American Professional Chimney & Masonry

When we first scheduled an appointment for an estimate, I think no one came at the time when my husband expected so he was not home when someone did come. I think there was some miscommunication on both ends. When I called to make another appointment, it was pointed out to me that no one was home for the first appointment. I agreed and said that I would be home when someone came to the house. The estimator arrived on time, was very polite, behaved professionally. Catherine Wilson e-mailed me a copy of the estimate a couple of days in advance of our appointment and asked for confirmation of acceptance via e-mail, which I did. We received an advance phone call reminding us of our appointment date and time. The workmen arrived on time. My husband is pleased with the quality of the work, the professional behavior of the workmen, and the fact that they cleaned up when the job was complete. And the price was reasonable.

The two gentleman had previously come for the estiment. When they returned for the work they took every effort to protect my furniture and home before they work began. They adjusted my furniture and put a tent up from floor to ceiling to ensure limited dirt and dust exposure. I needed a new fireplace door installed and due to the dimensions extensive labor was needed. As the work went on, I appreciated their experience in keeping me informed on what needed to be and why. Although he work took up to half the day when it was complete it was worth it. It looks beautiful and with the weather the way it's been, I'm more than pleased. The removed all debris and materials and swept and cleaned up in that area. I would recommend this company to anyone and would utilize them if needed. They did excellent work. Deborah Greer

The first day, the chimney was removed and the new liner put through. There was one problem -- the old connection to the furnace had a large box-like fixture that seemed to have been adapted from a previous oil furnace [I think to increase air exchange and feed fresh air to the furnace. The workmen explained that we didn't need that kind of fixture for our type of furnace, and so they didn't put a similar box onto the new connection to the flue. However, when the furnace was turned back on, it smelled as if I had a diesel truck idling in my basement! The workmen returned and initially thought that if the seam of the new connection was turned to the underside, the gas would escape properly up the chimney.... but I was concerned something else might be amiss, so I called in Glenoak Plumbing to get a second opinion. He explained the air intake hood that was needed [similar to the one atop our gas water heater], and what size we'd have to get. The next day, the American Chimney people traveled around the region to get to the one place that had an available part of the correct size for my furnace, and got it installed. The brickwork of the new chimney was completed, a nice animal-exclusion cap put on, and everything has been running properly ever since. Bonus: I have a new, reliable plumber, too!

They arrived on time within the window provided. They installed the chimney cap very quickly. They did a very good job of explaining the problems with the chimney. Both gentlemen were very courteous and professional. I am currently waiting to hear back from them on a written estimate for additional work.

The lady there, Catherine, is just as nice and sweet as she can be. She's never shown me otherwise. I first started off with her. She let me pay down payment and I owed $0.35 so I sent her a money order for $0.35 and she was overwhelmed. They were very reasonable. They knew what to do. If they were undecided, they would call Miss Cathey, who doesn't go out in the field. Cathy is very professional. They are a wonderful company. They cleaned up behind themselves. They cleaned up the debris. The prices are very reasonable. If you can't afford it, Miss Cathy will work with you.

Ask lots of questions. The estimator was patient and knowledgeable. He also recommended another company to service the gas log fireplace operation.

Half of the work done...need I say more?

The chimney in question is quite tall, and services two fireplaces on two separate floors. One chimney cap had rusted out, and a squirrel had entered one flue. The squirrel had taken up residence in the smokeshelf up above one fireplace, but had also managed to come down into the fireplace itself and make a mess of the gas log and the insulation and rock wool that the gas log uses to give the appearance of ashes. The two men from the company came very promptly, and were very professional. They were obviously quite experienced. The most difficult part of the job was removing the squirrel, which seemed equally experienced at evading capture. They tried lowering a rope to give the (rather frightened) animal a means of climbing out, but the squirrel was recalcitrant. They tried running their chimney brushes up and down the flue, but the squirrel still manage to take evasive action. Finally, one of the men put on three sets of gloves, crawled into the fireplace, and managed to catch the squirrel with his hands. For those interested, the squirrel was NOT harmed, although it did vociferously express its indignation up to the point where it was released in the front yard. Since then, the two technicians have replaced both chimney caps and repaired the gas log. They were professional, experienced, and very competent. However, what impressed me most of all was their persistence in capturing that squirrel. I would not have blamed them if they had given up. Moreover, it must be remembered that there was an element of danger involved in this. I can highly recommend their services, and would have no hesitation in doing business with them again.

We recently bought a house with a fireplace, and wanted to be sure the fireplace/chimney were clean and safe to use. We made an appointment with APCM, and was able to have someone come out within 3 days of our call. The tech arrived prior to our appointment time, and immediately got to work. He inspected the fireplace hearth and flue, and went up on the roof to inspect both the chimney and furnace stacks. The fireplace chimney was clean and didn't need much work, but the video scan showed that mortar just below the top of the chimney had loosened and needed to be remortared before the fireplace was used again. He also found loose mortar in the firebox. His exterior inspection showed that the bricks of both chimneys were absorbing water. He also found that the cement crown of our furnace chimney was cracked. He prepared a detailed cost proposal for all the work that needed to be done, and explained his findings thoroughly, including possible outcomes if the work was not done. When we are ready to do the repairs, we will use APCM again. We were very favorably impressed by Mr. Sanders' professionalism, his communication skills, and his no-pressure approach.

