Chimney repair, inspection and sweep in Hazel Park

The west side of Hazel Park

Our service area takes in the part of Hazel Park west of I-75, on the Ferndale side. That's the blocks along John R south of 9 Mile and the streets off West 9 Mile and West Woodward Heights. If you live east of the freeway, toward Dequindre, call and ask before you book, and we'll tell you whether we can get to you.

Houses people built themselves

Ford's Highland Park plant opened in 1914, and a lot of the people who worked there and in the plants around it settled in Hazel Park. It stayed unincorporated township land until the early 1940s, with no zoning and loose building rules. A local account from 1928 describes well-kept five and six room houses on the same streets as "garage homes" of two or three rooms. Plenty of families built on weekends, started small and added on later.

That history shows up in the chimneys. On a house that started as a garage home or a small cottage, the chimney may have gone in when the house was enlarged, built by the owner or by whoever he could hire. Some of those chimneys were built well and some weren't, and from the yard you can't tell which you have. An inspection looks at it from the crown down to the base and tells you what's venting into it.

Bungalows near 9 Mile and John R

The Michigan bungalows near downtown went up in the 1920s and 1930s, so their chimneys are close to a hundred years old. A tall, narrow chimney like the one in the photo stands well clear of the roof, and the top few feet take wind and rain from every side. You can see where bricks near the top have already been swapped out on that one. When the brick near the top flakes or stains white, our guide to white stains and crumbling chimney brick explains why.

Cape Cods after the war

After World War II, a lot of the open lots filled with Cape Cods. Many of them have one brick chimney carrying the furnace and the water heater, and some have no fireplace at all. When a newer furnace gets vented out the side wall, the water heater can be left alone in a clay flue sized for both, and its exhaust can condense inside the chimney. The usual fix is a stainless liner sized for the water heater.

Rebuilding the top of a tall chimney

When the top courses of a tall, narrow chimney work loose, patching a brick here and there doesn't hold for long. We take the loose brick down to solid courses, relay it in fresh mortar and pour a new crown, and we match the brick as closely as we can. You see the photos and get a written quote for the masonry work first.

Getting to you

We come into west Hazel Park on 8 Mile, 9 Mile, John R and Woodward Heights Boulevard, and pair visits with jobs in Ferndale, Royal Oak and Madison Heights. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.