Never hired them and now I never will, but the driver of their truck is dangerous. There was a long line of people exiting a road that had waited for 30 minutes in traffic in a single lane. This truck drove around to the very front of the line on the side, trying to go ahead of the traffic and cut in. Other cars, including myself, would not let him in because that's just not cool after we all waited like a civilized and fair human should. He proceeded to ram right into the lane on the side of my car to try to prove a point (one that he was clearly not right...) and I had to swerve onto the shoulder or he would have hit me. Not the kind of person I'd trust to enter my home to do work... read more

Chimney Safety Experts - Home Inspectors Near Me - Sun Valley, California

My son and his wife bought a 1927 house in Pasadena, and the inspection revealed that major chimney repairs were needed for the fireplace to be usable. They decided to have them done, and to have the wood-burning fireplace converted to gas logs at the same time since they're in a high fire risk zone. They got several bids; CSE's was the most thorough and detailed, and not the highest. CSE did the work, and they were very happy with the results. My son is very detail-oriented and approved of their workmanship. I liked the work so much that I had them give me an estimate for converting my two wood-burning fireplaces to gas logs. After spending at least an hour inspecting them, Larry told me that one of the fireplaces, a factory-built unit installed in 1990, needed to be completely replaced because it had seriously rusted in my marine atmosphere. I was horrified at the idea since the fireplace is custom-designed granite with an exotic wood paneling surround. To my great relief, Larry said that they could replace the unit from outside the house and leave the interior untouched. They also found considerable deterioration on a masonry fireplace, original to my 1956 house. The total estimate gave me pause at over $22,000, but it was either that or not having working fireplaces. The work was completed by Breinner and Moises, who were outstanding. They kept my house dust-free and explained exactly what they were doing each step of the way. When they took out the factory-built fireplace, it was obvious that the work was justified since some of it was completely rusted through. To help prevent the same thing from happening to the new one, they primed and painted every inch of it with a high-heat coating, and used the most corrosion-resistant materials wherever possible. The job included refurbishing both chimneys to like-new condition. When they left you could not tell that there was ever a giant hole in my house. I am thrilled with the job and feel it was worth every penny since now I can have beautiful fires every chilly evening. Highly recommend. read more

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I am updating my review after a resolution to my situation. We worked out a refund agreement for the chimney inspection. Yes, I did wait almost 3 months to contact them; however, I originally was going to wait 2 -3 weeks for them to contact me to schedule the cleaning (as the rep told us 1 week); however, then as I was moving in I did lose track of time. It was when I originally contacted them this time around to schedule the cleaning that I noticed the price discrepancy online. I had assumed and rightfully so, that the time to clean the chimney would have been built into the appointment time. It does state on the website that they will clean chimneys if both the current homeowner and the potential homeowner agree. Also, it is very important to note that she told me at time of contact this week that they would clean the chimney for free; however, it was not recommended. I took the advice and opted not to do the cleaning; however, PLEASE NOTE that although the chimney inspection report states issues with the chimney and issues that need fixed --- no where on it does it state that a cleaning should not be done. The inspector said that someone would contact us to set up the cleaning and he mentioned nothing about not having it done. Also, the inspector said we have a standard chimney --- even though the person who responded to my review says it is a specialty chimney. I have raised my rating to a four, because they finally did take the time to resolve the issue and resolved it to my satisfaction. As you can see, this company gets almost all positive reviews. You also note that the company states that the inspector I had no longer works for the organization. Therefore, I would state that this was likely a one-time issue, and based on other reviews, you should consider using this company. Also, due to my issue with the inspector that no longer works for the company, they did make changes to the inspection form and website, which makes me satisfied that no one in the future should have an issue like I did. read more

The CSE team inspected the chimney to our new home. They did a through job with their estimates and then we brought them in for the actual repairs. We were really pleased with the quality of their work. The chimney was new and the interior was painted an elegant black. Their quality control person inspected the job a few weeks later and discovered some mineral buildup due to moisture. This was something their team responded to and were able to repair. CSE is recommended! read more

