Capitol Chimney Service LLC

The experience was very good. The crew worked hard all day, and they were very professional in the process. We have been in our house 5 and a half years, but had not been able to have a fire because the chimney was not in working condition. By the end f the process, we had a working chimney with a new damper that has clearly made our living room warmer. We were very pleased with their work, and we would definitely recommend them. They certainly earned their money.

The chimney cleaning was fine. For the parging of the smoke chamber, there was an equipment failure on the first day and they had to come back to finish it a second day. I was told I would be the first on their schedule and someone may be out as early as 7:30-8AM. There were driving difficulties, but when I called around 9AM, I was told the guys were coming. They showed up at 11AM. My house is 25 minutes away. The actual work went ok as far as we can tell. However, they did leave mortar in both my front and back yard, including on stepping stones, rain barrel, and hose. (I made them clean the mortar off the window and door it sprayed all over. The guys did so willingly. I did not notice the mortar everywhere else until after they left.) The problem we have had was with scheduling and with the honesty of the person who does their scheduling. Because we were happy with the chimney cleaning and prior to the smoke chamber parging, we also hired them to clean the gutters at our rental house a mile away from our primary residence. They did not show up on TWO days that they were scheduled to do the cleaning. The first time they did not show up, the weather was perfect and there should have been no problems. But, after doing work outside at our rental for three hours waiting for them, I called and the scheduler to see what was up. She said she had called me. There were no calls or no messages on either of my phones, including the one I had on me. When I questioned her about that, she evaded answering me. They did show up to clean the gutters for the 2nd appointment - on a day that was below freezing and clearly could not do the job. I rescheduled twice after that because of the weather and the winter storm. Obviously, there was no gutter cleaning during a snow storm. However, they were scheduled to do the cleaning three days ago. It would have been difficult, but possible to do the cleaning. However, I could completely understand if they didn't want to because there was still a lot of snow on the ground. I would just expect a call to let me know. But, they did not call to reschedule or cancel. I called them today and confirmed that they did not show up. They said they had notes to call to reschedule with me, but, of course, no one called to do so. And, now, because they have filled their schedule and aren't taking new appointments for a week, I can't get on their schedule for another eight days. Considering the lack of reliability, we are looking for another company to do the job. Had they called me and had the scheduler been honest with me, I would have given them a good review. I understand complications. I just want truthful and timely communication. It goes a long way to building a trusting and lasting professional relationship.

Would definitely use them again. Were on time and professional. Had to order some parts and come back to install them, everything went smoothly and the work was done well.

Cleaned the chimney and provided an expensive estimate for repairs.

The guys did a good job cleaning the chimney. But, they kind of misled me as far as the roof stuff goes. They said everything was fine and then when I had a different gutter cleaning guy come out, he said that I really do need some masonry for the chimney, not this winter, but probably in the spring. I do use my fireplace. I just kind of thought that was interesting. They cleaned the chimney, but they were supposed to do a good roof inspection. I felt like they were inexperienced. There are a lot of good roof people out there. So it's in their interest to do a good job. I wasn't as pleased with that. It was prompt. They didn't charge any more. They didn't give me the right information. They didn't tell me that I was going to need to have a little masonry work done. That's what they could have done. They were pretty young and extremely nice. They were very, very personable. They were fine that way. They came when they said they were going to come.

They arrived on time, went straight to work, did a good, thorough job, cleaned up after themselves, and left - exactly what they were supposed to do.

Very friendly, prompt, appeared capable and seemed to do a good job. Were considerate and careful not to make a mess in the family room where our fireplace is located. Pointed out some light cracks in our heat shield panels, recommending replacement. Since this was to be a costly repair, we got a second opinion from another company in the area. The second company indicated that the cracks were very minor and wouldn't impact the safety of our fireplace, so we elected to hold off on the extra work.

Overall it was very good. Job was very quick at less than 30 minutes. The guys paid a lot of attention to keeping everything clean and not letting the soot get on our carpet/furniture. Very happy with the price. Negative was the communication and length of time I had to wait for the service to occur. When I purchased the deal I was told the company would contact me to schedule. I expected a call from them to schedule, but they just sent an Angie's list message telling me to call them. I do not log in often and did not realize until a week later. Then I had to wait a couple of weeks for an appointment as they only seem to come out to NOVA once they have racked up several appointments in the area.

They were prompt and professional. The price was better than most competitors, but the truth is it still seems like a lot of money for not all that much work. I would hire them again - but only if I don't end up buying my own equipment and doing it myself from now on.

