Chimney inspection in Novi

Lake houses and older houses changing hands

Walled Lake has had cottages along its shore since the early 1900s, when it was a summer getaway for people from Detroit. Since the 1980s, a lot of those cottages on the Novi side have been rebuilt, added onto or torn down for new houses. If you're buying one, you may be looking at a chimney that was built in stages. The brick may be older than the house around it. The flue may have been relined for a new furnace. Or nobody has used the fireplace in years. If the fireplace was closed off during a remodel, tell us, and we'll check whether the flue still runs clear to the top.

That's the kind of house where a Level 2 inspection earns its price. It's $149, and it adds the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space plus a camera through the flue. Our inspection levels guide explains the difference between the two.

Island Lake and the newer subdivisions

In Island Lake of Novi, off Wixom Road north of 10 Mile, most houses went up from the early 2000s on. Many have a factory-built fireplace, wood or gas, with a metal flue inside a framed chase. Some have two. A factory-built unit has parts that wear: the firebox panels, the venting joints, the cap and the chase cover on top. We look at each one, and if you have more than one fireplace, tell us when you book.

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 from the roof, then walk you through what we found. Adding a camera through the flue is $75. Plan on about an hour. You don't need to come up on the roof, but be home at the end so we can show you the photos. Our guide to chimney inspection cost goes through what each option covers.

If the fireplace burns wood and hasn't been swept in a while, book a sweep and inspection instead. It covers both on one visit.