Jim, Authentic Fireplaces,, came recommended for quality and did not disappoint. We had our 1911 fireplace restored last week. Brandon was first to arrive to set up his bubble. Wow I had no idea how that would be accomplished. Very cool. No dust or debris left behind. He truly is a master of his craft. Setting up, demoing and reconstructing our fireplace. The whole crew was very professional and respectful. We are so happy with the results and can't wait to have a fire Wanted to mention, patience is a virtue with this company. They're extremely busy and scheduling about 8-10 weeks out, but once you're on the schedule, it's worth the wait. Thank you. read more

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Jim is a master of his craft. He is the most professional contractor I have ever worked with. His knowledge is extensive. If you are patient with him communication style, rest assured he and his crew will give you the attention you deserve when it comes time for them to work on your chimney or fireplace. Exceptional quality and attention to detail at every step of the way. read more

Authentic Fireplaces - Before - Fireplace Services Near Me

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This jerk strung along my wife via text messages for about 2 weeks asking for pictures of the work we needed done (Batchelder tile repair). He asked questions over text; she replied immediately with info and images of the work. She asked for a time to meet and he ghosted her. I called twice and left two very polite messages--nothing. texted the number again--nothing. If you don't want the work, don't string people along for weeks. What a jerk. read more

Jim and team did a great job! This job was completed in a timely manner, no mess, offered alternative options and pricing. True to his word and great work. Highly recommend. read more

Best decision ever! Friendly, respectful, efficient and very clean. I deal with trade people and contractors on a regular basis. All are very busy and some have taken advantage of that and bidding very high on their services. I ran into this in bidding out my chimney repair as well. Jim came in with a very reasonable price. We very much enjoyed working with Jim, Brandon and team! Highly recommend! read more

This company, and its owner. Jim Crawford, are unbelievable. I had two fireplaces, each almost 65 years old. No work had ever been done on them since the house was built. We bought the home 11 and I have been very worried about what I would be facing. Safety was a bit concerned. Luckily I was told that the best, and perhaps the only, person, in San Diego to work on masonry fireplaces was Authentic Fireplaces. They just finished the job. They were respectful, careful of the home, and the fireplaces are beautiful, I feel safe and am very appreciative of their work. read more

Nobody calls you back for an appointment. Called a couple times. They have a 2 minute long voicemail that at the end says call the owner's mobile. Doesn't help. These guys are ridiculous. read more

Expert in a unique craft, Jim Crawford continues to rehab old fireplaces in order to preserve their integrity, usefulness and beauty. I gave Authentic Fireplaces the contract to refurbish my 1925 wood burning fireplace. Jim and his crew arrived at 7:00 a.m. and continued into the evening. Carefully condoning off all other living spaces and exterior walls, my home came through the process undisturbed, despite the incredible amount of chiseling, cement and debris. Be prepared for a lawn full of masonry products! And then, be surprised when every item is removed and hauled away. Clean, clean. I am impressed with the way Jim coordinates his crew; each performing a specific task in concert and working non-stop. Well, I certainly recommend giving Authentic Fireplaces a call for a professional assessment. read more

Attention historic home owners with fireplaces....if you need restoration be sure to use AUTHENTIC FIREPLACES! Jim Crawford/owner meticulously relined and restored my 1919 Schreiber North Park craftsman fireplace. He is a 3rd generation craftsman and expert in this field. Impeccable quality, attention to detail, thorough, and neat. His crew took 2 days with very little disruption. read more

I give up. They don't answer their phone or return their calls or emails. They came highly recommended, but what good is it if you can't get into contact with them. read more

Jim at Authentic Fireplaces is very knowledgeable about fireplaces, flus, and chimneys, particularly when it comes to older homes. He and his crew expertly repaired our chimney and fireplace wear and cracks at a very fair price. Highly recommended! read more

Recently purchased a home and sought to transform an old smaller fireplace into a larger, warm, stone faced fireplace to serve as the centerpiece of the room for our family to gather. Jim and his crew did a tremendous job. He was knowledgeable and offered several options for us based on our preferences. He guided us through the process with professionalism and expertise that made us feel comfortable with the project. He and his crew were thorough and paid attention to detail. They were on time and on schedule for the entirety of the project. Jim is a talented craftsman and takes pride in what he does. Very pleased with the result. read more

