The Chimney Doctor Nova Inc

They did a thorough inspection of the chimney from inside the house and the roof and answered all our questions. The work was scheduled quickly and completed in less than a day without any problems. They beat a previous estimate by $3,000. We have yet to use the fireplace but do not anticipate any issues.

The company was responsive, on time, had fair price. Unfortunately, since I am not going to climb up into the chimney to see if it has been cleaned, I don't know how well that was done. they did cap the chimney, and they did remove squirrels. The problem is that, once I learned that the work was actually going to be done from within the house, in my family room, at the fireplace, and when I asked the man who was going to do the work IF I SHOULD COVER MY FURNITURE, HE SAID NO IT WON'T BE MESSY!! Today I am finally getting time to dust and clean my house a bit, and I have a BLACK DUST CLOTH. There is black dusty sooty stuff all over all of my wood furniture and everything on the furniture (lamps, etc.). Needless to say, there is black sooty stuff all deep in my carpet and my sofas and chairs. I'm about to call Stanley Steemer to come clean carpet and sofas, chairs, etc., on the entire first floor of my house, and that will cost a pretty penny!! I will then need to get down on my hands and knees and clean my hard floors. Walls and windows and curtains will need to be cleaned. The real cost of having Chimney Doctor come out and do this work is IMMENSE!! ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS TELL ME TO COVER EVERYTHING, AND I WOULD NOT HAVE THIS COMPLAINT; I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO WASH DOWN MY WALLS AND WINDOWS AND CLEAN CURTAINS -- SMALL WORK IN COMPARISON TO WHAT LIES AHEAD. UPDATE: I called The Chimney Doctor, and the Office Manager assured me that The Chimney Doctor didn't leave a mess in my house! (The customer is never right!) I live alone w/o pets, and no one else has been in my house! She said they didn't clean my chimney, and, indeed, in reviewing the statement, even though I had asked them to clean and cap the chimney and remove the squirrels, the statement shows no cleaning. (Was I charged too much for just capping and removing squirrels??) BUT . . . they did something in my den in my fireplace. I DON'T S*** SOOT!! When it rained several days ago I could hear the rain on the tin cap and wondered if the damper was closed. Yesterday, after talking to the office manager, I got my flashlight and looked and, indeed, the damper had been left open. I also called Stanley Steemer to have them come out and clean carpet and sofas, and they won't come out because they say that the steam cleaning would only make it worse! I AM NOT HAPPY!!

It went poorly. After several false starts due to scheduling problems (on their end), the team came and were ready to begin the job when I asked that they show me the brick they were going to use. Instead of an exact or near match, the brick was a totally different color and style. I was then told that this was the only brick they could get, which was in direct contradiction with the promise the estimator gave to me. I dismissed the crew from doing the work until a proper match could be found. When I emailed the office they refused my request to speak to the estimator and never returned my call. I was left with the feeling that they were not up to the task of doing the job they promised, but were just trying to fill in time until the winter cleaning season began.

I would use them again in the future if I needed to.

My father uses his basement wood stove extensivly on cold winter days to warm the house and save on the gas/electric bill. In Jan/Feb '11 we had a chimney fire that cracked the original cinder-block chimney in several places which lead to water seepage into the flue. My pop and I discussed having the chimney rebuilt from ground-up with brick to match the house facade. I called serveral chimney contractors from Angies list for an estimate. Of the 4 contractors who stopped by, The Chimeny Doctor NOVA was the best in price and they did not pressure us for the job compared to the others. Our philosophy when looking for contractors is: 1) Exceptional Customer Service, 2) Good quality of work. The Chimney Doctor has both. The office admin Elizabeth returned calls in a short amount of time, She had Victor answer any of my pop's questions/concerns before we handed over the initial deposit. For example, Victor came out after the initial visit on our request to verify that we needed a "heavy-wall liner" -which cost us a few dollars more but is a better/stronger material than the one initially spec'd out. (They even dropped off samples of both liner material for us to inspect.) Once all the questions were out of the way. On the first day of work they started fairly early in the AM. They knocked down a ~25foot chimney and built it back in brick which took less than 7~8 hours. Now I cannot gauge how much time it takes to lay down brick, but I think the work was done fairly QUICK! On the last day of work, there was a minor hickup with the roof/chimney flashing being messed up but they took care of it after we pointed it out to them. Overall the brickwork looks great. Conclusion: Victor and Elizabeth are good folks to do business with so I would most definitely recommend The Chimney Doctor NOVA.

Had fire in fireplace in March; chimney was inspected by another Angie List company and estimate was over 7,000 for Fireplace work only. Called this company for a second estimate and they not only found more damage their cost for the same repairs to the fireplace and the new damage was about 2,000 less. They were very professional and kept my home clean and dust free while they were taking tiles out of the chimney. I will use them again for normal cleaning.

