Chimney inspection in Lyon Township

New houses, more than one fireplace

The Estates at Hutsfield is one of the subdivisions that went in over the past twenty years, and a lot of houses in the township are over 2,500 square feet. A house that size often has more than one fireplace. Many of them are factory-built units, wood or gas, with a metal flue running up through a framed chase. The flue in the photo is that kind: round stainless pipe.

On a factory-built unit we look for cracked firebox panels and loose venting joints, then go up and check the cap and the chase cover. Each fireplace gets its own look, so tell us how many you have when you book.

Older houses around New Hudson

New Hudson, where Grand River meets Pontiac Trail and Milford Road, is the township's old center. Along Milford Road and Pontiac Trail, some houses went up while the township was still mostly farmland, long before the subdivisions around them. Some of those have a brick chimney that also carries the furnace or water heater flue, and a few still have an old wood stove hooked to it. Tell us about anything like that when you book. If you're buying an older house out there, the Level 2 inspection is worth asking for. It's $149, and it covers the chimney where it runs through the attic, basement and crawl space, plus a camera through the flue. Our inspection levels guide explains the difference.

People also book after a bad storm, after a chimney fire, or when they're changing the system, such as adding an insert or switching from wood to gas.

What it costs

A Level 1 inspection is $49, and the $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. We look at the fireplace, the flue we can see, and the outside of the chimney, then walk you through what we found. A camera through the flue adds $75. Our guide to chimney inspection cost goes through the options.

If the fireplace burns wood and hasn't been swept in a while, book the sweep with an inspection included instead.