Get matched with top fireplace & wood stove pros in Encino, CA

"It took a while to get their attention, but once we got going they were thorough, competent and professional. We are very much enjoying our safe and fully functional fireplace and chimney."

"Fireplace 911 very professional, on time, very thorough, protects property while performing Chimney Repairs, very clean masonry work with experienced mason workers, Final Completion Inspection & new Fireplace screen. courteous, knowledgeable, very efficient, a pleasurable experience, will use for ALL my Real Estate & non Real Estate Chimney jobs...S. Musselman"

"Great service and repair you would be a fool not to hire Kelley for your fireplace needs."

"A report and a quote have been received now. We are waiting for their review of the quote again before going to the cleaning and fixing of our fireplaces by them."

"I waited to put up a review for Pacific Outdoor Living until I could give a full story. Our goal was to fix up our backyard which had never been 'scaped before. We had POL put in a patio of pavers with a grill placed and landscape the entire backyard. We also had an in ground water fountain set up. The job went as planned on time. The different crews were extremely polite and respectful. Very professional. The job turned out beautifully but there were some issues, which thankfully POL has been willing to address. To start, they are a solid pavers company. That is their absolute strength. They know what they are talking about here. The patio and grill are awesome. We had it set with electrical wiring for both an outdoor fridge and a countertop outlet. We also had them run conduit over to a spot where we later installed a jacuzzi. They did a fantastic job. We hired them to also do the landscaping and as we learned, while they do this well, it is not their 1st expertise. They provide this in order to do complete jobs. I suspect there is always going to be loss of some vegetation after installation. This is probably the one thing you can't guarantee but there are other companies we got estimates from where landscaping was clearly their primary expertise. Nevertheless, POL has always owned anything that didn't go perfectly. The landscaping looked great but some of the sod and some of the water resistant plants didn't survive. They replaced whatever needed to be replaced. Even after the summer heat wave and drought where we were limited to watering the lawn to twice a week and had grass die. They listened to my issues which they agreed were not my fault. They owned up to the fact that the sprinkler zones were not perfectly laid out. More than a year later, they came out and just added an additional zone for the lawn, replaced some of the ground cover. In addition, the outlet on our new grill/counter shorted out with the heavy rains this winter as somehow water managed to seep under the covered outlets; they replaced this as well. It would have been more ideal if everything turned out perfectly from the beginning but with these projects, one has to assume there will be some issues. What you want is a company that stands by its work and will not balk at fixing things. POL owned it all and has impressed me by doing so. I am so impressed that I am buying a new batch of mulch from them. I would hire them again even with the landscaping issues because they did not walk away from the problems even after the initial three month warranty. They are a class act."

"We called Green Republic Landscapes and our first contact person Glenda, was both professional and friendly. Motti, the owner came to meet with us and think through the design of the area. He agreed that his workers will be able to remove the day lily, roses, dead sections of the bamboo and all the palm, as well as non-bamboo vegetation among the bamboo from the roots so they would not grow back. We agreed on a redwood wall with a mid section (about 2 feet) of plywood that will be painted black matte to double as a chalk board for our 6-year old; using all redwood would have been more expensive. The gravel will be covered with Angelus pavers with a small pipe underneath to drain any rain water that collects in the patio. We also decided to use the same pavers to cover a 2 feet wide dirt area that ran along the wood wall to make it a seating area. The total cost was $1750 for the vegetation removal, $4500 for the wall and $7500 for the pavers. We were introduced to Melissa, our project manager and Ivan the lead crew member. Everyone was polite and professional. Ivan, however didn't say much and was chronically late so if you work with this team please keep that in mind and refer all issues to Melissa and Motti. The work was completed as agreed and the patio looks really nice. We received our $500 Angie's List discount. However, be aware that you have to inspect the work regularly and hold the work crew accountable. Ivan reported to Melissa that he had completed the job but when we inspected the area the 1) redwood was not treated (he told her he had applied one coat - it was not true); the strip of sand at the edges of the pavers was not sealed either and a simple spray of water scattered the sand edging; and we found palm growing back from stubs he didn't remove (from the root). Melissa had Ivan and his crew come back to remove the redwood, treat it and replace all the planks. He sealed the sand with a glue like substance. He brought a drill to remove the hearts of the palm to "kill" them. The job was corrected quickly but I wish it had been done properly the first time. We are enjoying the area as an additional living space so I'm glad the job is done. However, I just found multiple strands of ivy growing back between the live bamboo and more palm fronds showing where they were supposedly removed so it is frustrating, and the bamboo was so unevenly cut that I've tripped several times walking through the area trying to trim the palm. I'm not sure if I should call Melissa again as we've signed the exit contract. I'd recommend them for their ability to work on both landscape and hardscape and for the responsiveness of the management but know that you'll need to keep an eye on the work crew especially if you are working with Ivan. And don't feel bad to speak up. For the total price, the work was mostly (90%) completed after corrections were requested. I really wanted to like this company as I have several friends who are also looking for team to help with landscaping and paving work. I might refer them with the caveats above. I would hire them again depending on the project."