In December of 1992 we had our chimney cleaned and were told we were out of code because an apparent, previous, flu fire had damaged many of the clay tiles would have to be replaced. We elected to install an AHRENS Masonary System. After removal of the clay tiles this material is poured into the existing space to form a solid and fire proof fill. Since about 2000 we have been getting water in the fireplace but only after long rainstorms. The last few years had shown a marked increased so much that when my neighbors' chimney needed work I spoke with the contractor about my problem. After speaking with "The Fireplace Doctor" I was not convinced of his expertise so I checked "Angie's List" and found "The Chimney Doctor NOVA." A local established business. Ryan came out and examined my chimney. He showed me a huge crack from the crown to the roofline. Apparently a product of last years earthquake. He also showed me a fine hair line crack that extended 61 courses of brick down the outside of the chimney. Normally this would require a total rebuild with a stainless steel liner. But, Ryan said he would try to save the AHRENS liner saving me $1500.00 for the stainless liner. If there were no internal cracks, that couldn't be pointed up, he could save the liner. They did the teardown on Tuesday and did the rebuild on Wednesday. I was having a new roof installed on Wedensday and the masons worked with the roofers for a seamless rebuild. A few days later we started a couple of weeks of some of the worst rainstorms in years. My fireplace is bone dry and the chimney looks great. The workers were fast, efficient and extremely courteous. I bought a couple of cases of bottled water and iced them down in a large cooler. Was this required? No. Was it the right thing to do? Absolutely! The workers were grateful and made no secret about it. Sometimes that little bit of consideration goes a long way, especially when your dealing with people who have to earn thier living in harsh environments. My neighbors' contractor started the day before my work. It still isn't finished 25 days later. The Chimney Doctor was a good call. I was an electrican involved in construction for 34 years and I can recognise quality and experience when I see it. Hiring a contractor can be a crapshoot. You don't know what your getting until it's done. If it's done. These people are representative of the best in building trades. Hire them with the confidence that you will be treated fairly and honestly.

We received multiple estimates for repairing the chimney cap, mortar, cracked masonry, and tiles. Others quoted entire rebuild jobs but Chimney Doctor go out a ladder and confirmed our liner tiles were fine. After evaluating all the offers, we saw Chimney Doctor as best value.We asked them to come on saturday and they showed up early. The work was professional , everything ordered was provided, and the clean-up was complete They did a great job of matching the mortar to our existing color. We are still waiting for the next big rain but have every confidence that the repair will hold. If this repair proves out we will have them back to redo the family room chimney facing.

This company was fine to deal with, but their cost estimate was almost $500 higher than the company we chose to do it.

The estimator was prompt and left me with two estimates, one for repairs and one for a rebuild. He told me the repairs would take a couple of days and rebuild about 5 days. After speaking with some other contractors, I decided to have Chimney Doctors rebuild the chimney. Elizabeth, the office manager, was very professional in explaining the process and scheduling the work. They brought two crews to do the work. The foreman on the job noticed that my front steps needed repaired as well, and asked if I was interested in having that done as well, since they would have the bricks there. I agreed. Both jobs took about two and a half days. At then end, everything was cleaned up with the exception of a few soda cans left in the yard. Considering the distance the crew had to hand carry the bricks, I thought they did a fantastic job, both in time and neatness. After completion, I noticed the handle on the water faucet was missing. I called Elizabeth about it and asked if she could check on it. They had to come back after a couple of days to do the final clean-up on the bricks after the mortar had set. At that time they determined that they would need to send someone else out about the faucet. They did not bill me for the completed work until the faucet was also fixed.

Very good work. Will await heavy rain to determine results. It has rained very heavily since the repair and the leak has not reoccurred since then. Very satisfied with Chimney Doctor’s work.

They came out, they were fine, great, and good.

I called for what I thought was service to repair a damper. The phone response was crisp and business-like. Although there was a delay due to a technician injuring himself on another job, a rescheduled tech showed up promptly and, after an inspection, told me that we had had a chimney fire and that not only would a chimney have to be replaced, but an adjacent chimney would also likely have to be replaced. A proposal was emailed to me in about 3-4 hours. I have no way to judge how fair the cost was, but seeing the three men working for two days, and the amount of material involved, I feel that the total charge was likely competitive. The workmen showed up on time, and were very careful to keep me informed as to the details of the job as it progressed. They were also careful protect the house and grounds from dirt and damage in a satisfactory way. We are totally pleased with the outcome of this contract. Lesson learned: if you use you fireplace heavily, have it inspected at least once a year.

Everything was done carefully and well and in a timely fashion.

I found the chimney cap in my yard. I needed someone to come over as soon as possible. They came over the next morning and replaced the chimney cap with a better, newer model. They also painted the furnace pipe that had started to rust, and replaced a piece of flashing. They were very prompt, efficient and courteous.

