Gullickson's Chimney Cleaning

Did an excellent job and I highly recommend to everyone!!

It went smoothly. Steve was on time and professional and I wouldn't hesitate to call him again for any other services.

He was on-time, professional and easy to work with. I've been using him for several years and recommend him highly

Great job, prompt response, very thorough. Would recommend and will use again!

Steve Gullickson answered my first call and gave me a price and some details about his work when I was checking out various chimney cleaning services. When I called back to hire him, I had to leave a message, but he called back in about 10 min. We set a time for a couple of days hence at 4 pm. He called at 4:05 pm on the day in question to say that rain earlier in the day had set him back, and he would arrive in about 45 min. He did, in fact, arrive about 4:45 pm. Steve put a temporary fan at the top of the chimney to suck out the air and ashes as he cleaned them out from the living room firebox. He put tarps in the living room to protect the carpet and hearth and used an electric wire brush with long pipe segments to work his way up the inside of the chimney. He also looked up the chimney with a light from the inside and down from the top. As far as I can tell, he did a good job. The firebox area in my living room was as clean as I had ever seen it. Steve said that my chimney was in mostly good repair, but that I did have some cracks in the concrete crown to the chimney that should be caulked. He offered to do it, with the caveat that rain was expected, and it would be good for the caulk to cure for at least a half hour before rain. I told him to go ahead. The rain only held off for about 15-20 minutes thereafter, but when I checked the next day, the caulk still looked to be in good shape. My only real complaint is that Steve accidentally tripped on my TV antenna cable and disconnected it (which he probably did not realize). I have old school TV -- with an antenna on the roof attached to the chimney from which coaxial cable runs into the attic (at a nearby exhaust fan) and, from there, to the TVs in the house. The coaxial cable runs from the antenna to the exhaust fan and had a slight hanging loop that Steve apparently caught his foot or leg on. The tug was enough to pull the cable from the connector and break the connection (no TV that night), even though the coaxial cable stayed taped to the bottom of the antenna (so it may not have looked like anything was wrong). Steve didn't mention anything, and I did not realize there was a problem until that evening when I got no TV picture or sound. The next day I got a new 15' length of coaxial cable and reattached it to the antenna. All fixed, but still a hassle and $10 for the cable at Walmart. Steve's pricing at $99 (plus $35 for the caulking) was at the low end of what his competitors I checked charged, and his ratings are better. I also got a $10 discount with an Angie's list coupon that brought the base rate down to $89. Only one competitor charged less, and they had very poor reviews on Yelp (and no reviews on Angie's List). Steve asked me how much wood I burned in the fireplace during the winter and how often I had a fire. I showed him the size pile I usually burn (piled on my porch). He concluded that I was a modest fireplace user (quarter of a cord of oak a year) and would only need to clean my chimney once every 4 years (not yearly, as many chimney sweeps urge). So I found that honest and refreshing. I will definitely hire Steve again. His pricing is fair, his service is very good, and he seems to be an honest guy. The only reason I did not give him an A rating was the issue with the TV antenna.

clean chimney

as expected

I spoke with the person prior to coming out regarding the gas igniter being clogged and needing service. He said he was familiar with these and could take care of it. He cleaned the chimney and then went to work on the igniter. He said he would like to just drill holes in the igniter to open up what was clogged. This sounded so off to me, but he said he didn't want to put a new one on because what he had with him was not a well manufactured igniter. So he drills into the existing igniter and it cracks in half. He tells me that it was rusted out and that's why it cracked. He then says that he will now replace it with the one he carried on his truck. Why would I want that in my home when he already told me it was not well made?? He said he would put that on there temporarily. When trying to remove the original, he cannot get it removed and it cracks at the threading area. Now he tells me I need to hire a plumber to get this taken care of. He left in a hurry after that. Really not happy.... and I have not used my fireplace at all this winter yet.