"Perfectly. River rocks and crushed red brick are a great highlight for the plants. Thanks!"

"Michael and crew were great! Freitag construction was brought in as a sub-contractor to face a garden wall, when we were having our pool re-surfaced. I was so impressed with the crew's work that I asked Michael to bid on finishing a courtyard and a pool change area. Of three quotes that I received, Michael was competitively priced, comprehensive and clear where the cost was allocated and where extras might lie. Michael had a sub-contractor come in to do carpentry while his own crew completed stone work. All crew were professional and skilled. I've dealt with many contractors; Michael was excellent in only requesting payment commensurate with work completed. His crew was efficient, the entire project was completed ahead of schedule - Michael will under-promise and over-deliver.
We are thrilled with the work completed. We are enjoying our courtyard and "Frietag" fireplace. We could not be happier with the results."

"We had several problems with our fireplace. It had started not drawing well despite the chimney having been cleaned a year before.  A lot of fire smell was entering the entire house even with an apparently clean burning fire.  Also the back wall of the fire box had a number of cracked bricks and an earlier patching job done by a former owner was crumbling.  There was similar deterioration on the firebox floor.































































































































Rich came on time for his estimate and immediately said the lower end of the flue might need to be recontoured because there was a flat spot that could cause the fire gasses to rebound downward.  He said the cracking in the back wall was probably due to moisture seeping down through an old chimney cap.  He told us at least some of the bad bricks should be replaced and any remaining cracks patched with the right kind of heat resistant cement.  He also recommended a new concrete chimney cap to keep moisture from penetrating into the porous chimney bricks.  He further suggested a vent to the outside at the back of the firebox to allow air to be drawn in to the base of the fire to assist in the drawing up of the gasses.































































































































But we were all puzzled by why the fireplace was suddenly not working as well as it had over the years. Rich asked if there had been changes in the house, like new windows or vents.  Yes!  We had moved our furnace into the attic and changed the cold air return from near the floor to the hall ceiling.  Apparently that caused an air flow in front of the fireplace that picked up the fire smell and drew it into the furnace, which propelled it throughout the house.  Problem identified!  Rich thought the air vent would solve this.































































































































Before Rich came to do the job, I tried the gas fire starter with no logs on the grate.  Surprise!  Flames rushed out of the cracks in the fireplace floor!  When Rich removed the brick around the line, he discovered a rotten pipe and no real connection between the gas line and the starter.  Another problem caused by the shoddy work done by (or for) the previous owner.































































































































Long story short, Rich arrived for the job exactly on time and spent the whole day with a helper doing all the work he had recommended.  It was noisy and dusty, but he put a tarp covering the fire box and also placed tarps on the floor.  We added coverings for the furniture.  In the afternoon we asked him to replace some more bricks so there would be less visible patching.  He managed to do this and was done before we had guests in the early evening.  We have since tried the fireplace and it works fine!































































































































We did have a little issue about the final bill, as the extent of his work had changed during the job and the effect was not clearly communicated.  We finally worked it out, but it pointed out to both of us the need to be clear about work changes.  We recommend Rich not only for his timeliness and good work, but his thorough diagnosis of, and solutions for, our fireplace problems.

"I received 6 quotes on a room addition and the best quality-price ratio came from Manchen Construction. I checked their reliability and they have many excellent recommendations so it was easy decision to go with them. Chen and his crew were great to work with. They were hard workers, clean, polite and respectful to my home. The project was finished on time and Chen kept costs within my budget. The outcome is phenomenal and I am satisfied with quality materials they used and also with their work. I highly recommend Manchen Construction and will work with this company on future projects!"