Winston's Chimney Service

On time. 3 service men showed up.

I had a good overall experience with them. They come out without making me wait on them. They do the work and leave me a bill.

The experience went very well. They delivered on time and no issues whatsoever. They did what they said they were going to do. They gave me an estimate before starting and they were right on their estimate. They also gave me options for more complete or less complete work, basically saying that they could come back later and do another piece of it if I wanted them to. They cleaned up after themselves well too.

Darrell did the work for me and did a commendable job. The original contract was adjusted after work began to include some additional mortar work on the chimney and replacing some bricks on the house wall as well. Everything was done to my satisfaction. I had questions about the patio work and Darrell tried to explain it to me, but for some reason, I was not comprehending what he was trying to say. The discussion was followed up by Richard in the office and I was offered the opportunity to think about an option to adjust the final layout of the patio, which I decided a few days later that Darrell was right after all in the way he had done it. Darrell and his assistant worked on the job while I was away in the West Coast. They finished up a couple of days after I returned. They returned to clean off the brick 3 days after the completion of the job. Well done.

Darryl came out to do an estimate for removing a woodstove and found several safety issues in the furnace flue and fireplace flue. He provided a detailed estimate (unlike several other repair companies) before leaving. The office contact (Richard) worked with me to accommodate scheduling and Darryl and Nick arrived as scheduled to perform the work. As is not uncommon with a 70+ year old house, several unanticipated problems surfaced once the work got underway. These were pointed out and explained to me in detail, as were my options to make the repairs. At no time was I pressured about additional services, despite some of the problems indicating significant safety issues. The masonry repairs were made very carefully and with care to match existing mortar and brick to the extent possible. Tremendous attention was given to keeping the house and yard clean and protected from debris. A 500+ pound woodstove insert was removed with no damage to the hearth or my home - no easy feat! Darryl, Nick and Richard were all terrific; they went above and beyond on this job.

Everything went very well. I called back and told them I thought I needed new doors, and although they did not handle doors, they offered to come out to check the flue again. They told me I could call anytime, which I appreciate. I was astounded by their low price. I was very happy with them, and I would certainly use them again.

Pros: the man (can't remember his name - the owner?) was knowledgeable and certified. He did what he said he would do and didn't try to "bump" us up or sell anything unnecessary. That wins big brownie points. Cons: From the time he arrived and I started to show him what we thought the problem was, he was a bit condescending towards me. OK, he has years of experience, but it turned out we were exactly right in what we said the problem was. I felt like he was a bit arrogant towards me, and so I "turned him over" to my husband and stepped out. I didn't want to get into it with him. I disliked feeling from that since I was a woman, I must not know what I was talking about. However, he was also that way a bit with my husband too! Another Pro: he did teach us a couple of new things about our house and chimney that we didn't know (not the problem we called him about) and we appreciated the education. If we decline to use him again in the future, it would be for the attitude. I would at least allow them to give an estimate and a second chance.

The Winston's crew was top rate and so professional! They arrived promptly, worked efficiently and completed the work in one day, as promised. In addition to the functional repairs, they did an excellent job matching new bricks to the antique brick in the chimney. They returned a couple of days later after the bricks set to acid wash the brick and complete the roof clean-up. Their price was excellent compared to other estimates we obtained for this work. The finished product looks great and works beautifully! We are very satisfied with this chimney company and strongly recommend them. We have used the Winston companies for other home needs (windows, etc.) and will continue to call them, as they have never disappointed.

We had Winston's come out to inspect the chimney of a house we just purchased, and they agreed to do so for $75. They did a thorough inspection and told us everything looked good, but that we should consider getting a cap. No upsell, at all. Not even a "which we can do for you..." I had to ask "well, can you install that or recommend someone who can." They confirmed they had one on the truck, told us that they could sell it to us and install it for $159 and that they, then, would not charge us for the inspection. The fact that we - - not they - - suggested getting the cap from them gave us confidence that they werent upselling us. The also were very punctual and professional. A pleasure.

Very professional and dependable. Great customer service!

I had a very positive experience. They gentleman who came out seemed extremely competent, and did not seem to try to sell me any unnecessary services. He's been in the business for 20 years and it shows.

The service was great. I will say that the one thing that turned me off is that the man who came offered me his personal business card and tried to sell me his services privately on his way out. But he was a very nice guy, he was professional and seemed to know what he was doing.

I called first week of December and they said they would get to me no later than Friday of the next week. I need not be home because they would leave a bill for services in the door. Their estimate was a minimum of $79.00 with sq. ft. determining the final price. I totally understand why work wasn't completed until 26 December because of the weather related back log, but I would have preferred some communication from them. I called them December 22nd 08 as I was about to contact someone else, but they assured me I was next on their list. Well I heard noise outside on the 26th and when I opened the door a bill was in the door and the worker was leaning a ladder on the house to start the job. I might be picky, but even though I didn't need to be home, I would prefer a ring of the door bell prior to beginning the job and the bill after completion of the job. Picky I know, but these days complications and confusion could be lessened with just ringing the door bell.

I was left a bit confused how I could get such discrepant results from 2 respected companies, but appreciated Winston's honesty in not trying to sell me something I don't need. They also gave me an estimate for fixing a chimney cap, which appears reasonable.

