Chimney inspection in Lathrup Village

Older chimneys, hidden flues

Louise Lathrup Kelley platted the village in 1924, and the first house was built that same year. The houses from the 1930s are now close to a century old. Their clay flue tiles can crack or come apart at the joints, and the mortar between them can wash out, with nothing showing from the outside. A camera through the flue shows it.

Postwar split-levels and later houses

After 1945, building picked up again, and a lot of the newer houses were ranches and split-levels, still faced in brick or stone. The district also has a few later Modern houses. A split-level from the 1950s usually has one chimney with a fireplace flue and a second flue for the furnace or water heater. When the furnace is replaced with one that vents out the side wall, the water heater can be left alone in a flue sized for both. Our guide on a water heater in an old chimney explains what that can do.

When people book

The common reasons are a house purchase, a fireplace nobody has used in years, a new furnace or water heater, and damage after a storm or a chimney fire. Older houses here also tend to have had chimneys worked on by several owners, and an inspection sorts out what was done and how well.

Level 1 or Level 2

A Level 1 inspection is $49, and the $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. We check the fireplace, the damper, the flues we can see, the crown and the flashing.

A Level 2 inspection is $149. It adds the chimney areas in the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the flue, and is used for home sales, system changes, and after a chimney fire or storm. Our guide to chimney inspection levels explains which you need, and chimney inspection cost covers the prices. The camera can be added to a Level 1 for $75.

If you'll use the fireplace this winter, a chimney sweep and cleaning in Lathrup Village includes the inspection for $349.