Westland, Wayne County
Chimney inspection in Westland
By 1960 Nankin Township was the largest township in Michigan. Residents voted to become the City of Westland in 1966, and building kept going, so a Westland chimney can be anything from a sixty-year-old brick flue to a factory-built fireplace.
Old ranches and newer houses
Westland has two broad kinds of houses. The first are the brick ranches from the Nankin Township years, off Ford Road, Warren and Wayne Road. They usually have a masonry chimney with two flues, one for the fireplace and one for the furnace or water heater. If the furnace was replaced with one that vents out the wall, the water heater may be left alone in a flue sized for two. Our page on a water heater in an old chimney explains why that matters.
The second are the houses built after the city formed. Westland had about 86,700 people by 1970, and the houses from then on are more likely to have a factory-built fireplace, with a metal flue inside a framed chase. Those have their own weak points: the chase cover, the cap and the joints in the metal flue.
When to book
People in Westland book a chimney inspection when they're buying or selling a house, when the furnace or water heater changes, when a fireplace hasn't been lit in years, or after a chimney fire or a bad storm. If you are not sure which level fits, call and describe the house and what vents into the chimney, and we will tell you.
Two levels
A Level 1 is $49. We check the firebox, the damper, the flue as far as we can see it, and the outside of the chimney from the roof. The $49 is credited toward any repair or service we do afterward.
A Level 2 is $149. It adds the chimney in the attic, the basement and any crawl space, and a camera through the flue, like the view in the photo. That's the one for a home sale, a change to what vents into the chimney, or after a fire or storm. A camera can be added to a Level 1 for $75. See chimney inspection levels and what a chimney inspection costs for more.
After the inspection
We go through what we found in plain language, with photos. If the flue needs sweeping, we can book a chimney cleaning. If it needs repair, you get a written quote, and nothing starts until you approve it.
Questions
How long does a chimney inspection take at a Westland ranch?
A Level 1 on a single-chimney ranch takes about an hour, including the time on the roof. A Level 2 takes longer, since we also go into the attic and the basement and run a camera through each flue. We walk you through what we found before we leave, so plan to be home for the end of it.
There are rust streaks on the siding under our chimney. Does an inspection cover that?
Yes. On Westland houses with a framed chase, rust streaks below the top usually come from a galvanized chase cover or cap that has started to rust through. We check the cover, the cap, the storm collar and the wood framing under the cover if we can see it, and show you photos. If the cover needs replacing, you get a written quote for one made to fit your chase.
Chimney inspection near Westland
Chimney inspection in Westland
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.