The Chimney Doctor Nova Inc

We haven't had to use the chimney's yet since the work was done over the summer, but we feel we got a great deal. The laborers were prompt and cleaned up after their work.

This company was wonderful to work with in every way. They were incredibly responsive and have a great administrative staff, as well as the chimney repair specialists. We had a great experience.

Chimney Doctor NOVA was an extremely professional and transparent company from the moment I first reached out to them for a free estimate until the work was 100% completed. They even allowed me to set up a 90-day no interest payment plan for the project. Elizabeth Zimbro was available and responsive by email, phone and even by text throughout the project. Chimney Doctor arrived on time for the estimate, despite the weather being particularly bad that day, and were able to provide a written estimate by the next business day. The technician was able to explain his initial findings and likely recommendation of the rebuild even before I received the estimate so I knew what to expect. My husband and I received 3 other estimates and although there was another company that was slightly less expensive we decided to go with Chimney Doctor because they gave us a few extra days to decide even outside of their 5 day window of scheduling the work and we still received a 5% discount. Once the work was scheduled Elizabeth communicated with me prior to the start date to let me know they were still on schedule and to answer any questions I might have. On the day work begin, the technicians arrived on time and quickly tore down the section of the chimney to be rebuilt within an hour or less. A few hours later another crew arrived to haul away the old bricks and debris and they began the rebuilding process. They were not able to complete the masonry that day, which was a Friday, and the technicians covered the exposed chimney. Unfortunately though, they did not cover it enough from my perspective as we were expecting really heavy rain Friday night into Saturday and over the weekend (~2 inches). I immediately called Elizabeth around 5pm on that Friday evening and she asked me to send her photos of the chimney so she could reach back out to her technicians. Within a couple of hours, Chimney Doctor came back out to my home around 7pm and provided additional cover of the exposed chimney to avoid water infiltration over the weekend. I was extremely impressed with their responsiveness! The following Monday, Chimney Doctor completed the masonry and concrete crown work. The chemical wash that was used killed some of the grass around the chimney base and so Chimney Doctor came back and sodded the area of dead grass free of charge. I am extremely happy with the work and quality of customer service provided by Chimney Doctor staff and technicians. I was highly recommend them in the future.

I am used to being upset with businesses with bad work and poor customer service. That's why I do most home improvement stuff myself. If I could give this company an A+, I would. They EXCEEDED my expectations. I am nit-picky so believe me when I say this. The inspection was through and free. The inspector told me we needed to rebuild the chimney, replace the furnace flue. I didn't believe him until I went up there and I easily pulled out a large piece of mortar. He also deemed our fireplace unusable as the firebox was rusted out. We did not have that repaired and will install a gas fireplace later. They arrived on-time and got to work in two teams. One team jackhammered out the wall in the basement for the new joint box that the furnace and water heater exhaust pipes would connect to. I was VERY worried about this as my main gas line was an inch above where they jack-hammered. The owner was on-site and there were no problems. The other team tore down the chimney and took care to not harm my bushes or A/C compressor. They matched the brick near perfectly. The only problem is the brick on my 1950s home was longer than modern brick. It is hard to tell the newer brick is shorter. The work lasted until 4 pm or so. The owner, at my request, left me all the left-over brick and matching mortar along with a bag of sand. I used it to repair my front stoop and build a little patio for my front hose later. The workers cleaned up well. The inspector came later and cleaned up more thoroughly. In the end, we got a great chimney. Their prices were a little below average compared to other quotes we got. Months later, while cleaning my gutters I noticed the mortar on the chimney crown was cracking. I contacted the company and they sent someone out to caulk it the next week. It is natural for the mortar to crack there a little as it cures. Overall, I recommend them for any chimney repair you need.

Kept informed on days and times for the work to be carried out. All work completed in agreed schedule. Workmanship was excellent and reasonable price given the scope of work.

I asked them to clean the black brick discoloration near the top of the chimney. They scrubbed it three times and it looks much, much better.

