American Professional Chimney & Masonry

Overall pretty good I guess. Think it was expensive, but seemed like they did decent work. But the buckle connecting to the chimney hood was not installed in the right position and i was told, when they came back out to fix it, that the hood was dented and letting in air. So some good stuff, some not so good stuff, especially for the money. But I will say they were on time and fit me in right before the holiday, the only firm that could.

gave free estimate, arrived on time, worked fast and clean, were very professional.

I picked American Professional Chimney & Masonry (APCM) primary because of the image presented by the estimate. One company was almost three hours late without calling. The other was overly interested in extending the work to include other masonry projects. The quotes were all within the same range with APCM's falling in the middle. The quote was broken down by task and discounts for tasks were presented and explained. The work was started on time. The workers were friendly and they did a very good job keeping the job site clean. During the work I was told that some of the existing brick could not be reused and that they would obtain what they needed to finish the job. The masonry work took three days and was covered and left to cure for a few days before the water seal was applied. Once the covering was removed and water seal applied I was disturbed to find the top of the chimney was replaced with new brick, the chimney and part of the house are built with a used brick. I called the APCM office to complain and found that the person who took my call immediately took action calling the employees who had performed the work to find out what happened. During the conversation I also mentioned that some of the bricks that should have be replace were only patched. I was told that they would redo the work replacing the top of the chimney with a suitable brick that I would approve and that the patched brick would be replaced.The following week the crew was back on site and had started tearing down the original work. I happened to find a place to get used brick and the company reimbursed me for the cost of the bricks. Once the job was completed the chimney was resealed, this time from top to bottom. The new work looks great with the exception of a couple of crooked bricks on the very top that make me a bit nuts, but my wife points out that I am a something of a nitpicker. As I said I would use the company again, but I would more closely monitor the work. The workmanship looks great, it just needed some supervision to get there.

The quality of work was great. However, after the chimney was repaired, there was damage to the roof that caused a leak. They said off the bat that the roof was not in great shape and would need to be repaired within a year or two. They didn't say there would be an issue if they were to proceed with the chimney work. We needed to have a roofing company come out and fix the damage. The tuckpointing and parging work was great as well. However, the workers left trash/food overnight under a tarp in the yard, which our dogs got into and one ended up getting sick. They also, asked to use the shed to store their equipment, which was fine. However, it ended up that they took our drop cloth from the shed with them when they left. They did replace this which was nice but just another thing to the list of issues. Finally when they finished they said they would be back in two days to powerwash the house and three days later no one showed. I needed to call them numerous times to get updates and to inform them of all the issues. So, the work is great but the other issues didn't make up for it.

The estimator arrived promptly. He probably did the most thorough job in examing the chimney, and ended up suggesting a complete rebuild. The estimate for the work was about double that of the company I eventually went with for the same work.

Got three estimates with varying suggestions and prices. American Chimney has done work for us before, doesn't seem to be selling extra services. Some confusion on date but got it worked out. Workmen were courteous and left no mess. Fixed flashing that had not been reported but may have been responsible for some minor water damage. Haven't fired it up as the weather has been so warm but that will be the true test of the work.

No show. No call. In my experience companies who fail the simple task of showing up to provide an estimate are not the ones you want to do business with.

They were fine, and the quality of their work was good. They were friendly and professional. I would use them again in the future.

American Professional did a good job, had a good price, were punctual, and I liked working with them.

They are very professional, reasonably priced, and responded to my questions.

They did not expect any money upfront and also gave me a 10% discount.. They came at much lower prices than other service providers and they did an excellent job. The top layer of the chimney was coming loose. They sealed the gaps. The only objection I have was the color of the silicon did not match with the siding. They were on time and knew what they were doing. I would definitely use them again.

It was a rocky start, but he finished well.

