Chimney Cricket

I called and scheduled a fireplace inspection with the people who scheduled the appointment were nice and they were able to schedule me at the time of day I needed. I explained that I had purchased my house last year and since I didn't know much about fireplaces I wanted someone to come out and check to make sure that there were no potential problems with the mortar in the chimney to ensure that I wouldnt have smoke leaking into the house or a potential fire with embers. The man who showed up (the other two crew members stayed in the truck) came in laid down on the floor opened the flue and looked up the chimney with a flashlight and stated it looked good. (which I had already done). He did show me repeatedly how to open the flue with my finger (the handle is missing/broken). I had already figured that out when I looked up there previously. He then told me I needed a new flue (over $600.00) and caps ($225.00) when I tried to explain my concerns he just kept repeating the directions to open/close the flue with my fingers. The man spoke broken english and it may have been a communication issue on his part. On my receipt it shows fireplace inspection and the estimates for the two jobs but in the area where it states condition with lines to make comments he left that blank. I spent 59.00 and they were here and gone in about 10 minutes and I have zero level confidence on the condition of my fireplace chimney since they did nothing more than what I had already done. I feel i wasted my money that's why i gave the cost a rating of "bad"

2 men arrived in time to do our chimney cleaning and inspection...a cleaning was never done on the fireplace from the previous owner. It took 30 minutes to clean and inspect. They were friendly and knowledgable and gave me reassurance that the job was being done right. Would recommend them to anyone in need of such service!

The chimney/fireplace needs repair and I called this company and left message on its answering machine. But no one has replied to my request. About two weeks later, I called it again. The person answered phone asked me for address, but then told me that they will charge a fee just for estimate. Even after I explained that the repair can wait until this company have a chance to come to this area and then stopping by the house for an estimate, I was still told again that this company will charge a fee for estimate. Other chimney/fireplace companies do free estimate, but this company simply does not. Therefore, no further step is planned with it.

Chimney Cricket team arrived on time, placed a large tarp on the carpet and got right to work. The three workers were done in 1/2 hour, as promised, with no mess at all in the house.

When they finished they gave me some advice about what to use to start the fire and then they left. It took them approximately 30 minutes. I still got to work on time. I couldn't be happier!

They arrived on time. Performed the work quickly. They were very clean!! Provided me with some helpful tips to keep the chimney clean. It took about 30 minutes and I couldn't be happier.

Great job, fair price, quality work Thank you. It is hard to find a good company now adays. Unless you check Angie's list.

Kemal and Aaron are great. They came out on a Sunday morning, explained the services completely and did a great job (absolutely no mess as well, which is nice). Would highly recommend them and we will use them again as needs arise.

Called them on Friday and they came out on a Sunday and replaced the chimney crown. Very professional. Explained the required work and the cost and completed the job quickly. Excellent job.

We just bought a house with a chimney that has been well used and neglected for three or four years. Chimney Cricket responded promptly via e-mail and scheduled via phone for service within the same week. They arrived just a few minutes after 8:30am for an appointment scheduled for between 8 and 8:30. Two very professional gentlemen moved their equipment in, cleaned the chimney, and patched up a crack I was concerned about, and left within about 30 minutes. They protected the floor and left the room as well as the chimney cleaner than when they arrived. I was impressed by their efficiency and how well they worked together as a team. They advised me to put our grate up on bricks as it is apparently too low and gave some additional tips, which were appreciated as I have never had a fireplace before. Overall an excellent and comfortable experience.

Being a first time home buyer is terrifying, especially when on a budget. Not to mention not knowing what things cost, generally speaking. Angie's List has been my best asset since purchasing my home 2 years ago. I have no idea what chimney repair would cost and after scouring the list for masonry and chimney repair and reading literally hundreds of reviews I settled on Chimney Cricket. I had a general idea of the work I needed done and so I used that as a base point. I also knew my roof was very steep, and so I estimated it would be a little higher. I called 3 other providers on the list with prices that seemed lower than most and excellent reviews. I could not get a call back. Chimney Cricket was on vacation, so I waited the week and a half out and called yesterday. I got an answer right away, which is more than I could say for the other 3 (all recordings/left message). The older gentleman (I'm afraid I didn't get his name) said he would be able to come today. Fantastic. He arrived within 10 minutes of 12:30pm, which is when I said I'd be home from work. He wanted to see the inside of the house to check the fireplaces and chimney walls, but they were closed off and covered before we ever moved in. The chimney wall in the basement was the only one visible. He checked it all out, said it looked good and checked the hot water vent as well. He then went outside and looked. He said the chimney was bad with lots of holes, which I knew, we had moisture coming in around it in the upstairs bedroom. He quoted me 900-950 and asked if I minded if he grabbed lunch and came back in 20 minutes. I said no problem. He was willing to do the job on the spot. I had researched prices and this seemed fair, so I agreed. My boyfriend thought it sounded high (based on NOTHING). I took the 20 minutes and went back to Angie's List, now that I knew exactly what repairs were to be made, and we agreed that based on reviews for similar jobs, not to mention the pitch in our roof, that it was fair, and probably even very good. This guy had to work on the back side of the chimney, and he literally (with her permission, of course) got up on my neighbors roof, on a ladder, carrying a ladder, and used that ladder to straddle our houses and work on the chimney. Insane. It was the "easiest way to do it" and those are his words, not mine. I was having a mild heart attack watching him. He removed all of the old broken mortar and checked the flashing, which was also bad. He re-pointed the chimney, sealed the flashing, put a vent cap on the side of the chimney that the water heater uses, and also added a metal cage around it. In addition to that, he also sealed off the side of the chimney that would have been used by our covered up fireplace. Given the fact that I watched this guy defy gravity and scale my and my neighbors roof like spider-man with a ladder on his back (seriously) and the pitch and height of my roof, and the work done (ON THE SPOT) and of course the comparison to similar provider reviews, I feel like I got a good deal. He was up there for 2 hours in the scorching sun, and did a thorough and neat job. The difference was instantly noticeable and more importantly now I don't have to worry about the leak. He was courteous and polite as well.

