Sixpenny Chimney Sweeps

I had used Sixpenny 7 years ago in 2005 to install a cap on my chimney. When I recently noticed that birds might be nesting in my furnace vent, I called them again to install a cap on the furnace. When I called, they were unable to locate my paper work from their previous work in 2005, which is somewhat understandable but which they would have found useful since it had attached to it both pictures of my roof as well as details they had noted before (such as the size of the caps needed on various vents). It's ironic now, but I happened to ask the woman with whom I booked the appointment if the technician would have the supplies he would need to complete the job on his truck, since I have newborn twins and not a lot of spare time to spend with contractors. She assured me the technician would have everything needed to get the job done. The gentleman from Sixpenny arrived on the date and during the time frame promised, and I pointed out the work. He put the silicone around the chimney ash door but had to leave to get the 8x8 cap needed to cap off the furnace vent on the roof. He said he didn't know it was that size and didn't have it on his truck, but that he would be back in 15 to 20 minutes. I thought that was fine and told him so. After nearly 3 hours had passed, however, I called the company to ask if he was coming back. I spoke with an individual who indicated he would contact the technician and that the technician had made him aware of the issue. Instead of calling me to update me on the status - either when he first left or after I called - I was just left to wait, as though I had all day to do that. Ultimately, two different gentlemen appeared at my house 5 hours after the original technician had left. I told them that there may be birds in the vent, of which they had been unaware. They were polite and did the work necessary in a timely manner. They checked for birds and installed the cap. However, while doing this work, they noticed that there was an issue with the lining in my furnace, which is admittedly old. I didn't quite understand the issue they had spotted, so they suggested I call back to the office so someone could explain it to me. Given the late hour of the day, I paid the gentlemen and resolved to call their office the next day. On a side note, the original technician repeatedly apologized for the delay and tried to explain the different lengths he had to go to in order to obtain the right size cap. That's all well and good, but all I really wanted was a realistic time/date right at the beginning in terms of when they would be back to do the work - or at least a phone call when it became clear he would not be back in 15 to 20 minutes; I don't really care about the rest. The following day I called the office and the woman who answered indicated she would speak to the technician and then call me back to explain what they had found. I did not receive a call back from the office, but from the original technician who had appeared at my house first the day before. He wanted to come back to the house and explain the issue. However, we had guests over and I was in the middle of preparing dinner. I explained that it was not a good time and he insisted, explaining that he would not take long. So, he sat in my driveway until my husband arrived and explained the issue. The technician indicated that the problem could lead to toxic fumes entering the home and was very dangerous. Not having brought pictures down of the problems he saw, we had no way of evaluating what he was telling us. So, instead, we decided to do a little research and asked him to email us an estimate of the work; my husband provided his email address. That was almost 4 weeks ago. We received no estimate, no email, no phone call. Needless to say, we will not be using this company again.

VERY PLEASED with the young polite, professional gentleman who did the inspection.

We just bought our house, and the chimney was in bad shape. Bricks were crumbling, and most of the clay liners were shot.The work was done on schedule and was done very well. Franco took the time to make sure the old brick matched the new, so it did not look like a repair. The original estimate was to reline the lower chimney in steel. After pulling apart the chimney, he said the lower clay liners were ok, and there was no need, so he saved us about $300. They did an excellent job cleaning up, and everyone was quite professional and friendly. He even agreed to repair the brickwork under our stairs (at our request) for a discounted price. Would definitely use again.

Went very well. They did a thorough job and were honest professionals. The technician could have told us we needed a full chimney cleaning if he wanted, but he was honest and told us our fireplaces were in great shape without the need to spend the extra money.

It was quick and fast. I would use them again in the future. They weren't pricy. FOr the right price I would use them again. They did what they had to do and they left. They showed up on time. The job was so quick and I just don't know how well they actually cleaned. The last time I had a sweep, they took a little more time to thoroughly clean. That's the only reason for my "B". It was so fast, it was almost too fast. I understand that people can be really good at what they do, but you kind of have to take a little more time. It was a really good deal. They were polite and prompt. It was just not even five minutes of work. I'd never hand that before. I'm sure they cleaned most of what they had to.

No work was completed because they failed to show up for an estimate, repeatedly.

They were excellent...very clean and efficient and came when they said they would. We had no problems.

