Oakland County
Chimney sweep, inspection and repair in South Lyon
South Lyon had about 1,750 people in 1960 and more than 10,000 by 2000. The older houses sit on the blocks around Lake and Lafayette streets downtown, with mid-century ranches around them and newer subdivisions off Pontiac Trail and the Mile roads.
Three kinds of houses
South Lyon was a village for more than fifty years before it became a city in 1930, and the oldest houses are on the streets near downtown and McHattie Park. From the 1950s through the 1970s the town added ranches, bungalows and colonials around that core. Then it more than tripled in size between 1970 and 2000, and new subdivisions are still going in.
Each group has a different kind of chimney, so the first question when you call is how old the house is.
The tall, narrow chimney
A lot of the mid-century houses here have a single brick chimney running up an outside wall, only a brick or two wider than the flue. It rises past the eave and stands well above the roof on its own. A chimney that tall and thin catches wind and weather on every side, and the top few feet take the worst of it. We see loose brick near the top, crowns that have cracked or washed away, and flashing that has pulled away where the chimney passes the roof edge.
From the ground a chimney like that can look straight and solid while the top is coming apart. An inspection gets someone up close to it.
Many of these chimneys have no cap. An open flue on a tall chimney takes rain straight down the inside, and in spring it's an easy place for birds and raccoons to move in. A cap with a screen keeps both out.
Downtown's older houses
The houses near Lake and Lafayette went up while South Lyon was still a village, and their chimneys have often been patched or partly rebuilt over the years. Some still carry the flue for a furnace or water heater. If the brick near the top is flaking or stained white, see our guide to white stains and crumbling chimney brick.
Rebuilding the top
On a tall exterior chimney, the repair is often at the top: relaying the loose courses of brick, then a new crown. We show you photos of what we found and quote the masonry work in writing before anything starts.
Newer subdivisions
Houses in the subdivisions built since the 1990s are more likely to have a factory-built fireplace in a framed chase. The chase cover and the cap on top are what keep water out of the box, and we check both on every visit.
Getting to you
We come into South Lyon on Pontiac Trail, Lafayette, Lake Street, 9 Mile, 10 Mile and 11 Mile, and pair South Lyon visits with jobs in Novi, Wixom and Milford. Book online and pick a 3-hour arrival window, or call for same-day availability when the schedule allows.
South Lyon and the cities around it
We work across Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties.
Every area we serveServices in South Lyon
Chimney cleaning
We sweep the chimney and inspect it on the same visit, then clean up before we leave.
$349
Chimney inspection
We inspect the chimney inside and out and walk you through what we found, in plain language.
$49
Level 2 chimney inspection
For home sales and system changes: the attic, basement and crawl spaces, and a camera through the flue.
$149
Questions
The chimney on my South Lyon ranch is tall and narrow and runs up the outside wall. What goes wrong with those?
A tall, thin chimney stands well above the roof on its own, so the top few feet take most of the wind and weather. On the mid-century houses in South Lyon we see loose brick near the top, crowns that have cracked or washed away, and flashing pulling away where the chimney passes the roof edge. Many have no cap either, which lets rain and animals into the flue.
Do you offer same-day service?
Same-Day Availability When Schedule Allows. Call (248) 266-9991 and we'll tell you what we can do today.
Book a chimney visit in South Lyon
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.