American Professional Chimney & Masonry

They were quick punctual and very clean. I called three companies and they were the best in price. They were very informative about care for the stove and chimney and they gave a cost proposal for crown and cap work that was great and still not pushy. Overall very professional.

I had APCM come out to inspect the work of another chimney company's mistakes and asked them to draft a proposal of the work that needed to be done. There were a few minor issues with the installation work, but the company sent out the owner to remedy them and to make sure that everything else was in working order. I have enjoyed working with Dave, the owner, and I would definitely use this company again in the future.

Unfortunately they didn't come and they didn't call to cancel. The weather was bad on the day we had scheduled, so we thought that they might not be able to work. Unfortunately we did not get a call from them. They also waited until 9:00 on the night before to call and tell us when to expect the workers the next day. We got a call back form them several days later to reschedule the work, but we had gone a different direction by then. Needless to say we are looking for other contractors for our masonry work.

They just finished the job and we could not be more pleased. They started and finished on schedule. Their crews were very polite and knowledgeable. They were also careful to protect our home from any further damage, dirt or dust generated by the repairs. The finished job is perfect. The fireplace draws perfectly and we are 100% satisfied with the company and the work they performed.

Their pricing was in line. We were very pleased with their masonry work. They were very responsive and very professional. They were also punctual.

The actual contractor, Oscar Diaz, was fantastic. He explained the process and was very thorough.

Overall they did a great job. They do need to work on their scheduling. They were extremely late for estimate and actual repairs.

The job was expertly handled from start to finish; the estimate was scheduled and completed on time, and the work was quickly scheduled and completed on time and under budget as well. All aspects of the relatively complicated process were explained to me by the worker doing the estimate as well as by the owner on a follow-up phone call. I am completely happy with the work and would recommend American Professional Chimney anytime.

When we first used American Professional Chimney, it was to inspect the chimney of our newly purchased home. They spent a good amount of time looking over the chimney, the roof and the heating system. They even explained the quirks of our particular chimney. No work was needed and there was no charge! The second time, our cap blew off and cracked. They came and replaced it very quickly.

The people were good to talk to. The chimney guy was very informative and his estimate was lower than other estimates I had received. I would have hired them but I ended up doing the work. I never met the person who gave the estimate for the masonry work since he went to the house when I was not there. Their estimate was higher than other estimates and I didn't use them, but it wasn't unreasonable for the work that proposed to do. It was within the range of other estimates I had received.

It was totally professional. It was well written out, they sent it through the web. They were prompt in getting the estimate to me. They are still in the running for the work.

They are very professional, honest and helpful. I trust them and I don't have any worries having them come do things. They have worked for me since I have moved into my house.

Dave Meyer (sp? Myer) ,the owner of American Professional Chimney and Masonry is a lifesaver. It's true. He took care of the problem that was creating a deadly level of carbon monoxide in my home. Yesterday when Glenmont HVAC was at the last step of installing of a new gas furnace and AC system, they discovered a major problem. The flue was completely blocked with a hardened insulation material and broken tile pieces. It needed special equipment to clear it. (This blockage explains why the energy audit company measured 800 ppm for carbon monoxide. OSHA say 50 ppm during an 8 hr period is the highest acceptable level) I agreed with Glenmont's service person (Billy) that a chimney professional was needed to complete the job. This meant I would not have hot water till this was fixed. American Professional Chimney and Masonry said they could come out the next morning and do the job. (Winston's Chimney Service couldn't come close to this response time.) Billy of Glenmont (who also did a great job) talked with both chimney companies to explain what was needed Dave, the owner, came out with Pat (a woman!) promptly at 8:30 a.m.. He quickly identified what had caused the blockage. In 12/2008 I had the fireplace relined by Jimney's Chimneys (Silver Spring 20905). The workers hadn't cleared and disposed properly of the debris they created when they worked . Dave knew the company's owner and contacted him on the spot. Dave had the owner agree to pay the extra $$$ to clear the blockage. He then took care of the job, made the final hookup to my water heater, and cleaned up everything when he was done. I would definitely use American Professional Chimney and Masonry again. I'm confident that Dave will stand behind the work of anyone on his team. Thanks Dave and Pat!

They did a good job and gave us some good information that helped us with the fireplace.

I called American Professional (APC) first, based on recommendations on a neighborhood listserve. I also called two other companies recommended on the listserve. APC, the first to respond, ultimately came in right in the middle in terms of price, but the premium over the low bidder seemed well worth it vs. APC's responsiveness and apparent integrity. APC literally came out within an hour after I placed my initial call (they were finishing up a job nearby), and I had an estimate that afternoon. After obtaining the other two bids, including one at a lower price (but having a hunch APC would be better to work with), I called APC and spoke to Catherine, who was able to reduce their bid to within range of the low bid and explain each part of it piece by piece -- allowing us to decide what to do now and what to defer. In performing their work (which included removing and replacing a 25' exhaust pipe from our water heater up our chimney, replacing the caps on top of two chimneys, and repairing cracked brick and mortar), APC's men were neat, prompt, respectful -- even good with our territorial dog. I look forward to using them again, when we do the substantial work required to bring our two chimneys up to working condition.

After an initial good first impression, I was very disappointed and it delayed my repairs by 2 months.

They were the cheapest by far and were willing to do the repair without rebuilding the whole chimney, although they did recommend that we look into that in the future. Everyone else wanted to do a rebuild for way more money.

It went fine. I've used them for years. They've done extensive masonry work for me since 1996. They've been excellent.

It didnt start out well. They were recommended by another contractor, but it took me 2-3 phone calls to get them to call back. Then they lost my number and I had to call again. After that things went well. They seemed to know what the were doing, and I am pretty happy with the outcome. They did some stuff (ie clean the chimney) for free, which was nice. They were good value - other quotes were higher. My guess is that they do a good enough job, for a low-ish price.

Had to stop the leak around the window on the outside and then repaired the ceiling. They did a good job. It took them a little time to get started but it looks good. No leaks since then.

Early in APC&M efforts, my brother (a highly skilled tradesman and former General Contractor) and I (the home owner), discovered that not only active owner oversight was necessary but sometimes also active involvement was required to ensure the hired workers, performing the work, knew the job requirements: Copies of plans were not made available to the workers, as the plans were rarely seen on site throughout the six months of APC&M job efforts. Note: Almost all the workers performing the actual work appeared to be hired by APC&M on a short-term as-need basis (i.e. not APC&M full-time employees), but none of these workers appeared to be licensed as contractors themselves. Some finish masonry work needed to be repeated multiple times! Other times there was not initial compliance to the contractually referenced, city approved plans. Several times there was not attention to details, for instance: The correct color mortar (or nearly correct) was used on the new addition?s side, but not on the front. When the owner pointed-out the incorrect color of the front mortar, the APC&M project manager said that the tinted color would come through upon final acid washing. It did not. I cannot recommend this contractor unless you have a highly skilled tradesman that can provide routine, i.e. daily, oversight for compliance.

I haven't ever had a problem with them. They are always willing to return to check on issues with the gutters. I am always pleased with the end result of their work, and will continue to use them.

It was a D overall. They didn't show up when they said they would. They didn't bring all the equipment. They didn't do a very good job. They had brought the wrong mortar the second time they came. It was just bad. He was hard to get a hold of. He lost our phone number. He was not coordinated at all.

I think they did a very good job. They showed up at my house on time. They were very professional. I really don't recall the price that they charged me, but I know that it was a very reasonable price.

We had them evaluate our chimney because another company had suggested that we needed to have work done. American Professional Chimney & Masonry checked it out and said the chimney was fine and to check it again in a couple of years.