I tried for months to find a company for duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning, and nobody would return my phone calls or the reviews I got from others were middling to poor. Then I found SIXPENNY through Angie's List (after a couple of false starts with and untimely returned calls from other local A-rated companies). Carol, who with her husband owns the company, answered a call forwarded to her home over a holiday weekend, and immediately made arrangements to have their scheduler follow up with me on the next business day. Loved the scheduler, Jessica, who made sure she got a crew out to do the work within the week, on the first day available for me. When a minor issue kept Jamie and Jamie from arriving at the earliest possible time of the 4-hour window we had set, she kept me posted on their whereabouts until they arrived at the concierge desk. Even with the modest delay in arrival, Jaime and Jaime got here and finished the job well within the window. Most important, the father and son team could not have been more professional, polite, and efficient, not to mention thoughtful! Young Jamie asked if I wanted them to take off their shoes before entering (uh... thanks for asking, but no... you may be working in my home, but you are still guests). Young Jamie even got down on his hands and knees to wipe any residue on the floor. As soon as I saw that, I ran to get him a cordless vac. They left absolutely no mess behind, and even insisted on moving my belongings back in place, though I told them not to bother, when they finished cleaning up. It's like they were never here... though I know I will be breathing better! I really liked both men, and will request them in a year or two when I have the duct and dryer work done again. But young Jamie stole my heart. He is still a student, college-age, who has worked with his dad and this company for two years now. The young man has personality plus... represented the company extremely well, told me about their other services (bonded and insured housecleaning, which I will absolutely use if the staff is half as good as Jamie and Jamie). Spoke with him for a while... he is super-bright and personable, and has the heart and mind of an entrepreneur, loves his work now, and represented his company extremely well, far beyond just doing a good job. I fully expect that he will be a huge success down the road at whatever he eventually chooses as a career. So happy with their work, I will be posting pictures on Facebook, along with the company's details, so all my friends in NOVA know who to call and who to ask for when they need chimney, duct, or dryer vent cleaning. SIXPENNY is a top drawer local small business, and I highly recommend them to anyone needing services in their area of expertise.

The story from start to finish. They arrived promptly and the person who estimated the work was quite competent. They came back to do the chimney sweeping and repairs. One chimney needed a chemical treatment so they came back and put the chemicals in the chimney and then returned three days later to remove them. Since they were very good and also did duct cleaning, we had our ducts cleaned. That had not been done in 13 years so they were quite dirty. They were careful with my antique furnishings and draperies and left no messes. I would recommend them.

I had 2 chimneys in bad shape with bricks breaking off and multiple cracks on the top surface. they were prompt on the exception date, did a complete inspection inside and out. told me what it would take to fix, approx how much supplies needed, time of start and finish and how much it would cost. the workers were on time everyday, very clean, and gave me updates all along. the owner/manager was willing to work with us on a payment plan. I will call them first in the future for chimney or masonry work. george miles

When I called to schedule I was given a time frame from 11-2:00. They arrived at 11:00. We were so pleased. They covered the floor in front of the fireplace and went to work immediately. Did an excellent job. What they found up the chimney was just awful after 15 years of use. They cleaned up after their work. Both workers were very polite and thorough.We haven't used the fireplace yet but I'm sure it will be just fine. I would highly recommend SixPenny Chimney Sweep.

It went great. They were on time and very organized. They put down dropcloths to catch any debris from the fireplace. They worked hard to get it all cleaned out. When the left, there was no mess for me to clean. They did an awesome job. We had them come back to put caps and a crown on our chimney. Our neighbors saw they work they did and were so impressed, they called them to come back to repair their chimney.

They were very responsible and had a very good response time.

We thought they were wonderful. Overall, I would give them an A. The quality of work was good, and they were professional. I would use them again.

We used Six Penney Chimney sweep to repair our chimney after an earthquake. We chose this contractor because of the good reviews. The work was completed in September 2011 and we spent around $1,900 to do the work. I think this pricing was good but I did not really put the job out for many bids so I am not certain. Six Penney Chimney rebuilt the top eight layers of brick on our chimney after earthquake sheered off the top part of it. They also added a chimney cap and performed a chimney sweep. I was satisfied with the work they did. I thought they were very responsive and professional and would be happy to use them again in the future.

It had been several years since we had the chimney cleaned. Now we will return to getting the chimney cleaned yearly so there is no creosote build up.

I used them two years ago and the price was the same. They also throw in a free dryer vent cleaning for Angie's List members. They were great. Their prices are good. They called to reschedule at the last minute because they were stuck but they gave me a little bit of a discount.

I called and scheduled the appointment yesterday, and was surprised that I was able to arrange for someone to come out so quickly. I was given the time window of 2-5pm and told I'd receive a phone call when the workers were 30 from my home. Sure enough, I did receive the phone call and Julio and Ramon arrived @ 2:20pm. They were both extremely professional and I felt very comfortable having them in my home. Julio asked if I'd like to have my dryer vent cleaned for an additional $150. I opted to do so and am VERY glad I did! My dryer vent was full of lint. I received $10 off my fireplace/chimney exam w/ the coupon available to Angie's List customers. I highly recommend Sixpenny Chimney Sweeps for both the fireplace/chimney exam and cleaning (aka chimney sweep) and dryer vent cleaning!

Job went better than expected. The workers arrived a couple hours late, but called to let me know they were running behind due to an unexpected snag on another job. Once they arrived, they thoroughly cleaned the chimney, and gave an estimate on how much it would cost to replace the chimney crown, repair the shoulder of the chimney and apply waterproofing. Their estimate was very reasonable. The repair work was scheduled for the following week. The crew arrived promptly, for the repair portion, and worked diligently; they were also very friendly and professional, gave me some pointers as well concerning the chimney. I would definitely hire them again, and will recommend them to others.

