A family chimney company for Bayard homes

Selling a house with a fireplace goes more smoothly when the chimney has been looked at before the buyer's inspector arrives. Florida's standards of practice for home inspectors cover fireplaces, flues and chimneys only within what is readily accessible, and they do not ask the inspector to judge draft or light a gas unit, so a report may end with a line that refers the chimney to a specialist.

NFPA 211, the national standard for chimneys and fireplaces, goes further and calls for a more thorough examination when a property is sold or changes hands. A buyer who books that examination late in the contract period can leave you negotiating over a finding nobody has priced. Booking it yourself before the listing goes up puts the findings, and the choice of what to fix, in your hands.

We follow the flue from the cap or chase cover down to the firebox, check the crown, flashing and damper, and on a gas unit watch it light and look at the glass and the vent. The written estimate then separates safety and water entry items from ordinary upkeep, so a buyer can see which is which.

Gather what you already have, such as sweep receipts, invoices for earlier repairs, the manual for a gas or factory-built unit and any warranty terms, since a buyer's inspector reads those papers too. Where a repair is done before closing, the invoice matches the estimate line by line and goes into the house records you hand over at the sale.

We do not advise on price, disclosure or contract terms, which belong with your agent or attorney, but we explain every line in plain words to anyone you share it with. A fireplace listed as decorative still has a flue that should be sound, and the estimate says whether it is. A repair booked within 72 hours of the inspection comes 10% off, which trims the cost of work done before the house goes on the market.

To have our chimney pros look over a house you are selling in Bayard, call (904) 920-5495 for the free inspection.