I called & left a message - they quickly responded & came to my house the next day to provide an estimate for the work I needed. Kemal arrived on time & gave me the price; which I thought was very reasonable for the work he needed to do. My chimney is located in the middle of my (clay tile) roof which contains about a 60 degree slope; a very tough chimney to get to for installing caps. I gave the okay & he said he could start the work right away - can't beat that! Kemal cleaned my chimney, installed 2 caps, & didn't leave a speck of dust/debris behind. I was very impressed with the professionalism and friendliness that he brought to my home that day. This company is family owned & it is very easy to see how much pride they have in the work they perform. I would highly recommend hiring Chimney Cricket & will continue to hire them to service my chimney.

Work went very well and only took a few hours. The chimney was in worse condition than originally expected; however, no additional charge was solicited. Workers were friendly, tidy, and professional. Would hire again in an instant.

Purchased a house and called Chimney Cricket to i spect, clean and repair the chimneys. Kemal and Otto arrived on time, set up quickly, and worked in perfect unison to complete all work. First they cleaned the downstairs fireplace which had years of use and never cleaned. They repaired both chimney stacks, re-concreted one stop, added new chimney toppers and new damper. They also checked other roof stacks for plumbing and hot water tanks. Highly satisfied with their work and professionalism.

Quick & efficient! Excellent!

arrived on time, got the work done very fast, good communication. Advised me on how to check for problems in the future as initial problem was caused by stinkbugs accumulating in the flue. Highly recommended, professional company.

The Chimney Cricket crew is led by a most professional gentleman who promptly checked out each of the chimneys and fireplaces and explained what the crew would do. Best of all they were available to do the work on the spot in an hour and a half. Their price was a tad lower than other companys' to boot. They were efficient, skilled and clean despite the messy nature of the work. I could not believe how clean they left the insides of our fireplaces. And as mentioned above, they cleaned the logs so well we do not need new ones. I had no idea that they would even make that effort. They finished on time and left us smiling.

He arrived early, inspected the chimney and some areas in the in the fireplace and outside of the chimney that were a concern to me. Basically said everything looked good, no repairs or cleaning need to be done at this time. He was very nice and honest and patient with all of my questions.

He didn't do any work for me. He just gave me good advice.

Serviceman arrived at scheduled time and proceeded to clean the chimney. He had all the proper tools and finished the cleaning in less that half an hour. Installation of the new chimney cap took another 15-20 minutes. Serviceman was polite and courteous. Cost of the cleaning was as advertised My only shock was the $249 cost of the chimney cap. If the price was mentioned initially it must have slipped by me. Other than that, it was a good experience.

Will return to them for the permanent fix come spring.

Everything went very well. I called on Monday for an inspection of my chimney, which I had not used since moving to my new home. I got an appointment two days later. The men (father and son team) showed up on time and inspected my chimney ($59). They noticed that there was a long piece of wood across the top of the fireplace opening on the inside of the fireplace, which was a safety hazard. They put concrete over the wood. They also found twigs at the top of the chimney, indicating birds may have been there. They cleaned the twigs and put a cap on the chimney. The total cost for all the work was $300. They also told me that some of the bricks and concrete were loose at the top of the chimney and gave me an estimate for that work, which can't be done until the spring. They also showed me how to use chimney. They were very nice, professional, knowledgeable, and reasonably priced.

I called them and they asked how long I have lived in the house, when the last time I used my chimney was and how often I use the chimney. They told me they wouldn't feel comfortable coming out to check the chimney because I do not use it much and it wouldn't need servicing. He said for me to call back if I end up using it a lot over the winter. I really appreciated their honesty.

Ten years ago after I purchased my home another chimney sweep told me there was a crack in my flue and that in order to use the fireplace I would need a liner. The cost he quoted was $3,000. At that time I chose to wait and did not use the fireplace; one of the reasons I bought the house in the first place. On February 2 Mr. Dziho and his crew came to inspect my chimney and told me all I needed was a new damper and a cleaning. After inspecting the fireplace, Mr. Dziho inspected my furnace and water heater. The furnace is not vented through the chimney but the water heater is. Upon further inspection they found that the water heater was not fully vented, which could lead to carbon monoxide being leaked into my home. On February 9 Mr. Dziho returned and fully vented my water heater through the chimney. Both times Mr. Dziho and his crew were courteous and professional. They did exactly what they said they would do and left my house spotless. I love using my fireplace and would definitely use their services again. BTW I received a $20 discount for being an Angie's List member.

We recently moved into a new house and wanted to make sure the fireplace was usable, chimney was ok, etc. He came out the day after I called and looked at our fireplace as well as another chimney outside the kitchen. He checked out the fireplace and then went into the basement to look at an old gas line that has been run into the fireplace in the past. Overall it was exactly what I was looking for - someone to look at everything and tell me about any potential problems. He was able to point out how everything was being used and how it had been used in the past (former stove in the kitchen, heater in the basement, etc.). Couldn't have been more friendly or informative and the $69 standard fee was reasonable for the trip out in my opinion.