We recently bought an old row house in Washington, DC. The house had been vacant for more than a year; and we had no knowledge of the history of the fireplace. We were hesitant to use it until we had it inspected. We were concerned that the chimney had been damaged during the recent earthquake, or that it had not been cleaned in years. We contacted APCM, and they were here inspecting the chimney in less than a week. They said that the chimney was in good shape, and did not need repairs or cleaning. The bad news was that the gas logs would not ignite at all. They told us that repairing the logs would cost as much as replacing them, and because the logs were old, we would be much happier with a new unit. The new units are more safe and beautiful than what was available 15 years ago. They ordered a new unit for us. It took about two weeks to arrive. When the unit arrived, they made an appointment for installation, picked up the unit, and brought it to us. The installation went well. The previous owner had not bothered to install a shut-off switch for the gas lines, and so there was some difficult in finding the main shut-off switch in the house. But it was successful. The logs were installed properly, and the contractor even went so far as to install a shut-off switch for us at no extra charge, except $15 for the materials. He then gave us a helpful tutorial on how to operate, along with some "do's and don'ts." In all, the experience was very positive.

Overall, the experience turned out very well, however getting through the process was not necessarily the best experience. First off, I'll say that once the tecnincians arrived at our house, everything went well. The Techs were knowledgable, professional, courteous, and cleaned up after themselves. The first tech performed the inspection and gave us a detailed, itemized quote for the 2 options they recommended for us. They stood behind the quote and they delivered on everything they told us. The second group did the install work... very professional, put down drop-clothes to protect the furniture, and even came back promptly when I called because I had smoke in the attic on the first use (turns out that there is a coating that burns off on first use and this is normal, no problems since). However, trying to set up the initial appointment was very frustrating. We tried using their online appointment request. DO NOT TRY THIS!!! After some confusion online, I called and the person on the other end was very rude, and almost offended that I dared to use the online reservation tool. Then, due to having an online appointment (that was confirmed) and a phone appointment (that was not confirmed) they cancelled both appointments and didn't show up. I ended up having to talk to a manager to get things sorted out, the person who made that original reservation was very difficult to deal with. Finally, when we tried to pay (using the online tool), we got a phone call later saying that the online payment tool doesn't work either. We called and the payment was quickly sorted out. Message to APC: Don't offer online tools that don't work.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that the upstairs radiators in my house weren't warm. I called a heating company, who told me that until my chimney was fixed, I could not turn on the heat, as carbon monoxide was being vented into the basement. (The temperature was supposed to drop to 30 degrees that night.) He recommended American Professional Chimney. I called them, and they said they would send someone over to give me a bid that afternoon. He arrived in the agreed-upon window, looked at my chimney, and told me--in a manner that was both professional and soothing--that my chimney was not up to code: it was too short, it wasn't lined, it didn't have a cap, and my flue pipes were ruined. He gave me an estimate of $2750, which seemed very reasonable, and said they would have someone over the next day to do the work. Around 7 that night, I got a call from the company. They said that as it was supposed to rain the next day, they might not be able to do the masonry work, but that they would certainly replace the flue pipes and line the chimney so that I could turn the heat back on. Two men arrived promptly at 9 the next morning, and cheerfully set to work in my basement--and cheerfully worked around a plumber who was there for an unrelated problem. It did rain that afternoon, but by the time they left, mid-day, there were new flue pipes and a new liner sticking out of the chimney, and they had turned the heat back on. They came back the next day, while I was at work, and finished the job. The masonry work on the chimney is beautiful, and my heat has worked perfectly since. It was an excellent experience.