Chimney Safety Experts - New chimney up and running - Home Inspectors Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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I bought a new house and got two inspections/estimates for work for the chimney during my escrow period. I really liked this company right away, they had a competitive bid and the inspector Larry took the time to explain everything that needed to be done. He had great people skills and I never felt like he was trying to upsell me, it really seemed like he was finding the best solution for my and for my house. I hired them and their crew finished the job in two days (another company had told me it would take weeks). I watched a lot of the process because I was so interested in knowing what goes into building a safe fireplace and also wanted to know what the inside of my 1928 fireplace and chimney looked like. They worked efficiently, cleanly and didn't mind explaining what they were doing. The mason laying the bricks in my firebox was a third generation mason and it was so fascinating to see his skills The entire crew from this company were so professional and just incredibly sweet. They made my first major fix as a first time homeowner easy, hassle free and painless. Also, they carry workers comp insurance which is important to me, I want to know that people working on my house have that important protection. read more

Chimney Safety Experts - A little after demolition of the original firebox. - Home Inspectors Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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Amazing Company and fantastic workmanship! My Real Estate Broker originally had Chimney Safety Experts inspect the chimney of the 1932 Spanish house that I was purchasing. Their inspection revealed existing structure issues, I purchased the house and 2 years later was ready to have the work done and reached out to Chimney Safety Expects. It was of utmost importance to me that the required structure repairs did not affect the historic integrity of the house and that their end work reflected that. Amazing Bonus points to CSE for informing me that the existing Chimney had two flues, one for the interior fireplace and a secord for an exterior (old/unused) trash incinerator and that additional flue would allow adding a new outdoor fireplace in my Courtyard They set a start date one month later, arrived on schedule and completed the work on time and on budget. I worked directly on site with Breinner & Moises (who are total Craftsman) on the outdoor fireplace, having them install period tile and incorporating a vintage firescreen into the end design. Breinner, Moises and CSE were also able to design and install the Chimney's required structural support so that's it not visibly instintrusive. I have posted before and after photos as the end result was amazing inside and out, and most importantly, all the completed work looks original to the house. Last weekend I was able to start enjoying a fire in the Living Room Fireplace for the first time since moving in. And even more amazing is having a beautiful Fireplace to sit in front of, warming the outdoor Courtyard, that looks to have been designed when the house was originally built. read more

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I used these guys about 5 years ago to repair a VERY tricky chimney situation on an old house. I got estimates from several top companies, but CSE had the most viable proposal in terms of longevity of the chimney. CSE did a great job. It's been 8 years and the chimney is doing great. Plus, they warranty all their work so any minor issues (like the flue chain catch detaching) they come out and fix for free. I've also used them several times for cleaning (every year or so). Always professional, timely, and CLEAN. Highly recommended. [It's a shame that some yahoo gave them a bad review for not fixing gas stoves. No, they don't. So what? That's not a reviewable problem. That's like giving Apple a bad review because they don't sell apple trees. Ignorant. These guys are great.] read more

Great communication, fair pricing, and very friendly staff. There was one small hiccup in scheduling, but they made it right ASAP. The quality of the work is great, and glad they warranty their work. Recommend this company for all your chimney needs. read more

Chimney Safety Experts - Fix to cracked crown - Home Inspectors Near Me - Sun Valley, California