Authentic Fireplaces - Before - Fireplace Services Near Me

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Definite 5 Stars for Authentic Fireplaces, Jim Crawford and his team of top notch "technicians"! We recently bought a house that in my inspection and the previous owner's inspection was deemed unsafe to use, abandoned and needed numerous repairs in the fireplace and the chimney. These guys are specialists in pre 1980 fireplaces and are super busy. I was warned by the owner, Jim Crawford, that it could be a few months til they could do the work needed as they only work on one job at a time. Good to know! Jim is VERY knowledgable and gave us fireplace/chimney education. And once you meet him, you know he loves his work! The team of 4 show up on time, prep the work area to keep the dust and/or debris to a minimum. And when finished with the work, Jim personally cleans up the whole area with a dust mop and vacuum. We can't wait for cold weather to use our safe and beautiful fireplace!! read more

Him and his crew took care of our fireplace and chimney without any issues or headaches for us. His crew and him were professional and easy to deal with during the job. He is hard to get a hold of, but keep trying and worth the effort. He is honest and up front. He does great work and the only one we were able to find who had the experience, licenses, and training to take care of our issues. Highly recommend. He loves what he does and his crews love him! It shows! read more

Need your fireplace restored? These guys are ON it. Jim from Authentic Fireplaces is serious about his work, and it's no laughing matter. He'll visit you exactly twice: 1st to assess your situation, and 2nd to bang out ALL the work in one day, seemingly no matter how big the job is. I figured a week to do my 1929 mission beach fireplace, but no, he was in and out in business hours, and the work is perfect. Great price too, under $3k, which included: - new brick lining - new steel(?) chimney liner - new flue - new spark arrestor - repairs to mortar/bricks in various places, including top of chimney - gas line hooked up (was stubbed out already) - cut hole in concrete for ash disposal out original trap door - cool! can't recommend them enough. Jim is a bit eccentric, but that's what you want in a specialty like this. they did my mom's house as well, and the work is equally stellar. read more

Jim Crawford was amazing my 1927 fireplace was seperating from the house. Jim came to my house told me what was wrong with it quoted me 3000 dollars but said for 2750 he would do it as military discount. Jim came in with a crew of highly motivated workers and did the following: the chimney be relined with masonry and stainless steel and the liner is to be fortified with light weight thermal cement. We will install two 10- bars to #3 steel inside the thermal pour. The entire throat area is to be sealed. All of the cement will be Type S Structural Cement with Anti-Hydro high heat additives. Install a stainless black hooded spark arrester and install a top mounted damper with the proper gasket that is air tight and bee tight. Build a new concrete crown that seals off the top of the chimney. The spark arrester is to be centered on the chimney. The firebox and the damaged floor are to be replaced with antique refractory firebrick. The ash pit is to be swept out and the doors replaced. The cracks at the top of the chimney and near the bottom are to be patched with epoxy and non shrinking cement. The bottom of the chimney is to be brown coated with structural cement with additives for strength and adhesion. My chimney was like new. Jim finished the work in under 5 hours and they cleaned up afterwards. Jim you are amazing !!! read more

Our realtors called Jim Crawford in to evaluate the fireplace on a 1947 home we hoped to purchase in El Cerrito (SDSU area). He did a thorough evaluation of the fireplace, the chimney and even the foundation under the fireplace, which were all in disrepair. Jim's report helped us convince the sellers that the fireplace and chimney were unsafe and that the required repairs should be reflected in the price of the home. We proceeded to purchase the home and waited patiently for Jim and his team to schedule our repairs. We cannot say enough good things about Jim, his crew and Authentic Fireplaces, Inc. Everyone is professional and took amazing care both inside and outside our property. They even worked with our neighbors to get their approval to brace their scaffolding on the adjoining property to make it safer for all involved. When they left, there was no way to know that they had been there except that the fireplace and chimney were now repaired and in perfect condition. They raised the fireplace floor to better align with the hearth, repaired a large crack at the back of the firewall and painted the firebox black with heat tolerant paint to disguise the repairs, lined the chimney with stainless steel, removed all cracked and damaged bricks on the chimney, cut out accessible rusted steel and replaced approximately 20 damaged bricks with similar bricks from Jim's collection of antique bricks, installed a black stainless hooded spark arrested and a new air-tight (energy efficient and bee-tight) damper, rebuilt the chimney crown, caulked all gaps between the brick chimney and the house and finally sealed the crown and entire chimney with Chimney Saver. The work was extensive and the Authentic Fireplaces, Inc. team was totally professional and took great care with our property, inside and out. We are so thankful our realtors (Jenni and Gustavo Lopez) recommended Jim Crawford for the fireplace inspection. His work is excellent and he takes great pride in coming from a long line of Irish stone masons, as he should! I am attaching two photos. One is of the masking job they did in our living room to contain the dust from the repairs. The second is of the shored up foundation in the crawlspace under the fireplace. read more

