Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Oak Park

Two houses a day

When the war ended, Oak Park's five square miles were the biggest stretch of mostly empty land in the Detroit area. From 1946 to 1949 alone, 1,119 new buildings went up. Through the 1950s the city built about two houses a day, and the number of households went from 1,368 in 1949 to 8,548 in 1959. Once the land ran short in the 1960s, most of the building moved to the northwest corner of the city.

So most Oak Park chimneys are sixty to eighty years old, and a lot of them went up in the same few years. On chimneys that age, the crown and the flashing are where we'd expect the wear.

Before the boom

A few houses are older than the boom. The Majestic Land Company laid out the Oak Park subdivision in 1914 on an old farm, and about 270 houses went up in the 1920s. The city's own records put most of its buildings from before 1920 along the eastern edge, toward Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge.

A chimney from the 1920s is close to a hundred years old. The clay flue tiles inside can crack or separate at the joints without anything showing on the outside. Add a camera to your inspection for $75 and you'll see the inside of the flue for yourself.

Mid-century roofs

The city's master plan points out that many Oak Park homes are mid-century modern designs, and some of those have long, low roofs. On a low-pitched roof, rain and snowmelt move slowly past the chimney, and the uphill side of the flashing sits in water longer than it would on a steep roof. If you have a stain on the ceiling next to the chimney, our guide to chimney flashing leaks covers the signs and who fixes what.

Additions and teardowns up north

In the northern part of the city, many houses have been added onto, and some have been torn down and rebuilt larger. When a second story or an addition goes up next to an old chimney, the place where the new roof meets the old brick is the first thing we check.

Crown and flashing repair

On a chimney from the boom years, the crown and the flashing are the repairs we'd expect to quote most. We show you the photos, tell you whether a smaller repair will do, and match the brick and mortar if the top courses need repointing or rebuilding.

Getting to you

We work across Oak Park on Greenfield, Coolidge, Scotia and 8, 9 and 10 Mile, and pair Oak Park visits with jobs in Ferndale, Huntington Woods and Berkley. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.