Fireplace Inspection in Boston, MA

What we actually find inside Boston chimneys

Triple-deckers hide a specific problem. One stack, several flues, thin brick withes between them. Mortar inside those dividers crumbles first. Smoke from the first floor then shows up on the second. Homeowners blame the tenant. It is the withe.

Coal left its mark everywhere. South Boston and Dorchester flues were sized for coal grates. Narrow and tall. Parged rather than tiled. Drop a wood stove liner down one and it often will not pass without an offset. We measure before promising anything.

Back Bay and South End brownstones add their own twist. Brownstone crowns erode into sand. Caps sit above shared party walls with the neighbor. Access means a hatch or a ladder on a flat roof. Sometimes it means a conversation with the abutter first.

Watch for the tells yourself. White powder on exterior brick means water is moving through. Damp stains on a bedroom wall near the chimney breast. A damper that will not seat. Rust flakes on the smoke shelf. Those four tell us more than a photo of soot.

Some jobs we talk people out of. Relining an unused flue in a two-family makes little sense if nobody burns anything. Capping it costs less and does more.