Get matched with top chimney cap installers and replacers in La Canada Flintridge, CA

"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.

"not that great. basically paid $99 to get an estimate. included cleaning roof and minimal repairs. took a while to get appointment, and then when they came, they didn't even do the work! gave a really big estimate and then re-seheduled to have someone else do the work. they wouldn't totally replace the roof, gave different estimates to repair, I went with a different company to do a full roof rplacement."

"Excellent! I could not have asked for a better crew. JT, Shaun, Pedro and Kayla were my direct contacts and all were very professional. Western Pacific Roofing came to the rescue just before this last big rain. They were not prepared to repair my roof upon first observation, however, they were able to secure the exposed area so as not to allow further damage from the impending rain storms. We survived the rain, they returned the next business day after the rains. Roof is repaired and I’m completely satisfied with my overall experience. Western Pacific Roofing has become my go to company for all of my properties’ roofing needs..."

"The repair service went well; completed on time."

"We just had two fireplaces re-done; with a cracked panel replaced, new log vent system installed and the back panels painted. Kelly was super responsive, incredibly professional and the most knowledgeable we came across during our fireplace update search. He said he’d been doing this for 15 years and you can tell! One thing that impressed me the most was how clean he left our house afterwards. Often when workmen come in the house it is left with mess, but Kelly laid down protective coverings and ensured the area was just as clean as he found it. I appreciated his attention to detail. Definitely recommend!"

"I went with LA Expert Builders on a complete remodel of my old kitchen. My kitchen was in a bad condition so Nir and his team didn't had easy task but they did excellent job and exceed my expectations. The outcome is brilliant and my new kitchen is beautiful and very functional. I can not recommend enough Nir and LA Expert Builders!"

"We hired Fireplace Freddie to inspect and fix our 100-year-old fireplace & chimney, making it safe to burn real wood again. Nick and Scott came out quickly, and used cameras to inspect. During the inspection Nick visually showed me what the issues were. He also verbally suggested the fix. After the inspection, we received pics and a price quote to fix the issues by installing a stainless steel sleeve in the chimney. We sent the pics and info to 3 other businesses to compare prices. After speaking with Nick numerous times, including 2 conversations with my old school contractor buddy who asked Nick just about every ridiculous question he could possibly think of, Nick remained cool and answered all of his questions. Nick also agreed to do the job with a permit from LADBS which they included in the price, so we decided Fireplace Freddie was the right company to do the job. Patrick was our installer. He had a co-worker, but I didn't catch his name. They showed up on time, covered the floor and furniture and did their job. It took a few days as they said it would, but they were on time, clean and friendly. Each day they came, they covered everything. Each night, they cleaned up and uncovered everything before they left. Patrick also dealt with our LADBS inspector who admittedly was not well versed in chimney repair. Patrick was very friendly, gave the inspector the information he needed including printed specs from the manufacturer, and we passed inspection w/o issue. Scott came back 1 week later to test the fireplace. He lit a fire to make sure it was all good, and it is. To sum it all up, everyone was friendly and professional. The job went super smooth, and we are able to use our wood burning fireplace again, safely.  I would highly recommend Fireplace Freddie. A+"

"The guy did a fine job. We had just brought a new washer and dryer, and someone told us that it was a good idea to clean the dryer vent before we put in the new dryer. He came out when he said, he took about the right time and everything. He took 30/35 minutes to do it. He seem like a nice guy. I would say to drop the price. I think that was a fair price for coming out here."

"The deck in the front porch is pretty good; the painting looks fine and I think the guy was trying pretty hard but there were a few places where there was some wood that probably should have been replaced but they just painted over it.  They were pretty responsive and they did try to come out and make sure that the job was done right.  I would probably consider getting a bid from them in the future."

"I bought the big deal $125 for three hours of his service. He was late because he had to go back to finish the previous job in the morning, and did not reach us till 2 pm (one hour late) But he was very efficient. In an hour 10 mins. he dismantled the old toilet and installed the new one which is working beautifully. After hanging the picture, he still had time to check ceiling light fixture, which I thought, needed a new bulb. It needed more than that. The whole thing was rusted because of leaky roof. But he gave everything he had trying to fix it. Finally, I decided that it was time to replace the whole thing for good. We still had time to replace the the vent duct for our dryer. He also gave me some pointers on plumbing. It was a pleasant experience working with him.
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