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I don't enjoy leaving negative reviews, I really don't, but I want to do what I can to keep someone else from having the same experience I had. In early 2014, Nathaniel from Chimney Safety Experts cleaned my fireplace and inspected it. After climbing on my roof, he told me the chimney needed extensive work and it could hurt my family if I used it before doing extensive repairs. He quoted me an estimate of $3850. It didn't even occur to me to question what he said because he was so sweet (he spent a lot of time petting my dog) and he seemed so concerned and earnest. I didn't have $4000 to spare so we have simply not used the chimney the past six years. Then a friend told me that chimney repair scams are one of the most common homeowner scams and it happened to her. She was quoted a huge repair estimate and stopped using her chimney, but when she got a second opinion, it turned out that her chimney had been perfectly safe to use the whole time. So I got a second opinion this morning. My new inspector went through the report from Nathaniel, explained what every suggestion meant, and told me that most of what was listed as "needed repairs" could not have even been determined without pulling the whole top off the chimney, using a camera, etc. -- things Nathaniel definitely didn't do. A couple of his suggestions were legitimate, but most was just purely invented. So my new inspector is going to do a few minor repairs for about a tenth of the price quoted to me six years ago by the representative of this company. "In the future," he said, "If people don't show you documentation in the form of pictures, don't listen to them." I love my fireplace, which is one of my favorite parts of my home. I think of all the cold nights I would have enjoyed using it over the past six years, and I feel awful about being duped. Look at the other reviews. I am not the only one this has happened to with this company. read more

Larry and his guys are great. They work efficiently and if there are any problems, Larry will remedy it quickly.

Low rating due to having to constantly chase them down. They do not communicate or return calls when they say they will. I was hoping to use them in the future for a large project, but lack their lack of communication has me reconsidering. read more

I met with a lot of fireplace companies before I settled on Chimney Safety Experts. It was a great call in the end. To begin, Hugo, who was the man you came out to see the job and bid it, was always available when I called him. (I like other companies. ) Had endless patience with my questions and was sweet and polite throughout. He was also very knowledgeable, honest, and really gave a damn about my job. Which was not a huge non or small either. I had the entire firebox redone as well as completely redone smoke chamber and total chimney (inside ) adding an upper exterior damper, Redoing the spark Arrestor, and the chimney crown. The two guys that did all that work were Brainer and Moses. (I can't attest to anyone else in the company since I haven't experienced their work). But I can say Brainer and Moses are FANTASTIC at their job. Almost Artists. They were unbelievably clean -- given the demo job I'm not even sure how they accomplished that. The job they did and care they took with the redo of the entire chimeny and fire box was amazing. They have been doing this work a long time and like Hugo, care about what they do. I can highly recommend them! And the price was very reasonable compared to some of the other companies I spoke to. You can't go wrong with this team. read more

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Everything is so hard right now due to COVID and Hugo and his team Breinner and Moses are the kindest and most professional team. This team totally proceeds to do their work safely and keep their workspace super clean and tidy which is not easy in their business. It was a welcome change to have something repaired during this time that was completely painless and actually a really lovely experience. I cannot recommend their services more. read more

An inspector showed up and told me my gas fireplace was fine, and that the element under the fake wood logs needed to be replaced. He asked me to have an electrician take a look at it, to see if he could get it started, which I did. $189 for the inspection and $70 for the electrician. Fireplace still not working. I got a receipt and waited a week for the report. Nothing. I called their customer service, was told they would get back to me. Never happened. I called again, was told the inspector would call me that day. No call. 3 days later, I called again to request my report. The young woman said it would arrive soon, which it did.... with a price tag over $10,000 to replace the entire fireplace. I emailed to inquire why this was not what the Inspector told me. The reply was rude. "Please read the report" and "I don't know what else can be said". I did, in fact, read the report. It was not what I discussed with the inspector, at all. Really bad customer service. The entire situation feels so shady. Disappointing. I always hope that people will do the right thing, or at least be kind. read more

Hugo, Breinner and Moses did a great job at my home in Monrovia. Thank you for making this an easy one day job. Very professional and safe wearing masks etc. I will absolutely recommend this company to family and friends. I used this company for my main home in Pasadena last year. Great work! Thank you Hugo for always answering my questions. And thank you Breinner and Moses for keeping my home clean and giving me a beautiful updated fireplace. read more

Once again CSE FTW. After the crazy windstorm, our spark suppressor got damaged by flying roof tiles off my neighbor's house. We did not notice until last weekend when it was cold enough to warrant a fire. We immediately called CSE and Larry came right out and diagnosed the issue. CSE ALWAYS takes care of us. They have an amazing crew. My wife and I are especially fans of Larry. Super good guy that I would totally hang out with. read more