Authentic Fireplaces - Living room masking to avoid dust during repairs - Fireplace Services Near Me

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This was the second fireplace I had done up. Jim and his crew showed promptly, got right to work securing the work area and very importantly protecting my house interior and exterior with floor coverings (plastic, wood and carpet is what they used). As well as making a "bubble" inside to protect from dust. I tell you I did not see any work dust anywhere in my house when they were done. They rebuilt the fire box which they were able to make deeper than original. Put a new liner in and the cap thingy too. Jim told me about the history on the original tile work outside the firebox and more. All his dudes were pleasant and took care of business and were clean. What more could you ask for? And to top it off Jim is charracter in his own right. Thanks Jim and crew. read more

Jim and his crew were very professional. The crew showed up promptly to start plastic wrapping up my entire living room and walkway before demolition. After they were done they left my house spotless. I couldn't even tell there was any sort of construction in my house. I would strongly recommend Authentic fireplace. read more

Authentic Fireplaces - Before and after shot of our fireplace. - Fireplace Services Near Me

Numerous voicemails later and I'm giving up. Either it is an endless talk in a monotonous tone, requesting new customers listen to the whole thing, resulting in no call backs, or a message that "the person can't take the call". Either way, if they're good when they respond to customer inquiries, I'll never know given I've tried half dozen times with no return call or email. Knowing others get this treatment is highly a consolation. read more

Jim Crawford did an Amazing job on our vintage 1912 fireplace in Pt Loma. When we purchased the house we were told the fireplace was unusable. What's the point of having a fireplace that is unusable? The first improvement we made was having it fixed Jim and his crew rebuilt the firebox, lined the insides of the chimney with steel plates, put in a damper, repaired the foundation of the chimney under the house, and moved the gas line to a better location Jim even found "new" old vintage bricks from a founders fired in 1909, to keep the look authentic to the age of the home He knows his stuff, he and his crew were neat and clean and he stuck to his estimate. Highly recommend read more

I've called him six times, left six messages over a three week period and never heard from him. Maybe he has a lot of work to do (bravo!). But in terms of new customers . . . good luck! read more

Jim was awesome! He was recommended to me by my agent since Jim specializes in fireplaces pre-1932. As part of my escrow on a house he came out to do a good inspection of what kind of situation I had going on for my new, well 1924 digs. He was so knowledgeable about the history of everything that he could have invented fireplaces himself. He explained that eventually relining the fireplace would be needed to done when we get to that point of house restoration and gave us a full thorough history of what kind of materials we had, how the companies sold them, where all of our built ins came from, etc I wish I would have recorded his vast amount of old house knowledge. If you've got a fireplace, this is the guy to call! read more

Jim knows his stuff and does an amazing job. He inspected and repaired my fireplace just as he said he would. Very prompt, efficient, and honest. I would refer him to anyone in need of his services. read more

Jim and his crew are the best in the business. Ask around any of the older neighborhoods where many of the houses have fireplaces: Authentic Fireplaces has probably worked on most of them. My fireplace needed a complete overhaul: rebuilt firebox, chimney liner, new spark arrestor, re-pointed bricks. Jim and his crew managed all of this, as well as installing new decorative tile on the fireplace front and hearth in a matter of days. They work not just quickly, but neatly as well. Upon completion, you would never know there had been a construction zone inside my living room and out in the driveway. A job well done is worth every penny. read more

