My chimney will require tuck pointing or a partial rebuild.
I am requesting an estimate from a few vendors, to ensure I am provided with a competitive price and time estimate. But I would also like to learn about any experiences other women have had (good or bad) to help me make my decision.
I live in the Downers Grove area of IL.
Thank you!
I was not able to get any referrals from Mamasource (one person finally called back over a month after I provided my contact information), but I did get my repairs. I went with Superior Chimney. It wa a two man crew and they were wonderful: polite, clean and generally good guys. I paid a little more than I had hoped too, but still within the price range I set out to use.
Overall, I give them an A.
We used Chimney and Fireplace Authority to clean ours. I just called about another problem and they offered a solution over the phone rather than charge me. A very honset company.
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A.,
My husband is actually a union bricklayer/mason and does a lot of chimney builds, repairs, etc. He does do side jobs from time to time and I could ask him if he would like to take a look at the job if you are interested in this route. We are located in Lombard so you're not far from us.
On another note, you should be proud of what you have accomplished as a single Mom! Kudos to you! :)
S.
A....I don't have a name/reference for you, but I have a bit of advice. Our chimney has needed repair for a few years now. Last year, we decided to have someone give us an estimate before the chimney deteriorated even more. We had a guy come out to do the repair (tuckpointing and fix the leaky spots). He had good references and seemed knowledgeable and thorough. After the repair and a heavy rain, the chimney started leaking from inside the attic. We had the guy come out a second time. The second big rain...it leaked! Now, about a year and a half later, the cimney is in TOTAL SHAMBLES! The tuckpointing he did has crumbled, and the leaks are constant. We now have to have a complete chimney teardown and rebuild. Be careful, and good luck! (P.S. Your single mom/teen son story is amazing! Keep up the great work!)
They had pressured us to seal and waterproof the chimney. We had to act now or lose the "discount". They did a lot of other work. Just over 1 year later, we have a leak. I called to get something scheduled on Saturday, they told me the supervisor would have to call me back on Monday. The supervisor said that it was probably the flashing which wasn't covered since they only partially replaced the flashing.The supervisor made an appointment for the next day (Tuesday) between 12-4pm. I got a call from the tech saying he wasn't sure when he could come and he would call later. He called again saying he wouldn't be able to make it. The lady called me to reschedule for Tuesday. The guy called me at 12 saying he couldn't make it, they were going to call to send someone else. 1 1/2 hours later the company didn't call me so I called to see what was going on and they said that the other tech would be coming today "guaranteed". It was after 4pm. I called a different company to make an appointment with free estimates. Early Times Home Solutions. I called Superior again to cancel, and the lady told me that the tech had just called a few minutes ago to say he couldn't come today anyway. They are not so superior!! I would not use them! Early Times were very honest. They told me that the flashing wasn't sealed on the side. Superior should have done that when they were here. They didn't even see or fix it when they came. They fixed every other little thing.
We have used Superior Chimney- they are out of Lombard on St. Charles Road- we have had 2 guys out to our home and both were very thorough and did not push us to make repairs that were not necessary at the time.