We spent north of $5k to have the company stabilize our masonry flue and rebuild the firebox of our 1920's fireplace. They did an awesome job- the fireplace works perfectly. They did the work for the amount stated in the original contract and in the amount of time they said it would take- all that including permits. Probably the only good subcontractor/ contractor we hired to remodel our house. We love our fireplace. read more

Last November, I needed my Chimney cleaned so I called Chimney Safety Experts because my 92 year old mother recommended them. Hugo came and "cleaned" my fireplace, he proceeded to tell me that it was a hazard, it was cracked, there had been a Chimney fire (huh?) and would cost $20,000 to repair. I was totally freaked out, so i did not have a fire all winter and was considering putting a gas fireplace in to save on expenses. Then Covid happened and i didn't act on anything until today. I had been asking different friends for their thoughts, and they suggested I have someone come w/a camera and verify what he as was saying. I just had another Inspection company come today, there are no cracks, inside the Chimney, attic or in the house. He showed me that on the camera, and said if it was his house, he would have a fire in it "no problem". He also showed me creosote build up and said my fireplace had not been cleaned well. He said that he could improve the masonry in "the box" for $1200 if i wanted to. I didn't want to write a Yelp review (i didn't want to be "that person"), but when i called just to let them know, the lady who answered the phone was rude. I gave her my information and she said "of course it wasn't cleaned" Hugo had marked it unsafe and they don't clean fireplaces that are unsafe. I asked her "why was i charged for cleaning then". She said it was for an inspection ... hello? Why did he clean it then? BEWARE!!!! read more

What an awesome experience! One of the best out of all the work I did on our new home. Hugo was such a pleasure to work with. He came and gave a thorough evaluation and estimate for the work that needed to be done to get our chimney working again. Then Breinner and Mario came in to do the job and they were nothing but very professional, on time, hard working and meticulous with keeping the job site clean after each day of work. Thank you Chimney Safety Experts for a stellar job. I highly recommend this company. It was very nice to work with Gwen in the office too. She made everything easy (payment, scheduling etc). read more

Moises did amazing work and Hugo was an absolute professional. They did everything they said they would and more. High recommend. Excited to use our fireplace with complete peace of mind. read more

Moises and Breanner did a great job servicing our fireplace and chimney. They explained the process to us clearly and helped us correct some "do-it-yourself" work the previous owner of our home had done, and the difference was night and day! As first time homeowners and chimney owners, we didn't know too much about caring for that part of our new house, and they helped us feel confident about maintenance and enjoying the fireplace. They were efficient, speedy and friendly and we highly recommend them! read more

Our fireplace just got repaired by CSE. Breinner did a great job. It's a three days job. He came on time every day. Breinner explained very well what they will do and what material they will use. He also answered my questions in detail. We would recommend CSE to anyone who needs chimney service. read more

Hugo, Breinner, Moises and the entire team were thorough, professional and friendly. Extremely concerned about the safety, cleanliness and well done completion of the work --- so nice to find quality services and have repairs done in such an efficient and friendly manner. read more

The entire crew were on time, professional, provided instructions, and cleaned up behind themselves. A big thank you to Breinner, Moises and Hugo for a job well done! read more

I cannot speak highly enough about 'Chimney Sweep Experts'. They are very knowledgeable and very fair in how they handle their customers. They explain everything that they are doing and are more than willing to "go the extra mile". I am from Florida and do not know very much about chimneys. Hugo was awesome in his explanation of what we needed and even offered to come back if I needed additional explanation. Larry also follow through on his customer calls and is very fair. We could not be happier with this company and can recommend them highly. They are very responsive and customer friendly. They did an awesome job! Peggy read more

Sadly called and after being on hold for a spell I was told they do not service gas fireplaces. I looked and didn't see it any place on the webpage. read more