Steve did an outstanding and thorough Cleaning of the Chimney from top to bottom. He even alerted me to the fact that I need my flashing caulked and tended to before I encounter any leaks. I already knew it was looking bad, and I will definitely have him back to do the repairs in the spring. If you want it done right, Call Steve, he's the best!!

Steve was on time (early actually) and did a fantastic job cleaning and inspecting my chimney. He took his time to explain what he would do and he did a very good job. The last company that did my chimney sweep spent 15 min tops and never went on the roof. Steve was on the roof most of the time (1.5 hours) and I could hear him working hard. He also informed me of an issue on my roof unrelated to the chimney which I thought was great. It saved me a lot of money and headaches in the future. I would hire him again with no hesitation. It is nice to see there are good, honest tradesman out there still. A+++

Perfectly! He was prompt and focused on the work. Excellent service!

I am a repeat customer of Steve's. He does a great job at a reasonable price.

Everything went great! I was provided a list of everything that was checked and details of all the the work performed. Very reasonable pricing and I would highly recommend this company to anyone.

He did a great job!

Mr. Gullickson cleaned the chimney, did some minor cement repair and fixed the existing damper which was not opening or closing property. His work was very professionally done: and his charges more than fair. I can see why he had such high ratings here on Angie's List. I concur.

Fine. The chimney was pretty dirty and Steve cleaned it with no questions asked. Very prompt and very professional.

Steve was prompt and thorough. He found major problems and explained the remedy. I couldn't be happier with his service and will definitely use him again and recommend him to anyone.

I can only echo the comments by others on Angie's list that Steve does a most thorough job of cleaning and evaluation that I've ever seen from other chimney companies. He is one of the most honest business people that I've ever dealt with and will not up-sell for services you don't need. I will only turn to Steve for my future chimney work. Thank, Steve. It was a pleasure working with you.

nice job, fair price.  thanks

I selected Gullickson's after seeing the great ratings and reviews given to Steve by all of the members here.  I have lived in this townhome for over 12 years and this is the first time I had the chimney cleaned.  I only used the fireplace about 5 times before and the last time it was used was almost 10 years ago.  
Steve came in and inspected the fireplace and chimney.  I explained how I hadn't used my fireplace in years and only a handful of times.  Upon opening the flue, he told me that it was nasty in there, that the previous owners definitely used the fireplace a lot.  I was lucky that I decided not to use the fireplace again until I had it cleaned!  As it was raining that day, he cleaned from the inside (bottom) going up.  Steve was punctual, he was neat, he brought his drop cloths to prevent dirt from going on my floors and he brought all his equipment in to clean from the fireplace going up.  The cleaning took about 45 minutes.
Steve was also very helpful in providing tips on what type of wood I should burn and how to maintain my fireplace.  I also showed him my key to the gas assist, which I have never used as the knob where it fits seemed to be stuck.  He fixed it so that I can easily turn it now and we lit it up to prove that the gas line is working.  I asked if it was possible to install a gas log and he was also helpful in providing information on what type and size to get and where.
All in all this was great service from a professional guy who specializes in chimneys.  The price was pretty cheap even without a coupon/deal, and he only provided the necessary service.  There was no up-sell to other services or extras, he himself indicated that people like him because he does not do that.  
I would use Steve again for any fireplace and chimney related services and will recommend him to my family and friends that need this type of service.

Steve is great.  Best price, best customer service and did a great job on the chimney.   Came in, told me what the plan was, cleaned the chimney, cleaned up after himself and was gone.   Like he was never there and we had a chimney ready for fires.  Highly recommend to all my friends and family.

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I wish there was an "A+" category, because I'd grade Steve that way. He is a pro. He very thoroughly cleaned our fireplace, doing a far better job than any other contractor we have ever hired and at a very reasonable cost.  It was raining and windy that day, but Steve insisted on climbing the roof, because that's part of his job. Not all contractors we've hired have climbed the roof.
I'd recommend Steve to anyone on the planet.
Diane Reinwald
Glen Ellyn, IL

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