They came out and measured for a replacement chase cover and cap. I waited 2 to 3 weeks for it to be manufactured. They came out to install the cover and everything went down hill. The cover looked like it had been tossed off the back of the truck. It was dented and bent out of the shape it was supposed to be in for the installation. Since the crew had not inspected it before they had dismantled my old chase cover, they had to reinstall the old chase cover until they ordered and received a replacement new cover. No problem things happen.... I asked that they order a new one and call me to install the replacement. Fast forward 2 weeks, I get a call from the "office manager" who wants to schedule the appointment. She said they have the replacement but they can only come to my home on a Tuesday of the following week OR I have to wait 5 or 6 WEEKS to have the work done..... I told her that the following Tuesday does not work for me due to my schedule and then ask "Why do I have to wait 5 or 6 weeks when I have already paid for the cover, already had to take a day off of work to be here, etc.... I should be at the top of the list or some sort of priority, right??" Answer: WRONG! The office manager spirals into a raged frenzy. It was a most uncomfortable and bizarre conversation from that point forward. She told me, "You are the type of customer we do not want." "We are not responsible for you missing work because we do not ask you to be home when we do the work." "If you do not want the dates I provided you that it fine, you forfeit your deposit and we will simply throw the chase cover in the trash. It makes no difference to us..." Yes, she actually said those things to me, and more!! She would not let me speak, she kept talking over me, she acted like she was an authority and I was being held hostage by the chimney police.... It was absolutely inappropriate and downright offensive. It gets even better. I asked to speak to the manager,... she said "I am the manager." I asked to speak to the owner,... she said "You do not need to speak to the owner and I am not going to give you the owner's name because you do not need to know that information." I asked for the owner's name again and she told me, "Mr. Zimbro" and she hung up..... I called back and said, "Give me the Tuesday appointment." Honestly, this nightmare of a woman is not going to ruin my day. She is obvious an unhappy person and since I am already half way into the transaction, better to just be the better person. I can deal with the "office manager" later.... So, the installers come out and finish the work. Again, great group of guys and very professional. They only issue was that they did not clean up very well when they finished, but that was not a problem. Just a little light sweeping and a dustpan on the deck. Interesting bit of information though, I asked the installers for the owner, "Mr. Zimbro" contact information and they looked oddly at me. They then told me that the real owner's name is Victor Medrano. "Zimbro" is the last name of the office manager! When I told them about what this woman said, no one seemed surprised... I guess she treats everyone like that... So, end of the day. Installers are hard working and honest. The office staff who I spoke with were nice and helpful. The "office manager" is unfit to be in management, a liar and a nightmare of a person to deal with. Too bad, the work and price is fair but the attitude and unprofessional behavior of that office manager is the catch... I suggest you look for another company or risk dealing with this woman and being threatened with a loss of your money!

Junior arrived ontime and got started immediately. He was very friendly and polite. His helper was also great. They spread canvas on the area. We are not sure how long since our last sweep - we've been in the house for a few years so it was rather dirty (even though we have a liner in the chimney). Junior inspected the cap and chimney on the top of the house. He took pictures, explained concerns in detailed and quoted us approx $2K to complete the necessary repairs (need a new cap and mortar work in the firebox (cracking bricks). We are contemplating getting a direct vent gas fireplace in place of our wood burning. If we go gas - a different set of updates would be needed. If we decide to keep our wood burning - we very likely may go with Chimney Doctor after we get a 2nd opinion. Highly recommend them!

The whole staff was professional and knowledgable - including the office. They gave me an estimate and answered the questions I had. We scheduled the work and they crew was on time, professional and cleaned up after the work was complete. The outside brickwork mortar could have been a little cleaner. The relocated draft "hole" as not properly secured so they came back out promptly and added cement around the new box and the problem was solved.

Great service. First time I've had a fireplace in 30 years so I had many questions and all were answered.

They did a great job at a fair price. They were very easy to work with.

The 2-person crew was professional, on-time, and responsive to my questions. Their work performed was high-quality and they beat a competitor's price without hesitation. Rain interrupted the repair work, so they came back a few days later to finish the job and make sure everything was squared away. I would not hesitate to recommend this company and will use them in the future if needed.

Chimney Doctor provided a complete inspection of our leaky chimney, which included video camera examination of the flue, and prepared a full technical specification sheet of work needed. I was most impressed by the professional approach and careful explanation of all that needed to be done. Chimney Doctor inspired confidence and that is what sold me up front. After some setbacks due to adverse weather conditions, the resulting appointment was right as scheduled. The Chimney tear-down and rebuild took a little more than one day, and waterproofing (both furnace and fireplace chimneys) about one week later. Recently the neighbors commented how the new bricks and old bricks and masonry work matched so beautifully. (For an older house, Chimney Doctor searched and was able to locate a close match of new bricks such that they virtually looked identical to the old.) Cleanup was excellent too. It was a "best experience" having Chimney Doctor, for its professionalism and great customer care. Hooray for Chimney Doctor - two thumbs up!

This was a small job and getting a contractor to do the job under $500 was difficult to find, so we were pleased to find The Chimney Doctor. The company arrived as planned and did an excellent job filing in all the areas where the grout had come out. While I thought they were just going to fill in a few separate areas under the walkway that had been washed out, they went the extra mile to dig it out all areas underneath the walkway and put in a great concrete fill-in to help prevent future erosion. The original estimate was $460, which is how much the job would have been, but they took $100 off the bill after accidentally severing our Verizon cord. They came back to do final touch ups and also recommended an inexpensive way for us to clean our sidewalk. We recommend this company to Angie's list members for this kind of work.

