Ely Stokes Inc. Chimney, Fireplace & Masonry

They gave us an estimate and finished it when they said they would.

The job was done competently.

The man was clean, courteous, did a good job and cleaned up from the job.

I called Ely Stokes for repairs on my leaking chimney & cracked brick sidewalk. They were on time for the appointment and had 2 workmen take a look at everything. They climbed on the roof & inspected the chimney, took photos and described the problems they found. I was promised an estimate "soon". I waited for approximately 2 weeks & never received the estimate so I called & explained the problem to a receptionist. She assured me that she would alert the appropriate person & my estimate would be forthcoming. I never received it or a follow-up call of any kind. It really frustrates me to re-arrange my day, spend time dealing with workmen and then be completely let down by a company's poor customer service. This was an expensive job and I guess they didn't need the business. I hired Masonry Outfitters and was very pleased with their customer service, communication and the finished work.

They were to call me within two days after I purchased the Big Deal. At least five days later, they finally called me. When we made arrangements, they didn’t show up on time nor did they call me. They showed up an hour and a half late, but it was evening time by then; it wasn’t convenient for me, so I asked them to leave. I called a different company to get the work done.

ser4viceman came, was friendly and professional and told us much more about our chimney than we expected to hear.

Arrived on time. Did thorough inspection. Cleaned. Gave oral and written report. Answered questions. Polite and professional

They did a great job. They came when they said they would, did the work, were pleasant and neat. The fireplace is working great now.

I wish I had had the opportunity to brag about this company - it looks like they do good work - but they are heavy on false promises about getting back to me.

He was on time, very friendly and efficient. Gave us tips for our chimney and starting a fire in the fireplace. We would definitely recommend him to anyone. Great experience!

They were eally quick to get back with me, and curteous.

Never returned my call

This was a great experience. The technician was friendly, clean and punctual. In addition to sweeping our chimney he gave us an estimate on work that could be done in the future, but wasn't pushy about trying to sell us that service.

Cleaning was very quick and thorough. As I just bought the house and never had a fireplace before I had a lot of questions. He was very informative and answered all the questions I had for him about the fireplace. So I knew everything about it by the time he left.

The serviceman was on time, prepared the area around the fireplace with drop clothes. He did an excellent job.

I called Ely Stokes to clean my chimney, while here, he did a full inspection of my chimney and found the the pan at the top of the chimney had rusted out,with many holes in it. He came down and explained the situation, I had expected this, as I could see the rust from the ground. He took measurements while up there, and ordered a new pan constructed of stainless steel. He came back after the new pan was completed and replaced the pan atop my chimney. Less than 3 week elapsed from the original cleaning/inspection till the new pan was delivered and installed. He was very prompt, the cost was reasonable, he did the job and cleaned up without any mess made in the home. I'm very happy with the service and would recommend them to anyone. I used Angie's List to find Ely Stokes, a Super Service award winner.

Using the Angie's List "Big Deal", we scheduled a fireplace inspection and chimney sweeping for our "new" condo. (fireplace had not been used for several years). He arrived on time and was very courteous and thorough. Ely Stokes was recommended to us by our realtor and we were to happy to see a "Big Deal" for this company. He did not leave a mess and answered all our questions. We will definitely use them again in the future.

A great experience as always.

They cleaned up after them self daily where they had finished for the day. They did the work efficiently and within budget. They did not try to sell me something that we did not need or over sell the job. We will have them back to our home again as needed.

Ely, Came out to do a level 1 inspections and sweep.. After a little trouble getting a return call to schedule things went very well. The employee who came to the house was very nice and very detailed on what he was doing and what to look for in the future. I have used a few services and this is one I would use again.. service was done within a week in time for the holidays..

