Sols Chimney Sweep

From step one, this was a great experience. They were responsive to my initial request via Angie's List note, on the phone, and with scheduling. As with most projects, one thing leads to another: A call for a chimney cleaning led to me thinking about gas logs. Turns out Sol's handles both. They scheduled to come out about a week out as I called at the peak of the fall/winter season start. Upon their arrival, they gave me a thorough assessment of my fireplace. Loose mortar, chipped bricks in firebox, significant buildup in lower chimney; but, overall in good shape. They discussed each step as a separate project, (cleaning, repairing, cosmetic improvements, gas logs) I appreciate this approach as it allows me to understand the work required, and associated costs for each step of the process, allowing me to tailor the project to my needs. Every detail and option was explained, and question answered thoroughly. They even talked me out of the expensive option of an auto-lighter/remote gas fireplace option. (you don't get a "downsell" that often) While they were discussing the chimney, I asked them to look at my dryer vent for safety. Glad I did! It was leaking, and had more twists and turns than a racetrack. Sols replaced and rerouted the dryer vent to be a more direct shot out of the house which decreased the opportunity for lint build up and increased the efficiency of the dryer. About 10 days later, Sol's was back with my new gas log set up. All the repairs were completed neatly with no residual dust in the room, AND they painted the inside of the firebox with fireproof paint in a manner that truly set off the new fireplace. They spent a lot of time making sure the log set up and gas flow was just right to be appealing visually and not a "soot machine" like many gas fireplaces become. Great job, great addition. We've used our gas fireplace more in one season than we ever used it in its wood burning format. Hooray for Sols.

We had the top portion of the chimney rebuilt and whoever did it actually dropped some bricks down the chimney so they had to clean it out. They had run into several problems with the way the chimney was repaired then but they overcome them. They just worked right through them and did not charge anything extra for it and did a good job. We are happy with them. They ran into problems but they handled them. Price wise they were about wherever the other quotes were. They were actually $100 more but the other quotes did not know about the problems with the brick in the chimney so they were about the same. They said when they were going to show up and they showed up on time, and they did the work on time. We were pleased with them.

All went well. Careful and thorough examination and cleaning of wood stove. Best he could do on checking routing of dryer vent hose. Hard to trace. Found, on his own, a potential CO problem with bad exhaust duct from furnace. Furnace company later checked this out and patched it. All in all, happy with the chimney company and will consult with them about potentially adding one or two more small wood stoves.

We noticed about 3-4 weeks ago something brown was stream lining down the walls of our kitchen pantry and the top shelf of our pantry was wet. So, my husband investigated and traced the culprit up to our unfinished attic, and he could see that our chimney was leaking water. We began our search for someone to come and inspect our chimney. We received 2 estimates before contacting Sol. The other two providers were less than 20 minutes away from us, and their quotes were outrageous and definitely out of our reach. Interestingly, both providers diagnosed our chimney's problem as being pretty much the same, but one of the providers quoted an additional $225. We were very concerned about carbon monoxide being infused in the air so we were really between a hard rock and a wall because we just could not afford what these guys were asking for, nor could we afford not to have our chimney repaired (at this point water was the least of our problems). Needless to say, we turned to Angie's list, I don't know why we didn't do this in the first place, and much to our amazement we saw one of the provider's names listed, we kept looking and found Sol's Chimney Sweep, we read every single solitary word from each customer and we knew this is the person we need to call. And so we called (on a Wednesday), we explained to Sol that we had condensation coming from our chimney and the water damage in the pantry from it, it was as though he had already seen it, because he understood every word that we were saying. He too was concerned about carbon monoxide (we never mentioned this to him), we told him that we wanted to set up an appointment for him to come out, but when we gave him our address, he said, "I'm sorry, but I'm located about 40-50 miles away from you, but I can certainly recommend someone whose much closer to you." My heart sank because the reviews and our conversation had gone so well, I just knew he was the man for our job. After consideration, Sol made the decision that he would come out on Friday (2/7/14). He and his brother, Greg, came and walked me and my husband step by step from beginning to end, in plain terms, everything that we needed to have done and why. Of course, this goes without saying, Sol and his brother Greg were God Send for us. We were able to afford our chimney serviced and no more fear about carbon monoxide and water damage in our home. They did not have to come 40-50 miles out of their way to help us, but they did. They are honest, professional and caring businessmen. I highly recommend them! Our chimney was completed on February 15, 2014, the job took about 2.5 hours (give or take a few minutes).