Steve and his crew arrived within the promised two-hour window and got straight to work. Steve noted that there were signs of water leaking down our chimney and into our firebox, evidenced by mineral/rust spots on the firebox walls. He suspected that the chimney cap may need repair, which was confirmed when his crew went up onto the roof to inspect the chimney. Rather than urging us to get the cap replaced immediately, Steve indicated that the repair could wait until Spring, giving us time to weigh our options. I really appreciated this. Steve and his crew were very friendly and professional, and Steve was very patient with all of my questions since I'm a first-time fireplace user. He even recommended places to get good firewood in the area. I look forward to using Winston's services again in the Spring to get our chimney cap repaired.

I will definitely give them a call in the summer so they can come back and re-evaluate. And when it's time to do the repair, I will go with Winston's.

Excellent service. They came for the estimate on time. They did a thorough inspection and determined I did NOT need to re-line my chimney as another company claimed. They gave me a quote for the services and, when I decided to use them, gave me a prompt service date. They showed up at both appointments on time, were polite, professional, thorough, clean, and answered all my questions. I had them come out three years to do a chimney sweep. I was told by someone from the same company that I needed to have the chimney re-lined even though they told me that I did not need that done three years prior. He also told me that this did not happen within the last three years. Even though this comapny has taken over for the previous company I had do work and are operating under the same name and phone number, they are claiming that they aren't the same company. They say they are not responsible and are not offering a resolution. They also will not honor the previous 5 year warranty I have for a chimney cap.

I had an ok experience. The service man was polite and seemed knowledgeable, the price seemed reasonable and they got the job done quickly and they cleaned up after themselves.

Winston's was very helpful in helping us evaluate what work need to be done to make the chimney safe and functioning properly. The workers were careful and attentive to both the inside of the house and the different trades showed up in a timely sequenced manner. Winston's was flexible and able to schedule their work to be done prior to our scheduled roof replacement so that the new roof would not be damaged.

Another well-rated Angie's List chimney company cleaned my chimney, but then recommended $2,000+ worth of work, primarily a new stainless steel chimney liner, and some repair work to the smoke chamber. I was not prepared to do this right away, but wanted additional opinions. Winston's came on time with a crew of three, two of whom inspected my chimney from inside and from the roof to determine if any work was needed. They suggested that the chimney crown was "thin," but did not need repair for 1-2 years, and did not recommend the liner or smoke chamber work. I was very pleased to have a second opinion. Perhaps the other firm simply had a different professional opinion, or perhaps they were trying to get more work. I may get a third opinion, but I'm more likely to turn to Winston's for my next cleaning and other chimney work; they may have saved me $2,000.

It was excellent from start to finish. They gave me a free estimate. I scheduled an appointment and they came promptly to do the work. We had just bought the house and had a home inspection done. Winston's said what needed to be done what what the inspector said needed done. They did not try to oversell on things that were not needed.

These people are top notch. They were the 5th company we had called to give us an opinion on whether we needed a new chimney liner. Two of the prior companies had said yes & two had said no. However, none of the prior companies had inspected the inside of our chimney with a video camera. Charlie (who is one of only two individuals in the area with a special type of fire certification for this type of work) brought his video equipment & was able to show me the various problems with our liner. He was not an alarmist, though & gave me straight talk on the severity (or lack thereof) of each of the issues he spotted--his way of handling the inspection gave me a great degree of confidence that this is a trustworthy & honest operation. In light of his thorough inspection & his high level of professionalism (he insisted that he & his assistant covered their shoes with booties to walk in my house & he covered our floor with a fresh tarp just in case his inspection resulted in the release of any debris), I was nervous that his quote for the work was going to be very high. I was pleasantly surprised when their $3,000 quote beat the other two quotes we had gotten for the work. They beat one of the quotes by almost 1/2! We are booked to have the work completed next week, but I can already tell that we have nothing to worry about because we are in unusually competent hands. We have an old house & have had a great deal of workers in & out of it over the years & so far these are the best.

They are friendly, responsive, on time and they don't try to sell you services you don't need. I think their prices are good, they aren't cheap. I would use them again.

It was a fine experience. They came on time. They said it would take three days to do the job and it did. I didn't have to be there to supervise them. They did what they said they would do.

We shopped around and chose Winston's because, though their price was above the others, they focused on safety. The first contractor we spoke with didn't mention a work permit. When I did, he said "Oh, you want one of those? You'll have to get that yourself." It is a law in our county that a permit be obtained and posted and that the completed work be inspected. They recommend against the homeowner obtaining the permit as he becomes liable for corrective action, not the installer. As a consumer, this is only smart. Another contractor said he would obtain the permit, but quoted twice what Winston's charged. Again, the permit was a given with Winston's. The team of 3 arrived within an hour of the quoted start time and the job was finished in a day. Though a very dirty process, they kept the house clean and cleaned up after themselves. No major problems were encountered and the minor obstacles were overcome quickly. I asked the workers to repair the chimney crown while on sight. They quoted what I thought was a high price, more than $600, but I wasn't going for cheap so I agreed. We watched the process that took no more than 30 minutes to mix the compound and spread it. 30 minutes for $600! I will stick to the quoted estimate and shop around for the non-critical work next time. This is the only portion of the job that I feel we "paid too much" for. The workers hauled away a nearly brand new cap damper system that I had installed before deciding on the insert. When I called to have it returned they had already disposed of it. I was able to negotiate for a fair price compensation.