. We don't cover the rest of the city. If you're close to the edge of that area, call and ask before you book.

Rosedale Park and North Rosedale Park

Rosedale Park, between Evergreen and the Southfield Freeway south of Grand River, was platted in 1916 and built up mostly from the late 1920s into the 1940s. Its houses are mostly brick, in Tudor, colonial, bungalow, Dutch colonial and foursquare styles. North Rosedale Park has around 1,700 houses from the 1920s and 1930s.

A brick house from those years usually has a chimney with clay flue tiles, one for the fireplace and often another for the furnace or boiler in the basement. After ninety-some years, the mortar near the top may have been repointed more than once, and the crown may be more patch than original. The chimney in the photo has two clay pots on top. Each pot is bedded into the crown, and when that joint opens up, water gets in around it.

Rosedale Park is a historic district

Rosedale Park is a city historic district, so exterior work there can need review by the Detroit Historic District Commission. When we quote a job in Rosedale Park, we check what the commission needs for that work, tell you on the quote, and plan the schedule around any review.

Old Redford, Brightmoor and Warrendale

Old Redford grew up around Grand River and Lahser, and the Redford Theatre opened there in 1928. Brightmoor was started in 1921 by developer B.E. Taylor as a neighborhood of inexpensive houses for workers, and has lost more than half its people since 1990. If you've bought a house there that sat empty for a while, have the chimney looked at before the first fire. A flue in an empty house can fill up with nests, leaves and broken tile. A cleaning and inspection tells you whether it's safe to use.

Warrendale, along Rouge Park and the Dearborn Heights line, was built mostly in the 1940s, with one-story houses and frame bungalows. On a house that age, the chimney often carries the furnace and water heater flues as well as, or instead of, a fireplace. If the furnace has been replaced with one that vents out the wall, read our guide to a water heater in an old chimney.

Repairs on 1920s brick

On brick this old, we repoint with mortar that suits it and rebuild the crown when patching won't hold. Loose pots get reset. In Rosedale Park, work that needs the commission's review waits until it's approved. You see the photos and get a written quote for the masonry repair first.

Getting to you

We come into northwest Detroit on Grand River, Telegraph, Lahser, Evergreen, Outer Drive and Joy Road, and pair visits with Redford and Dearborn Heights. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.