We were very pleased with Sol's Chimney Sweep, especially given the scope of the work. We had several estimates and Sol's price was competitive. We did nearly $9,000 worth of worth on 2 chimneys (4 flues) and have been exceptionally happy with the result. Sol and his brother were very knowledgeable, met all deadlines, and delivered the promised results. They are fun and casual, but don't let that fool you. They know what they're doing and offer quality work.

The entire installation, from start to finish, went very well. A thorough cleanup was done when the job was finished. Sols team was professional and respectful of our property and time. We were very pleased with the quality and cost.

They were great to work with, did much of the discussion and quote over the phone/text which worked great for me. They were able to come up with a solution to replace my chimney pipes on an existing older box without having to replace the entire system, which many other providers I had called said we needed to do and at a much higher cost. The new gas logs are beautiful and the company called after the work was completed to check in. Very happy with my experience.

Went great, came early, assessed the situation and got right to work -- Went above and beyond by trimming a branch close to my chimney and took my old clay pot cap that was broken with him. Would've been hard for me to get rid of it. Had a cap on his truck, put it right on. Chimney works great now, no down draft.

They did a terrific job all around. They were professional, very knowledgeable, and not afraid to tackle a difficult job. In addition to rebuilding my fireplace, they diagnosed a venting problem in the chimney that vents the boiler and water heater exhausts which had resulted in corroded vent pipes, a deteriorating chimney and ineffective venting which could have resulted in carbon monoxide gases backing up into the house. They went above and beyond fixing the problem--although it truned out to be a bigger job than they anticipated they stuck to their original price quote and completed the job on-schedule leaving everything in excellent condition when they left with minimal disruption to the interior and exterior walls they needed to cut into. I have recommended them to my neighbors and friends and would definitely use them again.

Sol did a great job and left our living room cleaner than he found it. He did a thorough sweep and inspection of not only our chimney but also our furnace area and exterior. He explained what we needed to do to maintain it and recommendation for any repairs. He was very helpful and I would recommend him to anyone!

Sol is so nice and amazing. I can't believe he refused to take any money for adjusting the fireplaces and cleaning the glass. He was honest enough to tell us to find another provider since he couldn't do the liner and we neede it in order to hook up our furnace for heat.

We bought a foreclosure which has lots of issues with the chimney's. During the home inspection the repairs came in at 17,000 to 21,000 in chimney repairs. Once we closed on the house I found Sol's. I called him because he had great review on Angie's list. He came out and first repaired our furnace chimney which was completely enclosed. They did a great job on the first job doing everything they had said they would do. So we hired them to put a gas log and repair the top of our main chimney. Everything turned out great and I would recommend them to anyone in the area looking for chimney repairs.

I was extremely pleased with Sol's, and I would definitely recommend them. The service was prompt and courteous both on the phone and when they arrived, and the service rep was very helpful in throughly explaining everything to me. Most significantly, I think there were several opportunities where a more dishonest firm could have easily have encouraged me to add several expensive chimney repair options, but the rep was honest and let me know my present set up would pretty much suffice.

Initial call was returned within an hour. An appointment was set up to inspect for an estimate. Greg called ahead to let me know he was on the way. Arrival was at the agreed upon time. After inspecting the fireplace he told me what was needed, explained why it was needed, and provided a written estimate. We agreed to do the work and set up an appointment. On the appointed day Sol called ahead to let me know they were on the way. Again, they arrived at the appointed time and did the work as agreed. I paid by check and got a detailed, written reciept. Sol's is a professional operation. These gentlemen know their business and know how to run a business right. They are professional, courtious and fair. They left behind not a trace of dust or soot, took the time to explain the details of how my fireplace worked and answered all my questions. When I asked about any follow up they suggested to call them in "five or six years" as the chimney will probably need cleaning again. i was expecting to hear the need for annual servicing. I was favorably impressed with the five or six year comment.