Breinner and Moses were amazing! Had 2 fireplaces/chimney/damper etc. that needed a ton of work in a new house and CSE agreed to help me get it done before NYE. They worked tirelessly for 2 days. Wore masks, were on time, super pleasant, and wildly patient with all my questions. Made sure everything was working, the house was cleaned, and that I understood everything they did! Can't wait for tomorrow night... lighting my inaugural fires! read more

David from Chimney safety experts is awesome! I always use this company for all my escrows and they do a fantastic job assessing the damage in the chimneys and give affordable prices on repairs. Thank you!!! read more

This is a great company and they do excellent work. The two workers, Moises and Breinner, spent two weeks, basically remaking my chimney, so that i could keep my two fireplaces. Not only was their work great, they were both friendly, neat and just great to work with. Even the city inspector was very complimentary of their work, and knowledge of safety issues and codes. My dog loved them also and that's a real plus. read more

Chimney Safety Experts - Home Inspectors Near Me - Sun Valley, California

Our 1920's chimney was not safe to operate anymore. JAVIER inserted a modern insulated aluminum flue inside the old chimney and filled in the empty space with cement to make it solid. He completely redid the top of the fire box with heat resistant cement and sealed everything to make it strong and safe. A new chimney cap was installed with a chain to open and close the flue. He re-connected the gas pipe, cleaned the bricks and our fire place is better than it ever was. Thank you so much - very well done! read more

Honored a quote that was a year old. Came in fixed the chimney and got out with no mess and in the amount of time they said it would take. Larry is also a genuinely nice guy. read more

Larry, Breinner, and Marlon were fantastic! They handled my somewhat complex repair with care and professionalism. They arrived on time, completed the job on time (even with adverse weather conditions), and did high-quality work. I would recommend them for any chimney/fireplace work. read more

I am the Realtor who suggested Larry to examine the chimney in buyer's townhouse. He determined the chimney needed replacing as it was unsafe. The seller's Realtor brought in her own inspector who said there was nothing wrong with it. Neither she nor I were on the roof when Larry examined the chimney, so while he did not give us a video, I feel comfortable that he saw what he needed to see for his diagnosis. Now he is being blasted on Yelp and I am compelled to speak up. I recommended Larry because he saved the day on another property I represented. He was the only one (out of three) who could figure out a way to allow back-to-back chimneys to be used at the same time without one smoking out the other. Others suggested installing new chimneys. His fix was less dramatic, less expensive and t solved the problem. He called me today to say that he didn't know about the second opinion on my buyer's condo until he read the nasty review about his work on Yelp and he has offered to have Dale Feb at F.I.R.E. do another inspection to confirm whether or not his original inspection concluding that the chimney is not safe - at his own expense. I am encouraging my buyer to take him up on that because I do not want my buyer to suffer the consequences of a bad chimney. Dale Feb trains inspectors and does nothing but inspections. He does not do chimney work and, hence, he does not have anything but his client's safety on his mind. I believe that is the case with Larry, too, but it never hurts to have an independent qualified third eye take a look. We'll keep you informed. Meanwhile, he gets high marks from me. I used him on my own chimneys with confidence. Dorene M read more

We purchased a 100 year old house in the Hollywood area. Our realtor had Chimney Safety Experts perform the pre-purchase inspection. The inspector was very good, providing us with a clear explanation of the condition of the chimney and our options for repair. There were many difficult issues with a 100 year old chimney. Our situation was anything but standard. The fireplace was simply not functional nor up to current code. After living in the house for almost a year I contacted several other companies that did not seem to have a clear plan of what needed to be done. Finally I contacted Keaton to see if they could come back and do the work specified in the report. To my delight he returned my call immediately, had the original report in front of him and honored the price quoted nearly a year ago! I was out of town, but needed to get the process started. He e-mailed me the required documents, and we set a start date. Two workers showed up on time, prepared, and got right to work. I am truly impressed by the careful, courteous, conscientious, and professional way the repair people (Dave and ??? I forgot the other gentleman's name) protected our wood floors and home. This was a messy job evolving removing collapsed brick and rebuilding a very old fire place and chimney. The job took two days. They were on time every day. On the final day the supervisor, Hugo, came to make sure everything was up to code. They capped a second "unused" chimney for free. I highly recommend Chimney Safety Experts. Keaton, Dave, Hugo, all the employees worked hard, answered every question, and finished a difficult job on time and for a fair price. BEST OF ALL --- I DIDN'T HAVE TO CLEAN ANYTHING! FANTASTIC read more

