Chimney Doctor

We called the Chimney Doctor because we heard such good reviews about them, and were very pleased that they lived up to their excellent reputation here in San Luis Obispo County. Our home was built in 1984 with a solar design and our fireplace is our only other source of heat. So you can imagine the importance this has in our home. Yet while my children were growing up, I thought that we should ""clean the fireplace"" when the ashes got too full and on Christmas Eve for Santa, of course. Well, I am embarrassed to admit that despite the potential fire danger of a fireplace in one's home, I was very neglectful over the years and never had our chimney inspected or even cleaned! The Chimney Doctor gave us a very thorough initial inspection and evaluation including photographs of our entire internal fireplace and chimney system, as well as our roof top/chimney cap, and discussed the possible fire hazards that were present (holes in the chimney as well as surrounding tree branches). They outlined and suggested the repairs that were necessary with clear explanations as to any and all potential safety or fire code violations, etc. The chimney cleaning and repairs were done expediently as planned and in a professional manner. We really cannot praise this company enough; they are very knowledgeable, provide exceptional service, and we feel we can trust them to offer us the best option, not the most costly one! Our chimney is in great shape now, and we are looking forward to another winter by our fireplace. The Chimney Doctor and his crew are very accommodating in terms of scheduling, and they leave absolutely no trace of their presence once they are finished. Scott and the guys are an excellent family business that we will continue to support for our annual chimney cleaning and inspection. We can't give them any higher rating than 5 stars, or we would! We think every home with a fireplace, especially if you have children, should absolutely consider having their chimney inspected by the Chimney Doctor to eliminate possible fire hazards! Carla & John more

Scott and his team at Chimney Dr performed a retrofit on our condo complexes' 8 chimney systems.He was extremely thorough during the discussion, bidding process and final analysis of the work to be performed.They worked diligently and performed all work in a professional fashion explaining each step along the way. I highly recommend this company for fireplace inspection, cleaning and retrofitting. Having one company perform all the work from inspection to completion was very reassuring. What a relief to know the job was done with such attention to detail. more

Thank you for your outstanding service.Your employees were neat, courteous and did an outstanding job repairing our chimney. The fireplace wroks great. more

Scott at Chimney Doctor was great. For a very reasonable price, he inspected a home I was buying and found a chimney problem that the home inspector missed and which had not been disclosed. His thoroughness saved me thousands of dollars! I have also had him install a fireplace insert into an older home. He did an excellent job and got it done for the price quoted. more

We strive to please everyone, but sometimes we fall short...The following edited letter was sent to this customer from us, Chimney Doctor, immediately after discovering that we had a problem... Ms. A (last name deleted to protect her privacy), On 8/31/10 our technician came inspected your wood burning system. As you will recall, he found several construction defects, one of which posed a SERIOUS fire danger - the triple wall chimney was not seated properly in the attic due to the stovepipe being shoved inside the chimney. Additionally, the chase cover was missing a collar - an obvious construction defect and likely source of water entry into your home. We discussed these issues with you and offered you repair options and an estimate. You told us that you were a bit weary of contractors due to your feeling that you had been mistreated or "" taken"" by others. We assured you that we understood your apprehension, but stood by our integrity and technical observations, findings and advice. On 9/8/10 you called us and scheduled the repairs for 9/14/10 On 9/14/10 I came out with our technician and helped him install several components. When I examined the charges and the repairs we were doing, I reduced the charges by $250.00 Since I saw that the job was going faster than anticipated, I reduced the agreed upon charges by $250. Before I left I asked you if you had any questions or concerns and you said no. You did, however, indicate that you were not happy with having to do any of these repairs. I was somewhat perplexed, as you had been told and shown the necessity of doing these repairs. When our technician came back to the office he reported to me that you were very agitated and upset with him. He said you accused him of ""ripping you off, a little old lady"". He said that he was dumbfounded because not only did you agree to the estimate and authorize the repairs for the stated amount, but we had actually REDUCED the total by TWO HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS!! On top of that, our technician claimed that you said something to the affect of, I wish there was a 300 pound man here that would beat you up."" This was not only uncalled for and outrageous, but it was WAY OUT OF LINE. From start to finish, we performed our work with honesty, integrity and honor. Why you chose to attack him/us was beyond our comprehension. I can only conclude that, due to your alleged encounters with less scrupulous contractors, you had INAPPROPRIATELY AND MISTAKENLY lumped us together with the others. If you would like to discuss this I would be happy to do so at a mutually convenient time. Chimney Doctor more