I needed my old fireplace restored and didn't want some hack to come in and to a half-assed job. So I asked another guy who was working on my house that I trusted if he knew of anyone. Enter Jim Crawford. He filled me in on the history of tile in San Diego, identified the style of tiles I needed replacing, found them and restored my fireplace to its original condition. It's gorgeous. If you have an old home that you care about, don't see anyone else! read more

If I could give Jim Crawford 100 stars, I would do it. Rarely do you find someone who is so knowledgeable, professional, helpful, honest and generous. Jim came and inspected our chimney that two chimney sweeps had told us needed a lot of repairs. He spent an hour here, and then explained carefully why we didn't need him to do anything, why the fireplace was safe, and under what circumstances we should call him to do some work on it. He knew all about the way our mid-century​ fireplace was constructed, how the various changes done to it over the years affected the venting, and ways to determine if it is safe. I would trust this man with anything related to our fireplace. In the end, he agreed to accept a check for his time, only if he could donate the money to his favorite charity. If you have any concerns about your fireplace or you need repair, you should call him. read more

The owner, Jim, is wonderful to work with. I had a few scheduling issues on my end and he never charged me for moving the dates. He stuck right to the budget he quoted me and I couldn't be happier with the end result. This new fireplace has made my whole look better. I really can not express how happy I am with it. The workers were very respectful and a pleasure to have in my house. If you're looking to having your fireplace repaired, fixed, or just remodeled I would recommend Authentic Fireplace. read more

Jim is a stand up guy who is professional and courteous even though he is a bit busy (which is a sign that he is great and in demand), he will get you covered and if it's not right (or perfect just the way you think it should be) he will stand by his work and make sure it's to your satisfaction. He and his staff are very fast and professional and go out of their way to ensure no trace of dust or debris is left behind. I know, I have a 1923 spanish mission style with 40 degree angles on all the home openings including my fireplace. I thought the angle might have been a bit off and sure enough, he came out and made it right and perfect to go with my house. He also had previously rebuilt the chimney from the inside including new flue and spark arrestor because otherwise due to aging cement, we would have burnt our cozy little house down. Not to mention he is a wealth of knowledge about all things related to keeping old homes tip top. We love our chimney now!!! Thank you Jim. read more

We recently purchased a home in North Park with non-operational fireplace. Prior to calling Jim, were told our fireplace was perfectly safe and good to burn wood, "no problem". I found this odd, as I could see exposed wood in the interior of the chimney built in the 1920's. Skeptical, I was referred(by several people) to Jim Crawford of Authentic Fireplaces, known for craftsmanship and expertise. Jim was timely in returning my call and providing a estimate(Note: Jim assured me that if we would have used the fireplace, we would have had bigger problems). Once we excepted the estimate, we were informed that parts would be about three to five weeks. The Authentic Team exceeded our expectations in every way. The team was very conscientious of our home, from carefully removing personal items for the construction, and taking care of the clean-up, to returning our home to the pre-construction state. The Authentic Team is meticulous in every way and excellence in craftsmanship speaks for itself with the finished product. Truly the best in the business! I would refer anyone to Jim and his Authentic Team! Thanks Jim. read more

Had my 1970ish Rancho Bernardo chimney repaired and relined, a spark arrester installed, and the interior of the fireplace sealed properly yesterday by Authentic Fireplaces Restoration. Seven hours and $2,500 later, I now have a safe and efficient fireplace/chimney. They did a great job, cleaned up very well. The initial camera inspection was done by Swede Chimney Sweep of Tierrasanta. Yes, initially I did leave messages on both the office and cell phones, as well as emailed. Jim Crawford is very good, is in great demand, so you need to be patient to get the initial appointment and then set up the work. But it was well worth waiting a few weeks for that to occur. I highly recommend this family-owned chimney restoration business. read more

We have an old North Park Craftsman (built in 1912) and the fireplace hadn't been safe to use in at least a decade. I called Jim and he made an appointment with me for an estimate. He was right on time and walked me through everything we would need to have done in order for our fireplace to be both safe and usable again. He let me know in advance that he was pretty booked for the next several weeks, but that he would call me if something opened up sooner. Jim called me the following week and we had his entire crew at our house for a full day. They started at 7:30am (again right on time) and finished at around 5:00pm. They rebuilt the box, cleaned the outside, sealed the old ash path, and set everything up to run gas. We now just need a licensed plumber to connect it and we are god to go. Jim and his crew were awesome and I would recommend them to anyone who wants their fireplace repaired or restored. read more

