Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in Redford

A township built in one decade

About 60 percent of Redford's houses went up in the 1950s. Pine Ridge was platted in 1925, but building there didn't really start until 1953. The Chesterfield subdivisions came in the same years, south of Grand River and up near Seven Mile. Most of what was built is brick ranches and bungalows with basements, and most have one brick chimney.

That means most Redford chimneys are about seventy years old, and they're wearing out on roughly the same schedule.

Tar on the chimney top

On older Redford chimneys we often find black roofing tar spread over the crown and the top few rows of brick, like the one in the photo. Somebody had a leak, and tar was the quick fix. The trouble is that tar holds water against the brick instead of keeping it out. The brick keeps soaking up water and freezing under the patch, and by the time the tar cracks, the brick under it can be falling apart.

If your chimney has tar on it, don't add more. Our guide to white stains and crumbling chimney brick explains how water breaks brick down.

Two flues and a basement

Redford houses were built with basements, and the furnace and water heater down there usually vent up the same brick chimney as the fireplace, in a flue of their own. The furnace flue gets less attention because nobody sees it, but it runs all winter. An inspection checks every flue in the chimney, from the basement to the top.

Rebuilding under the tar

When the brick under a tar patch has crumbled, the fix is to take the chimney down to solid brick and rebuild from there with a new crown. We match the brick color as closely as we can. For smaller damage, masonry repair on the joints and a few bricks may be enough. We'll tell you which one you're looking at before we quote.

Buying a Redford house

A lot of Redford houses have changed hands more than once, and the chimney rarely comes with any paperwork. If you're buying, a Level 2 inspection puts a camera through each flue and covers the chimney in the attic and the basement. That's where you'll find out whether the tar on top is hiding anything.

Getting to you

We work across Redford on Telegraph, Grand River, Five, Six and Seven Mile, and Beech Daly, and pair Redford visits with jobs in Livonia and Garden City. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.