I called Saturday at lunchtime and they were out within 3 hours. Very professional. Good quality product and work. The men accidentally overcharged me by $10, but the lady who runs the place returned a $10 check to me in the mail. Amazing!

Great company, very responsive and professional.

The two gentleman who overhauled our chimney arrived on time, worked hard all day and answered every question we had during the repair process. I highly recommend this company for the following reasons: -attentive and responsive office staff -estimate equaled the actual cost -the 6 staff we interacted with (estimate and two day repair project) were wonderful to work with -repairs were done with attention to minimizing dust -yard and house were left clean

I contacted this company to install a chimney cap to prevent raccoon and other pest from entering the house. The serviceman came out as scheduled to evaluate and provide an estimate. He provided a detailed description of current condition of chimney and proposed corrective action. The work was scheduled and the workers arrived on time. The chimney was repaired and new cap installed as promised.

American Professional Chimney & Masonry (APCM) provided an estimate at the scheduled time (one of two other companies I requested estimates from did not). They fully explained what needed to be done and why. Then APCM completed all stages of work on time. Their manager followed up with me at each stage of the work and told me when the next stage would be completed. All of their work was of the highest quality. The cost of the work seemed to be high at first, but it was consistent with an estimate I had obtained from another company. Once the work began, however, I realized why the cost was high. There was a lot of work that needed to be done. (Please see description of services above.) If you have a chimney that needs repair, you have my sympathy. But if you need someone who will do the work correctly and do it on time, the people at APCM are terrific! They were well worth the cost. Mark

Went very well. They were very knowledgeable and worked through some structural oddities of my house. Very happy with final result. These guys know chimneys.

From the onset, my experience with American Professional Chimney & Masonry (APCM) was positive. Learned about them because of their high rating on Angies List. Contacted APCM and was greeted by very nice person who worked with me to setup an inspection of my chimney. Worker was on time and gave a very detailed explanation of what needed to be done. The entire job took 2 days(1 full and a followup day). Great expereince!

We were able to schedule a chimney cleaning within a week. They called the day before our appointment to fix a 2 hour window and were punctual on the day. The chimney was cleaned from inside the living room, they inspected the chimney on the roof and the furnace flue. All in all it probably took about an hour.

APC&M is the top Chimney repair company in the MoCo/DC area. All of the technicians we encountered were knowledgeable about their trade, a far departure from most contractors in the industry today. Step by step they explained the process to me, ensuring that I was comfortable with the work they were performing. Preventative maintenance had been all but forgotten by the previous owners, so the price was a bit higher than most chimney repair jobs. The whole project took approximately three days, of which the technicians worked diligently and efficiently through. The price was marked as a B because the quote was a bit higher than the competitors, but you get what you pay for.

They came on time and were very professional. They inspected the chimney and installed a damper combo. The gentleman showed me the product before installation. They took less than an hour and didn't make a mess in my house. They also gave me an estimate without pressuring me into getting the work done that day. I will hire them again.

I found a deal on Angie's List with another company and Catherine (owner/manager?) matched the deal. I needed to schedule the cleaning on a short notice and Catherine worked with me to make it possible. The technician did a great job with cleaning the fireplace and protected the surrounding area of the home adequately from getting dirty. I was very pleased with the work.

Overall it went great. They did a good job cleaning the chimney and were very professional and clean. The only concern i had was the estimates for the amount of work to be done. I got the feeling that they were trying to sell me on services i didnt neccesarily need.

Dave spent much time reviewing the options ADN checking out my new gallery despite saying that he was in a hurry. The work took place on time, in a neat and clean fashion. What more could I ask for? Just a little pricey.

We learned on a Friday that the ceramic liner in our 112 year old home was disintegrating and blocking the exhaust from our boiler. I called 2 companies from Angies list for estimates. American Professional was there the next morning (Saturday) for the estimate, and was willing to bump other work and start on Monday as we had no heat. The lows that weekend were hovering about 30 degrees. They were finished to the point where we had heat by Monday afternoon. The second company showed up for the estimate on Monday morning. Needless to say, they didn't get the job. I felt that the work was quickly and professionally done. The price we paid was a fair price, which I was wiling to pay to get heat for my family quickly. It was not what I would call a good price, but for quality work, performed quickly and with consideration to getting us heat quickly when it mattered, I consider it a fair deal.

Good. Effective fast friendly. Still haven't decided whether or not to use them for the work.

It went very well. They showed up when scheduled. Protected everything in the Living Room. Removed all debris and left everything clean.Quality of the work was perfect. The office (Catherine) called me to coordinate everything. Top quality company.