Everything went very smoothly. He is very professional. He is very easy to talk to, makes you feel comfortable and answers questions. He came out, did the estimate, I was happy with the amount, he was early and he did a beautiful job.

Sol came out and did a great job. The chimney had never been swept and was so dirty it took him 2 hours to complete the job. Not only did Sol do a great job but he has a great personality too. At no time was he hurried or looked at his watch. He did a great job and gave a great consultation. Would definitely use him again. Thanks Sol!

Several years ago I hired a guy to rebuild a decaying brick chimney. The work was extremely shoddy. I later had a company install a lining. Their work was also very shoddy which I was not aware of until Sol and his brother came to inspect and give me a quote on replaceing the rebuilt chimney, which was now leaning precariously to the left! Sol and his brother are conscientious about their work and are thorough in their assessments of what needs to be done. They ripped out the old lining which was defective and installed a new one. They rebuilt the chimney with cinder blocks from the roof up. They repaired the chimney at its base as well. They were very professional, personable, knowledgeable, punctual in every regard. The chimney looks great. I have no doubt it will last many years.

I called Sol's to request an estimate. Sol called back within the day to discuss the project. He was honest and upfront about what he believed my project would require and recommended that I not attempt to replace the brickettes or rebuild the chimney because of the lack of permanence to the first option and the high cost of the second option. Although he was willing to come out and look the project over, he recommended looking for a siding company instead.

Disconnection and removal of gas grill was accomplished efficiently, including hauling away the old grill. In the process of doing the job it was noted that gas line to fireplace was copper and should be replaced. We will hire them to come back and replace the copper and recondition the gas fireplace also.

A couple of weeks ago the chimney cap of my furnace/hot-water-heater chimney finally succumbed to the heavy Chicago winds after many years. I immediately checked Angie's List and after reading the reviews of various companies, I selected Sol's Chimney Sweep. I called them and set a time and date for them to come out. Two days before the scheduled date I got a call from Sol's brother Mike, who said he needed to be in area the next day and if it was okay to come a day earlier. No problem. He came out the next day as scheduled, looked things over and gave us an estimate for the cap as well as a chimney liner which I requested and needed anyhow for this 62 year old Georgian house. He was very courteous and yet very friendly. He showed us what needed to be done and me, being a DIY'er, asked various questions which he answered in a very informative way so both my wife and I understood the what's and why's. We felt comfortable with him and his confidence in doing the work. He put together a Work Proposal which included a free chimney sweep, free replacement of the ducts connecting the chimney to the furnace and water heater, a 15 year warranty on the cap/liner and a price that was very acceptable to us. We signed and a the office then called us to set an installation date. On the scheduled installation date (today 4/22/2013), Sol, Mike and his son "Junior" came out on time and did the installation. It took about 2 hours. While they were at it they constantly made sure that everything was kept clean and debris was swept up to avoid tracking. After all was done my wife and I were pleased with how neat and clean the work was. I learned a few tricks of the trade and Sol gave me some suggestions on what else I could do on my own to keep moisture at bay around the house. Would I use them again for chimney related work and would I recommend them? You bet.

Sol and his brother also swept the chimney and repainted the inner wall of the fireplace. All the old logs, burner pan and grate were removed. First visit included inspection of the work needed and a detailed written quote. Less than a week later scheduled an appointment and appeared on time. The work and cleanup were finished in a couple of hours and the operation of the fireplace demonstrated. Not cheap but a neat, clean and competent job. Would use them again

Sol did a great job! He's very nice and professional. After completing the work, he cleaned up the place. Highly recommended.

Tuckpointed and cleaned our fireplace before our pending sale of house. Just 1 mix-up on scheduling but that was due mostly to my small time window. We meet and discussed my needs & they took much care in their efforts. Pride in their work, for sure.

I received a phone call in the morning as a response to my e-mail. On the day of his visit he called to inform me about his arrival time. Inspected the fireplaces, did some diagnostics, and checked the chimney. On the day of repairs/modifications, he came with his brother. After finishing the work, they took the time to explain and demonstrate. Answered all of our questions.

I emailed Sol's for a price quote and he was prompt in a reply. I then emailed him to set up an appointment but never received a response. I emailed him again about three days later and still no response. I went with another service for the inspection & sweep. I might use Sol's in the future depending if they were more responsive.