I LOVE this company! I have used them 2 years in a row, and they do exactly what they say they do, they clean the chimney, they come when they say they will, they are neat and clean and polite. Another company cleaned my chimney before, and told me I needed thousands of dollars of repairs. When I got 2 other companies in to give me quotes, it seems that my chimney didn't need any repairs. So I like this company because they don't try to sell you on work you don't need. Thank you!!!!

I paid for both the Cap replacements and the Chimney Sweep. These guys were great, showed up on time, were tidy inside my house and knowledgeable. They were able to show me exactly what needed to be done, why it needed to be done and how to move forward with their estimate.

The technician came by and did a complete and thorough inspection. And as anticipated he informed me of the problems that he found/noted. Some of the information provided was expected. However, he also found problems that I never would have anticipated. But I saw the evidence, as he took pictures. One problem noted confirmed a concern that I had for several months (periodic smelling of gas in the house). Apparently problems with the Chimney flue liner (or lack there of) were causing exhaust fumes to leak in the house. It is an old house and liners probably weren't being used at that time. So after sharing all the information, in outlined what needed to be done and the cost for the work. And of course they even deducted the money that was charged on Angie's list for cleaning...as it was not needed. After providing us with the details, we decided to bring them back for the repair work. They were so considerate. Noting that the work needs to be done on a day when it isn't too cold, I tried to arrange for the first Saturday available. However, they were booked. But to make sure that we got it done on a good day, they arranged to come on a Saturday...a day when I know their office is closed. But we needed it done and they were more than willing to make it happen. So, we agreed and we ended up hiring the company to come back and rebuild the chimney and of course redo the chimney flue. The technicians (2) who handle the work were absolutely first rate. They did an excellent job and of course it was done in 1 day... And they even considered my "space" problem where the furnace was located. In other words, they strategically ran the flue liner to the furnace in a manner that ensured my space wasn't compromised. Which was a true winner for me...again, it is a small house and space is limited. Bottom line....I am grateful that I found this company on Angie's list....and even more grateful that they were 100% able to do the inspection and the many repairs.

They were punctual, thorough and we will contact them again in the spring for chimney repair.

The representatives from Capitol Chimney Service arrived on time and was very professional he cleaned the chimney and left the area the same way he found it. He also said that we will need a new floor in the chimney I asked him who would I get to do that and he said they do that kind of work too. So I said I will be calling them when I'm ready to have that done he suggested I have it done but could wait at least a year.

Good. Very expensive, but I have not contacted others as yet. I would use them if I could afford it at this time.

It was very easy to setup apt.. The guys called 40 min. prior to arrival and performed the work as requested. I will definitely use them again.

They showed up promptly and did a thorough job with cleaning the fireplace.

I am aware that many chimney cleaning companies use the cleaning and inspection to try to sell additional services, products and often unnecessary and expensive repairs. Capitol Chimney Service is certainly one of those companies. The owner, Roger Velasquez, arrived with a helper at the appointed time. However, he sat in his truck for quite a long time and I finally went out to see if something was wrong. He was not very friendly and started out by informing me that he did not have a ladder tall enough to get on our roof. I explained that we had notified his office, when we ordered the service, that we had an unusually high and steep roof. His response was that the office people don't know anything about the business and therefore it was a waste of time to tell them anything. He also said that he had no record of our having ordered a cap and therefore did not have one with him. Since no one, in the 30 years that we have lived here, has ever tried to clean our chimney from the top, I invited him in to see the fireplace that needed cleaning--cleaning that he could perform from inside the house. He then conducted a very quick inspection of the fireplace burner box and informed me that he could not clean the chimney because too much water was penetrating the chimney crown and coming down into the house. I then informed him that the crown had been replaced four years ago and, even though the chimney stack is too high to see any repair work, the contractor had taken several pictures of the work so that I knew precisely what had been done. Mr. Velasquez's response to this was that it had not been done right. However, he quickly moved on the other big problems. He then informed me that the brick in my house was so old that it absorbed water when it rained and this water manages to get through the several layers of masonry that make up a chimney and then to come down into our house. Needless to say I was incredulous. Then Mr. Velasquez asked that I bring him a glass of water and he would show me something. We then went outside with the water and he threw a portion of the water against the house. The water ran down about three feet before it was adsorbed into the brick. He repeated this two more times and the water only ran down a few more inches before being adsorbed into the brick.. This, he informed me, proved that water was being adsorbed into the brick of the chimney which was wicking it all the way into the flue--which is not brick. When I pointed out that the whole house was made of the same brick and I never witnessed any leakage into the house, he told me that that was different. How it was different he did not say. He then recommended that the entire chimney be power washed and three applications of sealant be applied. Approximate cost:: $1600 to $1700. He then headed back to his truck. He said that he would get back to me with a precise estimate. He explained that once he did all of the necessary repair work, he would then clean the chimney. Needless to say, we cancelled our prepaid cleaning and cap order with Capitol Chimney Service and received a refund thanks to the efforts of Angie's List. Shortly after that, we contracted with a different company to clean the chimney. After the cleaning and inspection, they told us that the firebox, flue damper and chimney were all in excellent condition. If you just want to have your chimney cleaned, I would recommend finding a different company.