Initiated via online appointment request form. Took a few emails / days to get appointment scheduled properly. Company stated email / contact delay as they were in the process of moving locations. Called with estimate arrive time 20min before arrival. Arrived within scheduled time, professionally dressed, company vehicle. Reviewed areas to work - dryer in the garage; fireplace within living space. Tech wore shoe guards to prevent tracking dirt into house. Chimney: covered hearth & surrounding area with tarp. Shop Vac cleaned out fireplace, scraped down chimney soot and inspected chimney, fire bricks and door. Fixed the damper so that it opens / closes properly. Took time to walk homeowner thru operation of damper, the cleaning of the chimney, and annual inspection / cleaning. Dryer Vent: moved dryer out to access back panel. Shop vac cleaned dryer area, behind dryer, vent. Reduced dryer vent tube to 1/2 length. Said not necessary and can cause problems if too long. Went into attic and noticed lint around the attic. Further inspection, vent was stepped on at some point. Provided immediate updated estimate for repair. Three foot section needed replaced. Notified homeowner and provided quote to replace. Had section in truck to replace. Section replaced and cleaned up area. Walked homeowner thru what was completed and instructed annual cleaning / inspection. Comment: it is not necessary for companies to knock competitors to improve their position. If you were called out, you were already selected. Your work should stand by itself without negativity.

Rob, the Ely Stokes technician, arrived at the agreed upon time. He inspected the chimney, said it was dirty and cleaned it. We told him about the smoke that we experienced with the two fires we had this year. He first verified that the fire place had a natural draw. Then with our permission he set to start a fire to make a determination. He built a fire with my wood and materials. It took awhile to build a self sustaining fire using fire starter sticks, newspaper and a propane torch. He noticed that some of the wood I had was not dry which inhibited starting a fire and generated smoke. He also said the fireplace opening was bigger than recommended which would make it easier for smoke to roll out if there was a lot of smoke and/or the fire wasn't hot enough. Some smoke did spill out into the room and he said it was due to the wet wood and the over sized opening. He placed more dry wood on the fire and it burned hotter and the smoke stopped spilling out. We experienced no more problems with that fire. He recommended that we stage the wood in the garage to ensure that it is dry (keeping it under a tarp outside did not keep it dry). He also recommended we try a smoke damper that would effectively reduce the opening by several inches (lower the height of the opening). He said we could gain the same benefit from a metal and glass screen if installed in front. Rob did not push for a sale of anything. He just explained what what the problem was and what we could do to address. Rob is a Master Sweep. He is knowledgeable, effective and helpful.

Wanting to get ready for winter and never having lived in a house with a fireplace before I turned to Angie's List. It helped me find the perfect company and technician. Rob was GREAT!! He was on time, professional, and knowledgeable. He was also neat and conscientious. He took the time to show me how the fire place works and how to use it properly. He also took the time to explain the type of fireplace and it?s intended use (mood rather then heat). He cleaned out the fireplace, inspected the chimney, cleaned the glass doors, and removed the blower grill so he could clean the blower area and I could clean the grill. He then started a nice fire so he could actually demonstrated how it works as well as make sure everything was working properly. He then moved on to our dryer vent. This turned into more of a job then he or I would have thought. The house is 20 years old and they had used flexible heating duct, which was probably ok at that time, instead if metal tubing for venting the dryer across the rafters and out to the side of the house. They had also used about 25 feet if tubbing instead if the 15 that was needed. He had to get into my attic and actually hunt down the blockage. He found it and did the best he could, there was a lot of blockage. He recommended I replace the venting which I am going to have him do. He gave me two options of ways to replace the vent, up through the ceiling in the laundry room and straight up out the roof or try cut a bigger hole in the laundry wall to keep the vent in the same location(up inside the wall and across the rafters out the end of the house). He did not try to tell me that it would be easy or not very expensive, which I appreciated. I will definitely be recommending this company, and Rob to friends and neighbors. I would also like to mentioned I used one of the Angie's List Rapid Connect coupons. I got a good deal, it was fast, I actually got a call back from the company the day I made the ciupon prurchase. There appointment setter was also friendly and politly answered all my questions and addressed all my conserns. This company has gained a life long customer!! Thank You

It was a pretty simple job and everything went fine. The worker was clean, fast, and professional.

It went very well, they took about 4 days to complete the project, cleanup was perfect and the guys were polite.