They came out on time and went to work on the waterproofing. I had to get over to the house, because we are fixing it to be-able to move into it, we live somewhere else.(Lake Ridge, Va) They waited for me to get there and they came inside (3) and cleaned the fireplace and that is when Robert told be getting a better damper. He explained everything to me and I agreed to do it and it only took ten minutes more. They cleaned up after they were done and left. They were professional and kind and did a super job. We got information about them from a neighbor across the street. That is when we decided to call them and they were busy but squeezed us in. Word of mouth is important and I will pass their company to anyone that needs their fireplace /chimney looked at or worked on.

Great contact from office staff, salesman, all workers. Ryan was in contact with me from start to finish, and performed some of the final repairs himself. Always professional, addressed me as "Mr. ___", boots off to avoid tracking anything into our house. Always called 15 minutes prior to arriving so I could meet him at the house (at my request). Described all parts of the repair in detail, including the required outside temperatures necessary for each portion of the repair.

They arrived in the last five minutes of the window they gave (10-12). They climbed up and assessed the issue, which was the cap and crown. It took about 15 minutes to repair, and charged $645. Too much for 15 minutes and a cheap cap I could have bought a home depot in my opinion. The chimney doesn't leak any more.

I purchased a townhome last March that was a foreclosure and flip, after living there some time and noticing how things can be "covered up" I was a bit nervous about what the inside of my chimney may look like. I called mid-late December and was told they were booking into January. Then they told me they had a cancellation the following week I could have. The woman on the phone was very pleasant and even asked me where I'd heard of them - which prompted an Angie's List discount that I didn't even think to ask about - Awesome! The day of service I received a call a little before arrival (I was the first appointment and would not have appreciated more notice than that at 8:00 am hahah). Three men showed up, were very polite, neat and fast. They told me about a few things that had been issues in the past that were now taken care of and even explained everything I'd need to know about actually using the fireplace (very helpful considering it was the first time I've ever had one). A great experience and I plan to use them again for all my chimney needs!

Mr. Barker came out with his team and inspected and gave a very detailed written estimate. Of all who came out for an estimate, the Chimpley Doctor team was by far the most knowledgeable, the most professional, and the least "hard -sell". I took a day to consider it among other estimates and in the end we knew that we wanted to go with Chimney Doctor. Although the receptionist, Elizabeth, was curt and a bit off-putting, the actual staff of chimney technicians, headed up by Bill Barker, are simply exceptional. They do their work carefully, they explain what they have done, and they are ready to answer all questions. Mr. Barker went out of his way (even coming on a weekend) to get us the scheduling date we needed. He provided all sorts of valuable information about our two wood stoves and also about our open fireplace. This man is the best and we will always return to the Chimney Doctor because of Mr. Barker.

They were punctual, quick, and professional. I purchased my house a couple of years ago and I hadn't had a chimney sweep and an inspection since moving in. I knew it needed a cleaning and i wanted to go with a local company and I am glad I chose the Chimney Doctor. They arrived on time and got straight to work. They were very kind to my two barking dogs sneaked out of the room to greet them. The were quick and very clean. It was like they were never there. After the work, the head technician explained what they had done, what was in good condition and what he recommends on getting fixed. I had some general questions and he was very helpful on explaining in full detail all of my concerns. My wife does not like me using the fireplace because sometimes we get back drafts of smoke flowing back into the house. He explained how to fix the problem for my small chimney. With my newfound knowledge on how to keep the smoke from entering the family room, I hope I will be using my fireplace enough for them to come back again next year for a chimney sweep.

After researching chimney repair on Angie's list I spoke with 3 co's. One did not do all the work we needed himself but recommended the Chimney Doctor. We had 2 estimates done and chose Chimney Doctor after going through the work needed with Victor at our house. We also needed bricks replaced in our back wall and he added that to the masonry work. Chimney Doctor does all the work so you are under the care of one co. Victor was going to be on site to do some of the work and was contact person for the project. The office manager was very responsive and helpful so I always felt they knew our project and took it seriously. From start to finish it was an excellent experience and the chimneys are terrific.

They are wonder, they are great. They normally send the same person every year which is reassuring to me.

The tech and crew arrived on time and went right to work. The head techanican explained what they would be doing and also let me know that there was a problem with the covering over the chimney top. He suggested he re-do the cement covering so that other bricks would not begin to crack. He gave me a discount on this which I appreciated. Now I can get to the damper pull much easier since it is on the side wall of the fireplace. They left everything clean when they left. They washed down the roof front and back so there was no brick dust/dirt on the roof. They were very nice and answered all questions I had, plus the tech sent me by e-mail pictures of before and after for my files. I would use them again when necessary.

The top of our fireplace chimney obviously needed repair. We got estimates from three companies. One said replace ten rows of bricks (and the crown, all said), one said replace twelve rows of bricks, and this company said replace 11 rows of bricks. This and one other company also recommended waterproofing the lower, older bricks so that they would last longer. The Chimney Doctor NOVA, Inc. had the best price and seemed knowledgeable and competent. They did a good job in weather conditions that were not very good and came back on a thoroughly dry day to do the waterproofing. They were on time and cleaned up well. Everything seems fine.