Lindemann Chimney Service Inc

We recently moved to an older home with a fireplace. We have never had a firelplace before so we thought it best to have it inspected and cleaned. The chimney sweep provided visual inspection and a video scan of the entire flue with video scanning equipment. He showed us the video and explained the findings (Cracks in the chimney wall which clearly could be seen on the video). He used a Triple Hepa Filter Vacuum to vacumn up the debrie from the cleaning to ensure no dust or allergens entered the air in the house. He laid down tarps prior to starting any work. The chimney sweep was very informative and left the house as clean as it was prior to the cleaning. We need a new chimney insert to prevent a fire. We will call Lindemann's to install when we're ready to do the work.

Prior to the recent purcahse of my home (build 1938), my home inspector raised concerns regarding the fireplace and chimney. I contacted Lindemann for an inspection and cleaning. The cleaning and inspection was very thorogh with the camera inspection showing significant gaps in clay tile lining as well as missing mortar within the smoke chamber. The technician took considerable time preparing my quote for repairs along with an extremely in-depth explanation of the repairs needed. I was very impressed with this detail and every question I asked was met with courtesy and professionalism. The repair was sscheduled in short-order and completed two weeks later. On-time and on budget. Great work by the crew and the free firewood for life offer can't be beat. I'm now enjoying my new fireplace worry-free.

The rep went on the roof to check the chimney. Somehow he climbed up on top of the chimney to inspect the liner and take pictures. Then he jumped from the top of the chimney onto my roof. I don't like people walking on my roof, much less jumping on it. He could have been injured or hit a rotted spot and fallen through. He then showed me pictures of my chimney liner and said it was rusting out. When I pointed out that aluminum doesn't rust he changed his pitch to tell me aluminum is inferior and I needed a stainless steel liner. He quoted a cost of $1,650.00 to replace the liner, $450.00 to seal the chimney crown and waterproof the brick, and $1,350.00 to tuckpoint the chimney. I had the tuckpointing done by another contractor for $650.00.

We used Lindemann in our last home for the same services with no concerns and a job well done. Our visit this time began in a similar fashion. The chimney cleaning went well and great care was taken to protect the area around where he worked. He was a friendly guy and took time to explain as he went. After the cleaning he inserted the camera and we were allowed to view the interior of the chimney of our 4 year old home. He noted throughout the "journey" several areas that had gaps to the flue tiles due to deteriorated mortar. He suggested that these were dangerous and made for unsafe conditions potentially leading to chimney fires (no mention was made as to the size or location of these gaps--both important factors, as we learned later from another chimney specialist). After completing the interior, he went to the roof and took pictures of the chimney crown which he also noted had hairline cracks and needed to be repaired. We then waited to hear the "bad news." After working up an estimate, we were shown an overall estimate in excess of $5000 to place a new stainless steel liner in the chimney and additional elements necessary to make sure that the new liner worked properly. We were uncomfortable with the fact that there was never even a suggestion that we get a second opinion from another chimney professional to reconfirm this diagnosis before having all of this expensive work completed on our relatively new chimney/home. But since we were shell-shocked by this estimate, we chose to get a couple other opinions anyways to see whether it was indeed the dire situation presented to us by Lindemann's. The verdict from the other professionals was that there is nothing wrong with our chimney. The gaps noted were not a concern and were normal. There were no worries regarding the structural safety and it was reiterated that a new house like ours would/should not have any issues that would not have been caught during the initial construction inspections. The chimney crown cracks were confirmed by the other estimates, but it was stated that this was not an urgent issue and could be done in the next couple of years with no concerns. In the end, the other opinions told us to enjoy our fireplace with no worries and left w/out any of our money, but our confidence (and our business) for the future. UPDATE: Mike from Lindemann's contacted me to apologize for our bad experience, and offered to send out a more experienced employee to check our chimney . And though we declined, I did have a positive conversation with him regarding what transpired. Mike took the time to explain the reasoning behind the suggested remedies (which was not done very well previously). In the end, it was suggested that newer employees might need better training in situations similar to ours in the future--instead of scaring people into getting work done before they ever dare use their fireplace again, EXPLAIN THOROUGHLY why you're suggesting what you're suggesting and give a realistic guide as to the seriousness of the matter-- and customers will take your advice more seriously.

I called Lindemann's after reading through the reviews and looking at their Angie's List ratings. I specifically told them that the renters in our house mentioned that there might be a nest in the chimney and i needed to understand what was going on and get a recommendation for what to do (chimney cap, etc). After spending $260 on a "video inspection" they recommended a $10,000 solution to my nest. They recommended relining both chimneys for a mere $5,000 a piece. I asked for other more economical recommendations, and received none. I also asked for the video from my "video inspection" so that I could use that information with other chimney experts and didn't receive anything but a hand marked sketch of the chimney. It was embarrassing. When I spoke to the inspector about the recommendation, we was emphatic about the recommendation but could not articulate one potential risk or impact of not doing the "minor" repair. As I described the incident to my neighbor, she happened to say "you didn't call Lindemann's did you? I had the same experience several years ago, and ended up spending a few hundred dollars instead and have had no issues." This is a great example of why everyone should minimally get two estimates.

The guy was very professional. They were reasonable about what needed to be done. Other companies said that we were going to have to take down the chimney and rebuilt it. It was good because we could see inside to see what needed to be done. They were professional. We plan to use them again.