We had water leaking inside the chimney during hard rains. I called Sixpenny and three other chimney repair companies to give me cost estimates. Only two of the companies returned my calls. I selected Sixpenny on the basis of their responsiveness, price, and quality of analysis. On the date that work was to be done they were several hours late in coming and did not notify me. I called to make sure they were coming. They had to go to Maryland to get materials. They did the work quickly and cleaned up afterward. I pointed out that the new cap had left a crack in the chimney liner exposed. They fixed that.

They were great. My house was a short sale. The people that owned it before me was a Hispanic family. This is a 4-bedroom house and each bedroom was an entire family, mother, father and children. There were literally 30 people in the house. They had actually strung up sheets in the basement to make extra bedrooms. It was just really a mess. They took a Christmas tree and jammed it all the way up the chimney and lit it on fire. It just destroyed the inside of the chimney and just burned the chimney cap to a pulp. The guy got up there and took pictures not only of the chimney cap but he also took pictures of the furnace cap which got burned just because of the proximity, and the inside of my chimney to show me the amount of damage there was. They were able to fix everything. They were a lifesaver. I initially thought it was going to be $150.00 to get the chimney swept and they saved my house from burning down. The guy talked to me about the massive damage. They came in quickly and got everything repaired but if I hadn't called them, I wouldn't have known and literally I would have burnt my house down. They said the damage was so bad that if I was in the neighborhood when they burnt that Christmas tree I would have seen orange flames shooting out of the top of the chimney. It was a full size Christmas tree they burnt. I truly thank god that they came out because they saved my house, my life, and my family. I had wood put aside and I was ready to go, but a little voice in my head said that it's a new house so I really should get a chimney sweep. When I called them, they were able to come out within the week. The price included the sweep, the damage repair, the fabrication of the new chimney cap, and sanding and repainting of the furnace cap which was blistered from the heat of the fire from the chimney. Initially I was expecting to spend $145.00 and it was money well spent. They were able to come off that ladder with pictures so that they could give me proof. They described what every crack was about heat-wise. They were brave. They were able to talk to me and my boyfriend about what was going on. I would recommend them to my 72-year-old mother too.

From the day Franko came to give us the estimate, i was certain that we're going to hire them for the job. He explained and showed us the troublesome areas, He gave us a couple of options to choose from and most importantly he didn't try to convince us to replace everything and install a new system for 4k (which is what some other company did). We'll definitely hire them again and we would always recommend their services.

Sixpenny did a terrific job. Jaime was the technician leader and he was great! I have a large house with two air duct zones, and one of them is in a small attic. Jaime came up with a workable solution, made sure I understood, and did the work. Jaime estimated the gutter cleaning work at a price that was 50% of what I paid last year. He also cleaned the chimney and advised me that I needed to plan for aa repair next year, not this year. Jaime was straightforward, honest and I will definitely use them. I recommended them to someone earlier today.

I had called and made an appointment with the secretary for the sweeping of 3 chimneys and 1 cap installed. I scheduled an appointment for a Saturday for the time frame of 11-3. At 3 pm, on the scheduled day, the admin in their office called to tell me that the sweeps were running behind due to the rain of the previous week. This was a concern for me since we had an engagement that we had to leave for at 6. I asked the admin on the phone if I should reschedule since we needed to leave the house. She didn't really give a coherent answer other than a terse, "Well, I'm just calling to tell you that they're running late". The sweeps that showed up at close to 5 were very nice and meticulous. They were kind, courteous, and got to working right away.The areas surrounding the fireplaces were draped off and the worked cleaned up afterwards. I really appreciated that! The only problem with their work was that 1) They came so late, they only had time to sweep the chimneys; and 2) Neither of them spoke enough English so I wasn't able to communicate with them that I had already purchased a cap for installation. I called later in the week to make a second appointment so that my cap could be installed. I spoke with the same person on the phone as the previous two times. Her English is fine, but I had some difficulty in explaining to her that 1) I was making a second appointment as a *continuation* of unfinished work from the first appointment, 2) I needed my cap installed only, and 3) No, it is not 3 caps, but 1 large cap that goes over then entire chimney structure. This miscommunication was slightly painful as I was put on hold several times and then put on the phone with a supervisor. Finally, we were able to get things straight and an appointment was set. The second crew of workers that came arrived within the allotted time frame. One of them spoke English so communication was a smoother. Like the first crew, they were kind, courteous, and got to work right away. Overall, I am very pleased with the quality of work done; however, the communication with the company was frustrating.

I called them for an estimate to repair my drafty Fireplace (with an insert). They sent Spanish speaking people to my house who looked on the roof and in my chimney and recommended that a lining be installed in the chimney. I stressed that we wanted the insert removed and the draft problem solved. They even had me speak to an English speaking person on the phone to clarify the contract. Despite this, the workers arrived and installed the liner and hooked it up to the insert. They saw the line in the contract regarding the removal of the insert, but misinterpreted it. In the end, the work was professionally done, but my original problem was not solved. They told me all fireplaces are drafty and they could not fix this problem. It would have been nice if they had indicated this before I had the work done. I would caution against signing a contract with non-English speaking representatives.