A methodical look at every reachable part of your chimney, firebox to crown, with straight answers about what's sound and what needs help.
A chimney hides most of its problems. Cracked flue tiles sit out of sight above the damper, a failing crown only shows itself from the roof, and water can travel a long way from a flashing gap before it stains a ceiling. Our inspection is a systematic examination of every part of the system we can reach: the firebox and damper from inside the house, the chamber sitting above the throat plus the visible run of the flue, then crown, cap, flashing, and outside masonry from rooftop and ground. You get plain findings — what's sound, what's wearing, and what needs work — before any of it becomes urgent.
The most common reasons Pinecrest homeowners call us for an inspection: a home sale or purchase involves a fireplace, a hurricane just rolled through, an unexplained stain or odor appeared, or nobody has checked the fireplace in living memory. Whatever the trigger, the visit works the same way. We examine, we explain, and anything needing correction goes into a written estimate — free, with pricing settled up front. If the chimney passes, you'll hear that too, and we leave — an honest all-clear is a perfectly good outcome, and it's one we deliver often.
Between June and November, every chimney in the village takes the same test: tropical downpours, wind gusts that work caps and chase covers loose, and branches off the oak canopy striking crowns and spark screens. The trouble is that storm damage rarely announces itself — a whisker-thin crown fissure or a lifted flashing corner looks like nothing from the ground and leaks all summer long. Bay-borne salt in the air quietly corrodes caps, screens, and damper hardware in the meantime. An annual examination, plus a check after any serious storm, catches these failures while they're still small repairs.
Pinecrest's housing stock also argues for regular checkups. A large share of the village's homes went up between the 1950s and 1970s, which means original masonry chimneys now sixty-plus years old — mortar joints softening, brick faces starting to spall, crowns on their last good years. The newer Mediterranean-style estates bring the opposite problem: tall stucco chases that conceal the actual chimney structure, where a failing chase cover can rust and leak for years unseen. We examine both types nearly every week, and we know where each generation of construction tends to fail first.
We check the firebrick and mortar joints inside the box for cracks and gaps, and confirm the damper opens fully, seats cleanly, and hasn't corroded.
Under strong lighting, we examine the chamber's sloped walls and the visible interior of the flue for cracked or shifted tiles, open joints, and heavy creosote.
From the roof, when access is safe, we look for crown cracks, a missing or corroded cap, and spark screens clogged with leaf litter.
The joint where chimney meets roof is South Florida's most common leak path. We examine the flashing metal and sealant condition on all sides.
We walk the stack looking for spalling brick faces, softening mortar joints, and efflorescence staining — and on framed chimneys, the condition of the chase and chase cover.
A written summary covers everything examined and everything discovered, plus a no-cost estimate attached to whatever work we recommend.
We start at the firebox: firebrick, damper, smoke chamber, and the visible flue interior, all checked under strong light.
When roof access is safe, we check the crown, cap, screen, flashing, and the top courses of masonry up close.
From the ground we review the full stack — brick faces, mortar joints, staining patterns, and how the chimney meets the roofline.
We walk you through everything we saw, answer your questions, and leave a written summary along with a no-cost estimate for anything repairable — zero scare tactics, zero hidden fees.
Free written estimates · Upfront pricing · Same-day service available
Annually is the standard we recommend, ideally before burn season. In South Florida it also makes sense to add a check after any major hurricane, since wind and driven-rain damage rarely shows from ground level.
Everything reachable: from indoors, the firebox, the damper, the chamber above it, and whatever the light reaches of the flue; from the roof (when access is safe), the crown, cap, screen, and flashing; and from the ground, the outer masonry or chase. You get the findings in writing.
Yes — general home inspections typically give the chimney only a glance, and many Pinecrest chimneys are fifty years old or more. Walking into closing with the true state of the flue, crown, and flashing documented can meaningfully change a negotiation.
All season long. After a storm we focus on the failure points wind exposes — shifted caps, cracked crowns, lifted flashing, and debris packed into the flue. If you suspect active leaking, call our 24/7 emergency line and we'll prioritize the visit.
The issue goes into a written summary, alongside a no-cost estimate with pricing settled in advance — then the decision is yours. We never invent urgency: if something can safely wait a year, we'll say exactly that.
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