The buyer's clock is running. Know your stack.
Tell us the build year
Fill in the form with the address and the year the house was built, if you know it.
Seen from the seller's chair
You accepted an offer. Now a buyer has a limited window to check things, and the fireplace is on the list. If you wait to hear what the buyer's inspector writes, you answer on their schedule. If you order the scan, you answer on yours.
Start with what the chimney is
Before we say what a chimney needs, we ask what it is. Brick or factory-built. Old or newer. A stack from one decade wears in different places than a stack from another, so the build year steers where we look hardest.
The Level 2 then lowers a camera through every foot of the flue. Attic, crawlspace, roof: we go to each one that opens to us. A Level 1 is the shorter visit, our eyes on what is within reach.
What the standard says
NFPA 211 is the chimney standard, and it lists four cues for a Level 2. A change of owner is the one you are in. Fire in the chimney, an earthquake and a new fuel make up the rest.
Our report names anything that lands below that standard or your local building code. It is not a government grade. From there, a buyer may ask for fixes, a lower price or a second look after the work. You and your agents work that out. Legal and contract questions are not ours to answer.
- A note on the age of the stack
- Repairs needed before you light it
- Photos of the flue
Who sees it
Name the readers. The agent, the buyer and the seller may each get a copy. We work in Santa Paula, Fillmore, Ventura, Ojai, Oxnard, Camarillo and Moorpark.
What the inspection costs
Both levels are priced here. For a sale, the Level 2 is the one that fits.
- Camera scan, Level 2
- $415
- Level 1 inspection
- $58
Repairs are quoted after the inspection, once the photos are in.
Seller questions
Why do you ask when the chimney was built?
Age tells us where wear tends to show, so we look there first.
Is this a pass or fail?
No. It is a list of conditions that need repair. No government office grades it.
Will keeping original brick be an option?
Where the brick still holds, we say so in the report. Repairs are quoted after the inspection.
Know your stack before they ask
Send the address and the build year. We will explain how to book the Level 2 and who gets the report.
Call (820) 345-0328