Premium Chimney Inspections
We perform inspections only so there is no conflict of interest with regards to repairs and can present unbiased findings to our clients.
We perform inspections only so there is no conflict of interest with regards to repairs and can present unbiased findings to our clients.
Founder
Mike Lowe was attending school in Denver after having served in Viet Nam in the US Navy in the 1970’s. As with many students, he looked for weekend work to make ends meet and by good fortune, he was asked to apply at and was hired at one of the oldest chimney companies in Denver.
Founder
Mike Lowe was attending school in Denver after having served in Viet Nam in the US Navy in the 1970’s. As with many students, he looked for weekend work to make ends meet and by good fortune, he was asked to apply at and was hired at one of the oldest chimney companies in Denver. The 1970’s were the real beginning of the chimney industry in the United States after an article-advertisement was run in the Mother Earth News- you can google “Mother Earth News Chimney Sweeping” to read the original article for a little history.
As happens in any industry, companies fail or cease to exist. And Mike took the opportunity of losing his job to create his own business in Denver that still exists successfully to this day. By then, Mike had a family and chose to make the chimney business his full occupation to provide for his family, who helped him in many ways. By virtue of the work and cold weather and using the fireplace for heat, Mike found himself serving as a consultant for the insurance industry as there was a frequency of chimney-related home fires due to lack of maintenance and poor construction. Little did he know that the skills he came to possess due to his insurance work in Denver would also transfer with his relocating to Los Angeles due to a job relocation by his wife.
After relocating to Los Angeles, Mike decided to pursue other employment choices and in spite of enjoying success, he was called back to his fondness of having his own company and working in the chimney industry. Yes, it is a dirty job and someone has to do it, but it also allows you to enjoy the company of new people everyday and provide them with answers to their fireplace and chimney problems.
Mike started Chimney Doctor in late 1993, just months before the 1994 earthquake. And for the following several years, his days were filled with doing inspections for the insurance industry and he attributes most of his current activity to the changes and improvements that occurred in the industry after the 1994 earthquake. He feels that the scrutiny applied to fireplaces and chimneys in the Los Angeles area exceeds any other area of the country and for good reason- the inspections of the earthquake-damaged chimneys also revealed that there were significant amounts of prior construction defects in those very same fireplaces and chimneys.
As time has moved on, Chimney Doctor has transitioned into being an inspection company only, as an example, in the escrow due diligence inspection industry. This allowed him to bring all the knowledge and experience of nearly 40 years in the industry to homeowners with no potential conflict of interest, by not performing any corrections or repairs that may need to be done after the inspection and findings were done.
The chimney industry has evolved significantly in the last few decades, not only in understanding and education, but also in the tools that allow us to do our jobs. It has become a very technical field and with that come new players. By good luck and good fortune, Mike had observed some of the technical reports written by another inspector in Los Angeles, Rory Foley and had found his work product to be well above the norm- in other words, he knew his stuff and also how to express it in a written report. And then the good luck and good fortune came in to play when Rory contacted him to ask if he could become part of Chimney Doctor. The answer was a resounding “yes”. Along with Mike adding to Rory’s skills and knowledge, Mike has also been able to take on some new knowledge and understandings from Rory and has proven that an old dog actually can learn new tricks. And to add to the story, Rory offered the help of several of his family members, including his wife Amy, who have “wrestled” away some of the demanding duties of running an office from Mike and Rory so that they can spend more undivided time helping homeowners with their fireplaces and chimneys.
And that is the story of Chimney Doctor in Los Angeles.
Sharing his expertise as a chimney inspector for the last 7 years in the Los Angeles area, Rory is a true professional. Rory started working in the construction industry as a teenager for his father, and developed a keen interest in chimney inspection when his father was working for a chimney repair company during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Sharing his expertise as a chimney inspector for the last 7 years in the Los Angeles area, Rory is a true professional. Rory started working in the construction industry as a teenager for his father, and developed a keen interest in chimney inspection when his father was working for a chimney repair company during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Over the years, he has mastered the art and science of all types of fireplace and chimney construction, from masonry to manufactured wood-burning to gas and electric fireplaces.
After meeting Mike Lowe at Chimney Doctor, Rory started working with Mike and decided it was a great opportunity to work at Chimney Doctor where he could better serve the local Southern California community, including the real estate and insurance industries.
We perform Level II chimney inspections per the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) with state of the art camera equipment. The NFPA prescribes a Level II Chimney inspection anytime a sale of a property occurs. Beyond internal cleanliness, we additionally check the structural integrity of your chimney. Cracking of materials, gaps, improperly installed chimneys or fireplaces, and a variety of external factors can all play a part in making a chimney an unsafe attribute.
Regular inspections can also alert home buyers to the ways in which their chimney may not necessarily be unsafe, but rather not working to the best of its ability, such as the fireplace not drafting properly. This could lead to staining of the brick, stone, concrete, tile or wood around a fireplace, due to vents which are not working properly or unhealthy smoke or gases entering into your home. This could even extend to staining walls and ceilings, costing time and energy to clean.
We are proud to be expertly trained on the ins and outs of a wide variety of fireplaces and chimneys, and our team is prepared to thoroughly inspect what is in your home, as well as offer practical tips and solutions on the things that you both need to improve your fireplaces performance.
We present our findings in a non-alarming way and provide you with an easy-to-understand report with pictures and a typical cost for repairs so that you are able to make an informed decision on what repairs might be required for the chimney.
When an inspection is requested, we will send out our trained inspectors to investigate the chimney. Inspectors will look over the chimney from the outside, as well as any portions visible in accessible crawl spaces, attics, or basements. After this is completed the inspectors will utilize a camera to inspect the interior, as this is where damage and hazards exist outside of the view of the average individual. The camera will allow our inspectors to gain a more detailed view of the flue system, showing any possible damage or cracks within a masonry system or mistakes made during the installation of a prefabricated chimney.
“Very honest and affordable. The video imaging made things so easy to see and determine where and how to do the repairs. He did not do the repairs. I’ll definitely recommend him.”
“If you want a thorough, accurate and honest chimney inspector, call Chimney Doctor. MIke is the best. He’s professional and has tons of experience – he knows what needs to be done! If you want your home sale to go smoothly, you owe it to yourself to call Chimney Doctor. Or if you just want to know that your chimneys and fireplaces are safe, have Mike do a video inspection. He inspected my chimneys and found real issues I had no idea were there. I 100% recommend Chimney Doctor!”
“The chimney doctor was recommended to me by my real estate agent. Mike was very professional and provided a very detailed report. I highly recommend him and will use his services again in the future.”