Van Buren Township, Wayne County
Chimney inspection in Van Buren Township
Northern Van Buren Township has 1990s and 2000s colonials with either a brick chimney or a factory-built fireplace, and older houses along Belleville Road with a second flue for the furnace. An inspection tells you which you have and what shape it's in.
Brick chimney or factory-built
We cover the northern part of the township, north of Belleville Lake. South of the lake, call and ask first.
Van Buren Estates, off Haggerty between Tyler and I-94, went up from 1993 to 2002, with houses from three to five bedrooms. Subdivisions from those years went both ways on fireplaces. Some colonials have a brick chimney with a clay-tiled flue. Others have a factory-built fireplace with a metal flue inside a framed chase. A buyer needs to know which, because they wear out in different places: the chase cover and metal flue on one, the crown and clay tile on the other.
Older houses with a second flue
The older houses on the straight streets along Belleville Road often have a chimney with two flues: one for the fireplace and one for the furnace or water heater. If the furnace has been replaced with a high-efficiency model that vents out the wall, the water heater may now be alone in a flue sized for both. That's worth checking, and it's one of the reasons a Level 2 inspection exists.
What each level covers
A Level 1 inspection is $49. We check what can be reached without special tools: the firebox, the flue, the outside of the chimney and the connection to any appliance. The $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do after it.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the attic, basement and crawl space areas around the chimney, and a camera through the flue. It's used for home sales, changes to the heating system, and after a chimney fire or storm. A camera can be added to a Level 1 for $75. Our guide on chimney inspection cost lays out what you're paying for.
After a windstorm
A chimney like the one in the photo stands well above the roofline on the outside wall, out in the wind on every side. After a hard storm, check from the ground for loose brick near the top, a tilted cap or a gap where the chimney meets the siding. If you see any of that, book an inspection before the next fire. If the chimney just needs cleaning, we can sweep it on the same visit.
Questions
How do I know if my Van Buren Township house has a masonry chimney or a factory-built fireplace?
From the yard, it can be hard to tell, because some framed chases are faced with brick. Inside, a factory-built fireplace usually has a metal firebox with refractory panels and a round metal flue. A masonry fireplace has firebrick and a clay-tiled flue. We tell you which you have during a $49 inspection, and what each one needs.
We're selling our house in Van Buren Township. Which inspection should we book?
A Level 2, at $149. It is the level used for home sales, and it covers the attic, basement and crawl space sections plus a camera through the flue. If anything turns up, you have photos and a written repair price before the buyer's side finds it, which gives you more room to decide how to handle it.
Chimney inspection near Van Buren Township
Chimney inspection in Van Buren Township
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.