The inspector showed up early--called first to let me know he was coming and performed the inspection and cleaning. Couldn't have been easier.

Nothing spectacular about the service. They came in and cleaned the chimney, as well as did a visual check on the chimney.

Went very smoothly and they even showed me how to operate a high efficiency damper at the top of the chimney.

They arrived on time and were done in less than an hour.

Not much to tell...did a thorough inspection and provided a fair estimate for repairs. Ended up going with another company though.

They did not show up nor did they call. My appointment was scheduled between 1-5pm today and after not hearing from them at 5pm I had to call the office and was told that they tried to contact me but I did not respond. This clearly was not the truth as I was home the whole time and my cell phone was with me.

Summary: Very disappointed in this company, with its internal communication, and with its lack of professionalism. The owner told me to request a refund from Angie?s List prior to any work being done, after I had asked to speak with him by phone on the scheduled date of service. He said he would not be responsible for any damage to our slate roof and if I was concerned about our roof being walked on by his employees, then I should get a refund. I was willing to negotiate terms of service, but he was not. This was after his own staff misinformed him about our job, the details of which we had provided by phone and in writing. He did not offer an estimate on the work if done properly; he just said the ?girls at the front? did not know about the details of their work and could not provide customers like me with any assurances about the feasibility of a job. Details of the service experience: I purchased The Big Deal Coupon Code: Chimney-2323160-1; Order#: 2323160, on 10/4/2015. I did this only after calling and speaking with Ms. Peachie Marin, of Capitol Chimney staff, the week prior: I had given her a detailed description of our 3rd story oil boiler chimney flue by phone and she checked with a supervisor and then assured me that they could do this job, I should now go online and purchase The Big Deal. I did so on Oct 4th and emailed to confirm my purchase, as well as to confirm the technical specs of our chimney. Fast forward 2.5 weeks: on the scheduled date of service, Fri 10/23, two men called ahead and arrived at my door during the agreed-upon window of time. They asked me if they could come inside my house in order to clean my "wood fireplace and chimney". I declined and informed them that this was an oil boiler flue on the 3rd story, and that we had a slate roof. They said they had received no details about the job and did not know that this was the type of chimney they had to clean. After inspecting the chimney visually, they said they did not have a 40 or 50-foot ladder with them that would be tall enough to reach the chimney. They offered to try and use a system of shorter ladders, and to walk on our slate roof, and I declined, explaining that our home inspector had told us to never let anyone walk on our 74 year old slate roof unless they had the proper equipment. I reminded them that I had previously spoken with their staff before purchasing The Big Deal, and that I had also provided a detailed description of this job and my chimney. They did not know that I was told by their staff, who scheduled The Big Deal by phone when I agreed to the work, that there would be an upcharge of $30 for a "special ladder" that would be needed for our slate roof, which would be billed to me later. (I had also emailed with [email protected] and [email protected] on Oct 4 & 5 with very specific details about our job; Peachie informed me that she had "added these notes to your work order"). The men apologized, and then said they would be willing to do the job only if they could walk on our slate roof. I declined, Then they told me to ask for a refund from Angie's List and drove away. Hoping to sort things out, I called Capitol Chimney LLC and asked to spoke with the owner, Roger. He said that he was unwilling to be responsible for any damage that might be done to our slate roof. He said that, even if his employees were to return to my home with the proper ladder, that I had paid too little money for the type of job that I required. "Talking to you," he said "I don't feel comfortable? with making good on The Big Deal offer, with making me any other offer, or with allowing his guys to sweep my chimney because they would have to walk on my slate roof to do the job. He told me to request a refund.