Chimney repair with a free inspection in Audubon Park

Fireblocking where the chimney passes floors

The air space around a masonry chimney stops at each floor and ceiling it passes through. There the Florida Building Code requires fireblocking of noncombustible material, securely fastened, so flame and hot gases cannot travel up the gap. Between wood joists and the chimney it must be self-supporting or rest on strips of metal or metal lath.

The same code asks for fireblocking in concealed spaces of wood-framed walls at ceiling and floor levels, and around openings for vents, pipes and ducts. A framed wall or chase built around a chimney is that kind of concealed space.

Fireblocking can be missing, loose or made of wood or foam that does not belong at a chimney, and it tends to come to light only when a ceiling or wall is opened for some other reason. When a chimney wall or ceiling in your Audubon Park home is opened for a repair, the fireblocking is checked, and restoring it in noncombustible material is priced on the estimate.

Checking the chimney after a fallen limb or strong wind

A branch that lands on the roof, or wind strong enough to move patio furniture, can reach the chimney too. The damage is not always obvious from the doorstep, and the roof is no place to go looking. Debris can also drop into an open flue. The yard and an upstairs window show a lot.

Keep people clear of the area below any loose pieces and leave the fireplace unused if the top looks damaged. Our crew checks the chimney from the roof and down the flue, and the written estimate covers the damage that is really there, not a list of guesses. Before the visit, note any of these from the ground.

• A cap or chase top that sits tilted or is gone
• Brick, stone or stucco pieces on the roof or the ground
• Flashing lifted or bent where the chimney meets the roof
• A branch still resting against the chimney

Chimney repairs before you sell

Chimney findings that surface during a buyer's inspection arrive late, when there is little time left to get quotes and the price is already being negotiated. Few repair decisions are made well under that kind of deadline.

Having the chimney looked at before listing replaces guesses with specifics. You learn which repairs affect safety or water entry and which are cosmetic. Then you decide what to fix and what to disclose, with your agent and, where it matters, your attorney. We give no legal advice on disclosure.

The free inspection comes with a written estimate that lists each component and its repair separately. Homeowners in Audubon Park can share that estimate with buyers as it stands, fix everything on it, or fix the safety items and let the rest be priced into the sale. Either way, the buyer sees named components instead of a vague warning.

Splitting a long repair list into phases

An inspection on a neglected chimney can turn up a long list. Doing everything at once is not always possible, and it is not always necessary. The list can usually be split into phases without leaving the house at risk.

Some items cannot be split. Counterflashing is set into mortar joints, so repointing and flashing on the same face go together, and a new crown goes on after any rebuild of the courses below it, not before. The estimate marks which lines depend on each other, so the phases you pick still work as a sequence. Within those limits, the order usually runs like this.

• Safety first, such as loose masonry or a damaged flue
• Water entry next, at the crown, cap, flashing and joints
• Working parts after that, like the damper and cleanout
• Finish work last, such as cleaning and color matching