How Much Does a Chimney Inspection Cost?

What the price pays for

An inspection is mostly time, access and judgment. The technician has to get safely onto the roof, examine the crown, cap, flashing and top of each flue, look up and down the flue from the firebox or the cleanout, check the smoke chamber and damper, and trace each appliance connection in the basement. Then the findings have to be explained in a way that lets you decide what to do.

Neighboring houses can be very different jobs. One has a single fireplace flue and a flat roof with a hatch. The next has fireplaces on two floors, a boiler flue with a water heater sharing it, and a pitched roof reached only by a tall ladder from the backyard. The parts examined are the same in kind, but the second takes much longer.

A quick check that stops at the firebox and damper is cheaper because it is shorter, but it leaves out the parts that fail most often around here: the crown, the mortar at the top and the flue tiles. Ask what the price covers. A full inspection includes the roof and, where there is one, the heating flue in the basement.

What changes the price of an inspection

Tell the company about these when you call, and the price you hear should hold on the day.

• Number of flues: each fireplace, stove, boiler and water heater flue is examined
• Height of the house and of the stack above the roof
• Roof access: an interior hatch, a ladder from the street or yard, a steep or slate roof
• Whether a sweep is done on the same visit
• Basement access to the boiler connection, thimble and cleanout
• The reason for the visit: routine, a home purchase, a storm or a chimney fire
• Scheduling needs, such as a fixed date before a closing

Flues add up in older houses

A brownstone or a pre-war two-family can have four or more flues in one stack: fireplaces on the parlor and upper floors, a boiler flue and sometimes an old kitchen or coal flue. Each one that is still connected to something needs its own look. Flues that have been sealed and abandoned need less attention, but someone still has to confirm they are sealed and that nothing has been connected to them since.

On detached colonials and split-levels in North Jersey, Nassau County and the towns around Philadelphia, a common setup is one fireplace flue and one heating flue side by side in the same chimney. Knowing that ahead of time helps the company send the right crew with the right ladder.

If the fireplace is decorative and sealed, say so. The visit can then focus on the flues still in use and on water getting in from the top.

Roof access on attached and detached houses

Flat roofs on rowhouses are often reached through a hatch at the top of the stairs or a closet, which is straightforward if the hatch opens and the ladder is sound. When there is no hatch, the crew may need to set a long ladder from the back yard, sometimes with permission from a neighbor. Steep slate or tile roofs on older detached houses take more care and more equipment to work on without damaging the roofing.

None of this is a reason to skip the roof. The crown, flashing and top of the flue are where much of the damage in this climate starts, and they cannot be judged properly from the ground.

When a sweep belongs on the same visit

Booking an inspection and a sweep together usually costs less than two separate trips, because the setup, drop cloths and roof access happen once. It also gives a better inspection. A coat of soot or glazed creosote can hide cracks and open joints that show clearly in a clean flue.

If the flue has not been swept in a while, or the fireplace gets regular use, ask for both. The same goes for a boiler flue with a cleanout full of soot and fallen scale.

A sweep also changes what the inspection can tell you about creosote. Light, sooty deposits, flaky crust and the hard, shiny glaze that forms after long smoldering fires each call for a different response, and the stage is easier to judge once loose material is out of the flue.

Inspections with a specific purpose

Some inspections take longer because of why they are booked. A home purchase calls for a thorough look at every flue and a written report the buyer can act on before closing. After a chimney fire, a lightning strike or a nor'easter that dropped a tree limb on the roof, the whole system has to be checked for damage. NFPA 211 expects a yearly inspection plus another after events that could have damaged the chimney, so these visits are part of normal care, not an extra.

Mention the reason when you book, so the time and the price reflect what the visit actually has to cover.

Questions to ask before you book

A short phone call settles most of what drives the price. These questions also show you how a company works before anyone climbs onto your roof.

• Does the price include the roof, the flue interior and the basement connections, or only the firebox?
• Is each flue in the stack included, or is the price per flue?
• Will I get written findings that say what was checked and what was found?
• If repairs are needed, will they be priced separately and in writing before any work?
• Is there a separate charge for a sweep, and is it worth doing on the same visit?
• What do you need from me on the day: roof hatch access, a clear path to the boiler, pets secured?

What you should have when the crew leaves

At the end of the visit you should know the condition of each part that was examined: crown, cap, flashing, masonry above the roof, each flue liner, smoke chamber, damper, firebox and, for heating flues, the connector, thimble and cleanout. Findings should be written in plain words, sorted by urgency, with a clear note of anything that should not be used until it is repaired.

A one-line slip that says chimney OK is worth little if you later sell the house or have a problem. Detailed written findings also make it easy to compare repair quotes, because every company is pricing the same described problem.

When repairs turn up

An inspection sometimes finds work that needs doing. That work should come as a separate written estimate listing each repair, so you can see what is urgent, what can wait for the season and what is optional. Pro 1 Chimney provides that estimate free, with no hidden fees, and nothing starts until you agree to it.