Appreciation post: The day a $15,000 chimney crown repair saved a house from a total loss

Got a call last month from a frantic homeowner in Springfield. Their living room ceiling had a dark stain, and they smelled something odd after heavy rain. I went up, and the clay tile flue liner was cracked top to bottom, the crown was crumbling, and water was pouring down the brick chase into the framing. The quote was steep, but they agreed. We did a full rebuild with a cast-in-place concrete crown and a stainless steel liner. The general contractor we called in found the wood around the chimney was already soft. If we'd just cleaned it and left, that house would have had a major structural issue within a year. It's a good reminder that sometimes the big, ugly jobs are the most important. Has anyone else had a 'routine' inspection turn into a major save like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

paul_morgan2mo ago

Found a cracked heat exchanger last week that could've been a real disaster.

brooke48416d ago

Real disaster nobody notices until it's too late. That's our world now.

brooke4842mo ago

Just another day saving lives.