We're back on a search for a company that can fix our leaking chimney, We had hired the individual who owns this company to come out last Fall and repair our leaking chimney. He came one day and gave us an estimate. He returned a week later for the appointment time he had set.
What a fiasco. We thought the cap for the chimney was leaking but he insisted it wasn't. He planned on caulking some missing mortar and then coat the chimney with a waterproofing sealer. The day he arrived to work he also was on childcare duty for his young daughter. His solution was to sit her in the sun on the ground and have her wait while he performed the repairs. The former teacher / mom in me said uh, no, why doesn't she come inside where she can watch out the window, be out of the heat of the day, and read her book or watch t.v. while I keep her company. The daughter was happy with this solution and was quite comfortable being a chatter box to this grandmotherly lady. So on with the work. First thing we knew he was needing to run to the hardware store for caulk. O.k. his daughter and I were comfortable in each others company. When he finally returned he spent about 1/2 hour total working on the chimney. My husband was watching the work from outside and questioned why he only put the waterproofing barrier on the top 1/4 of the chimney. His reply was because that was all that was needed. (He was rushing to make sure he was available to take his daughter to the movie promised.) So the work was "complete" and we were told we wouldn't have any problems for 5 - 6 years. He presented us with a hefty bill that caught both of us off guard but at the time we thought if the problem was fixed it was almost worth it.
It is approximately 1 yr later and we got 1/10 inch of rain yesterday. Yes, you read that correctly, a small fraction of one inch. What did we hear? DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. down the interior of the chimney. We're not going to make it through the winter this way but we certainly will not hire Chimney Chaps again. read more