Top several fet of our brick chimney was in fine shape due to a rebuild of that section by previous owner. From that repair down to the roofline was decaying. Lindemann came out to inspect and estimate repair. Recommended tear down of chimney to roofline and rebuild at significant cost. They ultimately quoted a couple thousand dollars to just clean up loose masonry from area and then coat the whole thing with stucco. Their price to do this was nearly twice what we ultimately paid another contractor who did an excellent job of replacing all the damaged masonry. They were prompt, courteous, etc., but their price was way out of line....

Oveall it was an A experience . Nice people, good work, prompt service.

I called Lindemann Chimney Co this morning and spoke with Jim. I explained how we lost our cap in the July 11 wind storm. Jim gave me an estimate right away, based on either a repair or a replacement. We booked an appt for Friday. Later that afternoon, Jim called and asked if he could swing by, since he was in the area, at least to get the size of the cap and possible replace it today. He arrived 15 minutes later, in uniform and in a clean, well-marked vehicle. Jim was professional, pleasant, and within 20 minutes I had a new cap. He also took pictures of the chimney and explained how it needs some additional mortar and caulk repairs. He gave me an estimate for each of those jobs and suggested the best time to schedule that appt. He offered to do it today, but it wasn't in our budget, though I will definitely call Lindemann when we are ready. I will recommend this company to anyone looking for quality work done quickly and professionally. Thank you, Jim!

Douglas communicated his intention well and followed up exactly as stated. The quality of workmanship was excellent, and although I did feel it might have been a little pricey, I do feel that the value received was excellent due to the professionalism.

I had some gutters that were full of debris and dirt and were too high for me to reach. Lindemann came out very quickly to clean my gutters. They were easy to work with and offered a fair price. Very happy with the overall service.

Everything went well. There were some weather delays, but they were very accomodating and did the job nicely.

They were very prompt and did a good job. The price was good.

My experience with Douglas Chimney Service Company was fine. They did what I had asked them to do. I would use them in the future.

Excellent experience all around. They were prompt with their estimate, in constant contact, and pleasant to talk to. They were unable to remove the remaining piece of scaffolding base on our pitched roof due to slickness on account of rain, and they left a message to let us know they would be out as soon as possible to take care of it. Price was easily a couple of hundred less then other estimates.

Satisfactory. He was supposed to send me a receipt but never did.

It went very nicely. They did good work. They installed some chimney caps and some tuck pointing.

My chimney was falling apart year after year. In the past 10 years, I had to have it tuckpointed 3 times. I knew it didn't have a liner and the bricks were probably crumbling from the inside, so I decided to have a rebuild done. I have a very tall chimney, used for the furnace, water heater, and natural fireplace, so I knew it would be expensive. I got 4 estimates for a rebuild & liner, and Lindermann's was right in the middle. I appreciated that they were not at all pushy and never tried to upsell. He gave me other options (including simply tuckpointing the existing chimney) but never pushed any of them. All appointments were kept by Lindermann. They were never late and called beforehand to let me know they were coming. The first crew came out to install the liner and Chimney caps. They were very professional, yet personable. It took most of the day, but they installed the liner and reworked the exhaust venting of my furnace and water heater. Everything was well done and they cleaned up after themselves. The next crew came out a couple of weeks later to tear down and rebuild the chimney. Once again, they were right on time and very professional. They rebuilt the chimney in 4 days (not including a weekend) and it looks fantastic. Since my house is built from a strange red brick that is no longer available, they warned me that the chimney may not match exactly. However, they matched the color of my red brick house extremely well. They also patched up a couple places away from the chimney as a bonus. The only gripe I have is that I ended up with a couple of inches of dust and broken mortar inside my fireplace which was not cleaned up. It may be due to the fact that we were not home during the final day of construction though. Finally, Lindermann came back to install a top mounted damper for my fireplace. My existing damper is about 80 years old and no longer functions. As always, they did a good job. So far I am very impressed with Lindermann and very happy with their work. Obviously, I have yet to see if the chimney holds up, but so far it's great.

I had contacted Lindeman online and received a phone call the next business day. When scheduling the day/time I was given the choice of when I could be home, which is rare. I was told 12:00pm and the servicemen were here at 12:00pm and called before they arrived to make sure I was home. When the arrived they explained everything they were going to do from sweeping the dryer vent to inspecting the fireplace and chimney. We purchased a condo that was vacant for over a year and the old owner never used the fireplace. Eric, service tech, showed me exactly what he was looking for and if he found anything with the fireplace on his video camera. After no defects were found Eric explained to me the upkeep of the fireplace and even gave me his cell phone number for future inquires. The crew was fast and cleaned up after themselves very well. I was impressed with the complete professionalism of Lindeman Chimney. I would use this company again! Great Job!

Very professional, I would recommend them to anyone looking for chimney work

I noticed that they had some commendable ratings on Angies List and I called them. They were professional and on time.

Showed up on time, were courteous and professional, did what they were supposed to do and did not upsell.

Awesome! Pleasant and easy to work with! Plus, Douglas Chimney was the most reasonable compared to the other major chimney/fireplaces companies. 1) Came to gave us an estimate 2) Came back the following week to do the work -- very flexible. So excited to have working fireplaces. We now have our fireplace guy! Thanks!

We had no problem with the service and will use them again - I do not recall what we paid at this time.

Watch out for scary stories about carbon monoxide,etc.and fast talking salesmen. You can easily get a detector at the hardware store and install it in a plug in your basement to see if your furnace or chimney is dangerous. Just don't place it too close to the furnace. I felt I had been hustled by the other company even tho they said they were more expensive and I made a decision too fast. Second time I have done that with the chimney and masonry issues.