Bottom Line: Recommend this company for good chimney maintenance, but not to solve any roof leakage problems unless you know for a fact the chimney is the issue. Inspection and Estimate: Initially contacted company due to water leakage in attic in and around one of the metal chimneys. Scheduling an appointment for an inspection and estimate was easy and prompt. Technician was able to get on roof, review potential causes, and provide a detailed estimate including pictures from the roof. Execution of Work. Work was easily scheduled for one week later and was completed in less than an hour. Technician explained what he completed again with pictures. Unfortunately, during the very next rain, the leak returned, so the problem was not fixed. Since the company was hired to fix the leak vice conduct yearly maintenance, would have appreciated a follow-up from the company after several weeks asking if the leak had been fixed. If this had been done, I might have brought the same company back out to further investigate. Since they did not, I decided not to reward the non-completion of the task (fix the leak), and go with a roofing company specializing in any roof leaks. Cost: Total cost was exactly as estimated and was the best of three top-rated Angie's List providers.

The contractor's estimator was punctual in arriving at the agreed upon time. He seemed very thorough in his inspection and evaluation. He explained what needed to be repaired/replaced and answered all my questions. About a week or two later the construction crew and mason came on the day (and time) agreed upon and worked diligently in raising the scaffolding and then proceeding with the "take down" and re-build. They were careful in constructing the chimney and very thorough in their subsequent clean up. They came back a second time to apply the wash and waterproofing. The only thing I found later was a little debris at the bottom of the flue, which probably fell in during the chimney take down. Overall, they did a great job at a reasonable price with the best warranty provided by the three contractors I received bids from. I definitely would recommend them to others needing such repairs.

The technician was prompt and courteous. He took time and explained what he proposed to do. The quote was very thorough including estimated time to do the work. We ended up not taking on this job right now but would be willing to work with this company in the future based on their very good impression during the free quote process.

The original start date was rescheduled because of weather but when they started they all worked in a professional manner and got the job done. Everyone with this company that I had any contact with was informative and professional.

The cleaning went well for the fireplace. Couldn't clean my woodstove because the stove wasn't safe but did inspect it. Whoever had put it in the wall had no sheathing and that could easily cause a fire. I couldn't believe the shotty work that was done and couldn't believe our home inspector didn't catch it. But he's a whole nother story. I can't remember the main guy who helped me but he could have explained things a little better to me. He was young though. He knew what he was talking about though because I had a second opinion and he said the exact same things but explained in better detail-what, when, where and why and went into detail about things while answering other questions I had not related to what I asked him out for. Since they could only clean one chimney the quote they gave me for the woodstove was taken out and I paid less than expected. This is a good company and they know what they are talking about.

The winter work was understandably delayed, only as necessitated by weather. Compared to another contractor, I was much more pleased with the congeniality and professionalism of the technicians and the office staff. I was pleased that the Chimney Doctor wrote an estimate for only the work actually required, and that they made an honest assessment of the chimney liner. Their estimate came in several thousand dollars below what another company estimated. Yes, I could have replaced the chimney from the roof line, up (as proposed by another company). And, it might have looked brand new. But it simply wasn't necessary. I highly recommend The Chimney Doctor, at least for a second opinion. And, if you do elect to work with them, you'll be pleased with the results.

They came on time, worked quickly and professionally, cleaned up, came back for work that had to be done after mortar had cured a bit, were quiet and polite. It all went as well as possible. I'd use this company again and recommend them to all.

Victor and his crew were very professional, on time, and helpful with information. The chimney look new. They left the site better cleaned than when they arrived. Would recommend the company to anyone, especially if they need the work completed quickly.

Repaired shoddy workmanship of another contractor hired to install new chimney cap. New cap came loose, Chimney Doctor discovered that the new cap had been installed over the old cap. Most of the old cap was removed by Chimney Doctor, and the new cap fits well.

We wanted the chimney crown repaired and the Chimney doctor company focused on providing a lining to the chimney. Although this is an excellent improvement with real safety value and no pressure was applied to us in accepting this proposal, it multiplied the price of the work and the crown work was not focused on: when it rained for the first time We realized the chimney crown was still leaking: when we called a group of worker came immediately and spayed the chimney crown with a water proofing agent. That has worked, still I would have preferred the crown to be properly repaired, especially considering the total price of the work.

Arrived when they said they would, were very friendly and extremely knowledgeable.