Great service! David showed up on time, kept my house clean while he cleaned the chimney, communicated clearly with me the services that needed to be done. Also got along with my dogs! Will call again when we need cleaning next! read more

Things didn't start out well. Got rescheduled three times and thought of pulling out of the contract. But Jerry wrote a letter asking me to give him another chance, so I did under the condition that I had Brayner and Moises do the work. He agreed, and they showed up on time to do the job. Completely professional, on budget, clean work, with a 10-year guarantee. I'm always willing to give a business a second-chance if they work hard to earn my business. This place did, so I'd use them again. Word to the wise: Don't let the front office throw you. Ask to speak to Jerry directly, and make sure he sends Brayner and Moises. Nice guys. No fuss, no muss. read more

I made an appointment for today, Friday on Wednesday from 10 a.m. 12 p.m. window I gave you instructions to please call me 30 minutes before they showed up. I decide to call the office at 11:38 to see if they were still coming. The lady, very coldly, told me that I did not have an appointment. I said yes I did we had a conversation on Wednesday and I put it on my calendar. She said no I didn't I hung up on her not before saying thank you (because I'm not rude) and called the Chimney Guys and they charged me $100 less for the inspection. I'd like to thank that woman for being very cold unapologetic or even try to help me, she saved me $100. At no point did she say I can make an appointment for you now or I'm sorry. I'm a real estate agent and they actually sent me a text advertising their services I even told her over the phone I like to recommend people that give great service so I'd like to try them out seeing as how I need a chimney service. What should a business do when you get a call like mine... I would think the first thing they would do is apologize take your time see what went wrong maybe dig a Little deeper or even humor the customer. The person that helped me had no interest in my business and demonstrated with her tone. I would never treat anyone in such a manner even if I was not at fault. Customer service should be Paramount for a business and if it's not Paramount I do not want to do business with them. I recommend a lot of businesses in my line of work and I expect every business to be highly professional and courteous to my clients because it's a reflection on me. I'm so glad I tried them out first. read more

Larry knows his business. We had three bids to do work to our chimney in excess of $3,000-. After explaining our confusion of the three bids showing three different problems and solutions, Monica offered to send the crew out and give a free estimate to put some sense to it all. We were given the correct information as to what our fix should be and they were out within a week to complete the work. Chimney work is not always a cheap fix, but it's nice to have confidence that your family is safe.. Thanks CSE! read more

Larry and his crew are awesome!!! I called because my 5yr. Old daughters Bunny went into one of the vents of our non-operating chimney, a few days before Christmas.I called to set an appointment to get the bunny out/inspect our chimney. But they were booked until after Christmas. I did however receive a call from Larry later that day. In talking with me he not only described the lay out of my chimney but told me exactly what to do to draw the bunny out. I was very impressed. That next day the bunny came out and my daughter was very happy. I left Larry a message to thank him for his help. He followed up with me and was glad to hear that it all worked out. We set an appointment to have my chimney inspected. So far I'm very impressed with their customer service and look forward to having the inspection done. I'll post another review after the inspection. read more

We had Chimney Safety Experts come to clean our two chimneys. Instead of cleaning our second chimney, they told us the mortar between the bricks was compromised and that it was unsafe to use. They gave us an estimate of $5000+ dollars to rebuild half of it. We decided to get a second opinion from a company who only does cleaning and inspections (not repair, and therefore had no skin in the game). This second company said you can't even inspect a chimney without cleaning it. After he cleaned the chimney and inspected it fully, he concluded it was perfectly safe. These guys are dishonest and out to make money! read more