An inspection is how a Everett homeowner separates a chimney that is fine from one that needs work, without paying for repairs nobody confirmed. We pair a hands-on visual check of the accessible components with a camera pass through the flue, so nothing inside the chimney is left to assumption. The mix of construction eras in Everett means no two chimney inspections look alike, so we scope each one to what that specific stack is made of. No phantom problems here: if your flue is clear and your crown is solid, that is exactly what the report will say. Dial 508-379-3359 to book a area inspection that comes with photos.
- Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections
- Full-flue video camera scan
- Written report with photos
- Crown, cap, flashing, and liner checked
- Pre-sale and post-fire ready
What This Service Protects
The written report is the deliverable that matters. A verbal "looks fine" is worthless to a home buyer, a seller, or an insurance adjuster. Our report categorizes every finding — what must be addressed now, what should be watched, and what needs no action — with photos backing each one. That is documentation you can act on, hand off, or file, and it is the whole point of paying for an inspection.
Every Everett chimney is in a slow contest with the weather. The mortar joints, the crown, and the flashing are the points where water first finds a way in, and once it does, the MA freeze-thaw cycle does the rest of the damage for free. A chimney that sheds water stays sound for decades; one that has started letting water in deteriorates faster every season it is ignored.
How We Do It
Chimney inspections come in three levels, and matching the level to the situation matters. A Level 1 is a visual check of the readily accessible parts — appropriate for a chimney in regular use with no known problems. A Level 2 adds a video camera scan of the full flue interior and is required for real estate transfers, after a chimney fire, or any time the system has changed. A Level 3 opens up concealed areas when a serious hazard is suspected. We recommend the level the situation actually calls for, not the most expensive one.
The camera is what makes a modern inspection honest. A flashlight from the firebox shows you the first few feet of flue and nothing else; a video camera travels the entire length, documenting every clay tile joint, every crack, every shift in the masonry. We record that footage and hand it to you, so the inspection findings are something you can see rather than something you have to take on faith.
Why Local Experience Matters Here
Working chimneys across Everett and area means seeing the full range of what this region builds: century-old brick stacks, mid-century fireplaces, and the occasional prefab flue in a newer build. Each one ages differently and fails differently, and our familiarity with the local housing stock is why we catch problems specific to these homes that an out-of-area crew would miss.
The Safety Side
Beyond the masonry, the real reason chimney care matters is safety. A flue lined with creosote is a fire waiting for a hot enough night; a cracked liner lets heat and combustion gases reach the wood framing around the chimney; a blocked flue pushes carbon monoxide back into the living space. None of these are visible from the couch, and all of them are exactly what a proper inspection and the right service are meant to prevent.
There is a right way and a wrong way to run a chimney business, and the wrong way is what has given the trade its bad name — the "$99 special" that becomes a thousand-dollar invoice, the invented emergency, the upsell on a sound flue. Smokeshield Chimney Sweep does the right way: honest grading, photo documentation, written quotes, and the freedom for you to say no. We would rather keep a customer for twenty years than win one job today.
Beyond a single service line
A chimney is a system, so chimney inspection rarely stands alone — it connects to chimney sweep, chimney leak repair, chimney cap install, cracked crown repair, chimney liner, and our crew handles all of it under one roof. We bring the same service to Malden chimney inspection, Medford chimney inspection, Revere chimney inspection, Chimney Inspection in Somerville and everywhere else across the area.
If you searched for a local chimney crew near you, you have reached a local crew — call 508-379-3359 any time. For background, read What Actually Happens During a Level 2 Chimney Inspection on our blog, or head back to our Everett home page to see everything we do.