Our fireplace leaked when there was a heavy rain. We attributed to probably caused by a hurricane in August 2011 and a small earthquake in September 2011. (We live in a suburb of Washington DC). The leaked did not occur until after the first heavy rain around the October-November timeframe. Called a chimney 'professional' who identified the cement around the chimney as the cause of leak in fireplace. The house is 25 years of age and we are original owners. Making sense, we authorized him to cement and seal the chimney. The very next time it rained, still had leak. Called company back who informed us that chimney is fine, we probably have a problem with our roof. (Thanks for taking our $1200+ and not offering to reinspect your work). This time, my research included Angie's List, where I found AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL CHIMNEY & MASONRY. Based on the consumer reviews, we decided to give them a try. Water in the fireplace was cause for alarm and wanted it fixed immediately. Well, I cannot say enough good about American Professional Chimney & Masonry! I emphasize "professional". I called only seeking to have a video of chimney housing (inside), which would have cost $175. The office suggested that we get a free estimate to see if problem is visible from roof. Lo and behold, indeed (husband verified through observation), the roof flashing around chimney base was lifted and rain drained through this area. American Professional Chimney scheduled us to have the service performed as soon as weather permitted (it was very windy). They arrived days earlier than expected, timely and did an EXCELLENT job in completely seal around the chimney. They were professional, organized, NEAT-NEAT-NEAT (no trash). The cost was excellent, compared to the cost we wasted with the first company. We are very satisfied with American Professional Chimney and would definitely recommend them to our neighbors and friends. Thank you Angie's List.

The two repairmen were prepared, explained everything in detail, and completed their work in a timely manner. They cleaned up all debris after work was completed. Presented a written invoice of the required work and cost of each item.

Our request for the evaluation was scheduled through their online system. The online system showed their schedule of available openings, and we were able select a time convenient for us. After making the appointment, the Manager, Catherine, e-mailed an appointment acknowledgment and confirmation . Brian arrived on time, listened to our concerns, thoroughly inspected the chimney (inside and outside), explained the problems and provided a written estimate for the necessary repairs. He was professional and knowledgeable. We accepted the proposal and scheduled the repair work. The individuals doing the repairs, again, showed up on time, were professional, cleaned their work area, and completed the work as promised. After the work was completed, the Manager, Catherine, called to find out whether we were satisfied or had any concerns with the work; and, she thanked us for our business. If all service providers operated with the high-quality customer service we experienced with American Professional Chimney and Masonry, Inc., the dread of contracting for home services would be considerably lessened. Our experience with this company was great--start to finish!

I actually told that story above The company performed a chimney and inspection. They were absolutely great. They were on time, totally professional and provided a level of customer service that well exceeded the cost of the task performed. They cleaned the chimney and performed an inspection and did it in a reassonable amount of time and were very thorough. If you are looking for this type service, I totally recommend this company

They were responsive on the phone and came to the house within a day or so, however, they only focused on upselling me and wouldn't tell me if it was safe or unsafe to use my chimney. Basically I paid this company ~$80 for the privledge of coming to my house to try to sell me stuff.

The repair work was $700, and the cleaning was $200. It seemed like a reasonably good price to me. For the fire panels, they were probably here for 3 or 4 hours. They were great. They were very nice and very professional. They did a truly great job. I have used my fireplace since then, and everything seems to be good. What I liked was they made sure they covered everything with my entire living room. They just seemed like they were very careful and very thorough. Their responsiveness was great. I think it is a small office. I talk to the salesperson all the time. Their punctuality was good. They called in advance to let me know where they were and how far out they were. I felt the guy was really honest with me. He told me that for the way I use the chimney I don’t have to have it cleaned every year. He said cleaning it once in 2 or 3 years would be fine. I will use them again in the future.

Received an estimate, however, selected another company. This company had the highest estimate of 3 and wanted to do additional work that was not requested and/or not recommended by other companies.

Overall, the experience proved to be worthless.

I will not hire this company. They came out to give me an estimate. They were punctual. The problem is they walked on my slate roof. Any professional would know not to do this. I will have to figure out if the slate has been damaged - it most likely has as a result. So I wouldn't use this organization. Thanks for the reponse from the company but any reputable company knows that you absolutely do not walk on a slate roof. Everyone else who came to my home clearly knew that without me saying that. I am having the damage to my slate repaired and would never hire a company that negligently walked all over a slate roof. Also your price was inflated.

They responded promptly to my request for an estimate, and provided the best price. They actually started working a day earlier than they had planned (getting my permission to do so in advance) and completed the work in a timely manner. They were polite and professional, and cleaned up after themselves. Overall, this was a great experience and I would recommend American Professional Chimney to others.