Oak Park, Oakland County
Chimney inspection in Oak Park
Oak Park chimneys were mostly built in the 1950s for a furnace, a water heater and sometimes a fireplace. Many of those appliances have been replaced since, and that change is the most common reason to have the chimney looked at.
Who books one here
Buyers, mostly, and people who have just had the furnace replaced. A 1950s brick ranch with a detached garage is the most common house in Oak Park, and when one sells, a general home inspection usually checks the chimney from the ground. We check it from the roof and from inside the flue.
People also call when a fireplace hasn't been used in years, when a water stain shows up near the chimney, or after a storm takes down a limb onto the roof.
The older houses on the east side
Before the postwar boom, the Majestic Land Company laid out the Oak Park subdivision in 1914, and about 270 houses went up in the 1920s, mostly along the east side of the city toward Ferndale and Pleasant Ridge. Those chimneys are close to a hundred years old. Clay flue tiles that age can crack, or the mortar between them can wash out, and you can't see either one from the roof or the fireplace. A camera can. It's $75 added to a Level 1, and it comes with a Level 2.
Furnace and water heater changes
Plenty of boom-era houses sent the furnace and the water heater up the same clay flue. When the furnace is replaced with one that vents out the side of the house, the water heater is left with a flue too big for it. Its exhaust cools on the way up and can leave water inside the chimney. We check what's venting into the chimney now and whether the flue suits it.
What it costs
A Level 1 inspection is $49 and is credited toward any repair or service we do after it. A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney in the attic, basement and crawl space and a camera through the flue, and it's what we'd suggest for a home sale, a change to the heating system, or after a chimney fire or storm. Our guide to chimney inspection levels lays out the difference, and the one on chimney inspection cost covers the prices. If you use the fireplace, book a chimney sweep in Oak Park instead, since the $349 visit includes an inspection.
Questions
We're buying a 1950s ranch in Oak Park. Which inspection do we need?
A Level 2, at $149. It covers everything in a Level 1, plus the chimney where it runs through the attic, basement and crawl space, and a camera down the flue. A general home inspection usually looks at the chimney from the ground. Call early in your inspection period so there's time to get any repair priced before you negotiate.
Our new furnace vents out the wall. Does the chimney still need checking?
Yes, if anything else still uses it. The water heater is often left in the old flue by itself, and a flue sized for two appliances can be too big for one. We check what's venting into the chimney now, look at the flue, and tell you whether it needs a liner sized for what's left.
Chimney inspection in Oak Park
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.