Incredible job getting our nearly 100 year old fireplace/chimney back to what it once was. The original smaller tile fireplace was bricked over all the way to the wall in the 60s. Jim's crew came in and removed all the brick as well as the hearth that was placed over the tile and brought our original 1920 tiled fireplace back to life. The guys also relined the chimney with new firebrick and got everything up to code as it should be. Jim's work is top notch. Do call in advance as he books out far. read more

These guys are awesome! They came out and bid the job, and when they got in to the project they saw that it would be a lot of extra work. What they thought was originally a 3-4 hour job, turned into an all day 8 hour plus project. Jim and his assistant did the work without complaint and did NOT charge me more for the additional work. They also did a really great job keeping the house clean and cleaning up afterwards as well as looking out for my dog, who kept getting in the way. I'd use them again anytime. read more

When we bought our 1928 Spanish-style fixer-upper in Hillcrest two years ago, one main concern was our chimney. The inspection said it had essentially had it and needed serious work. I figured we also hadn't done ourselves any favors by hoping it wouldn't collapse altogether for the past two years, but I finally checked out Yelp and found these great reviews for Jim Crawford and his crew. And the reviews turned out to be spot-on! Jim came to give us an estimate, and he really impressed us with his historical knowledge, not only of our chimney, but of other interior features of our living and dining rooms. He really knows his stuff, and as homeowners who are trying hard to preserve the original integrity for our house, we realized we had the perfect company. Jim's price was cheaper than what the inspector estimated it would cost, and we were thrilled about that. He also said his team could do the job in one day. Having been let down by contractors' time estimates many times in the past, we were a bit skeptical, but we were amazed that Jim's crew started at about 7:30 and were finished by 3 p.m. These guys were very polite and worked hard. They also left very little mess (thanks to a very clever bubble they built for themselves to work in). And now we have a brand new chimney interior that looks terrific! I can't say enough about how impressed we were by Authentic Fireplaces and highly recommend it for anyone who cares to get a chimney rehabilitated correctly. read more

I'm using my relatives yelp to write a review because I felt so compelled to share my experience... I didn't realize until I needed fireplace repairs how few qualified and honest people are servicing this nitch. I was scammed by another company so I put off my repairs for 3 years. Randomly came across Jim and I'm so thankful I did. Got the job done, educated me on the job and how to maintain my fireplace. Left my house cleaner than it was when they arrived lol. Thank You. We finally get to use our fireplace! read more

We sent them an email via their website and left voice messages. Not very responsive whatsoever.

We needed an expert in Fireplace repair and found Authentic Fireplaces through a referral. Jim was knowledgable, courteous and professional. Apart from the thorough repair of the offending fireplace (broken breastplate), he moved the firebox upwards, fitted a new screen door and then refinished the whole fireplace facade with a supplied stack stone (which he kindly sourced at competitive pricing!). The finished product was simply superb with attention to detail where it mattered. I can thoroughly recommend Jim and his crew without hesitation. read more

We had a pre-cast Rampart fireplace which had a cracked breastplate posing a fire hazard. To patch the crack was not a safe solution so we called Jim and he explained a way to finally solve our problem. We were expecting all sorts of issues with opening up the fireplace from inside of the house with dust and then the appearance of the finished product. Well, our concerns were quickly relieved when we saw the amount of prep work they did inside and out. And the partially replaced brickwork inside was perfect with only a little color difference which was expected. We were impressed with the way his team truly enjoyed working together and the way they professionally did their work. We are 100% satisfied with the entire process. read more

I wish I had the experience the other posters have had. I really needed a nice looking job on our chimney repair, as it is a big part of the outside patio. The chimney needed a lot of mortar replacement and had some cracks. Jim didn't do the work, some young guys did (very nice fellas). All done in about 5 hours. The job is terrible looking, though. They didn't knock off the extra mortar from the brick and so it is a concrete laden mess. They haphazardly patched some areas as an afterthought, not even blending the tool lines, just chunking it on. They used a dark grey mortar when the original is bone colored. It looks really bad. One guest asked if I did it myself, and I was totally embarrassed. It can't be fixed. read more