# You get what you pay for



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Even though my price to fix this chimney was more than twice the cost of my nearest competitor, this customer realized you get what you pay for.

Everyone else was just patching holes on a ladder...surely not enough effort for this 105 year old chimney.

Full roof-line up saw cut and re-point, new stainless chase cover custom made to accommodate the existing liner and cap and finally a soak of siloxane PD.

The customer was amazed at my dustless techniques...I told him I've been doing it for years :whistling


----------



## prowork (Oct 5, 2012)

Very nice. This would make for some great marketing content!


----------



## cedarboarder (Mar 30, 2015)

no toe boards on the scaffold. SHUT IT DOWN!! haha 
damn, that looks better fixed up. Sometimes I wonder how some stay up.


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

cedarboarder said:


> no toe boards on the scaffold. SHUT IT DOWN!! haha
> damn, that looks better fixed up. Sometimes I wonder how some stay up.


It's not even fixed up yet :blink: You're not another type of holic are you :laughing:


----------



## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

I can't believe how they stay up. When we get the earthquake that's promised around here, a lot of chimneys are coming down. I've taken out about 10, and almost every one needs no tools to remove the courses above the roof. It's like it's just a stack of bricks.


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

So the original plan was saw-cutting, pointing and sealing.

Once I got set up, I noticed the terracotta sat awfully proud through the top and was crazed like crazy. Tapping on it, everything was tight, but I spoke to the owner and gave him the honest run down...that sucker could outlive us both, it could crack tomorrow or maybe even next year...and technically not that easy to get to. 

He said, "what are you thinking?", and that's when I recommended we get rid of it and terminate the crown in stainless...he said, "how much?"...I shot him a number, he say's "do it"!

Today I removed the built up crown, reset the top couple courses and added two more courses so I wouldn't loose too much height doing the retrofit...I spent the rest of the day pre-packing the deep caverns and beginning the re-pointing process. The original mud is lime mortar, so I whipped up one of my special sandy mixes so as not to harm the brick.

Bad news is my stainless won't be here until the 11th. so i'll need to leave the rig up whilst I march on to the next one.


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Golden view said:


> I can't believe how they stay up. When we get the earthquake that's promised around here, a lot of chimneys are coming down. I've taken out about 10, and almost every one needs no tools to remove the courses above the roof. It's like it's just a stack of bricks.


That sucker has been there 105 years and hardly a list...I was trying to shake it today...this one is actually tight.

I did one around the corner a while back that's even bigger and badder...I used a chimney strap and roof bracket system, all stainless. I'll take some pics of it on my way in on Monday. 

Speaking of earthquakes, they're rare around these parts , but ironically, we had one the other day that was based around Dover Delaware...it was felt throughout the tri-state area.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/11/earthquake_rocks_delaware_shockwaves_felt_in_nj.html


----------



## cedarboarder (Mar 30, 2015)

superseal said:


> It's not even fixed up yet :blink: You're not another type of holic are you :laughing:


don't change the topic. toe boards.. haha jk 

I can see where the job is going. I'm guessing the prep is most of the work.


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

cedarboarder said:


> don't change the topic. toe boards.. haha jk
> 
> I can see where the job is going. I'm guessing the prep is most of the work.


I got your toe-board for ya...there's a toe, and there's your board :thumbup:

My customer actually asked me if he could climb up the scaffold today to take a first hand look at his chimney and I actually let him...I told don't forget to check around back but I wanted final payment first...he declined :laughing:


----------



## cedarboarder (Mar 30, 2015)

superseal said:


> I got your toe-board for ya...there's a toe, and there's your board :thumbup:
> 
> My customer actually asked me if he could climb up the scaffold today to take a first hand look at his chimney and I actually let him...I told don't forget to check around back but I wanted final payment first...he declined :laughing:


did the walk the plank or just take a climb?


----------



## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Golden view said:


> I can't believe how they stay up. When we get the earthquake that's promised around here, a lot of chimneys are coming down. I've taken out about 10, and almost every one needs no tools to remove the courses above the roof. It's like it's just a stack of bricks.


That sounds like mine. I could push it over. I keep wanting to fix it in the Spring, but then the bees are swarming. It has a huge hive in between the liner and outside wall.

If they die this winter, I'll do it, if not...

Maybe I should just do it this winter.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


----------



## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

VinylHanger said:


> That sounds like mine. I could push it over. I keep wanting to fix it in the Spring, but then the bees are swarming. It has a huge hive in between the liner and outside wall.
> 
> If they die this winter, I'll do it, if not...
> 
> ...


Or just get rid of it. It's what I do on almost all my projects. Amazing what that 8 square feet does to open up a kitchen.


----------



## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Funny, I have to redo thus one. 35 yo, and I can take bricks off just grabbing and yanking.


----------



## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I would if I didn't like the look of it. It suits the house. It will never be used as a fireplace. I'll fix it and then seal it up from drafts.

I did one recently where it was torn down and turned into a woodstove nook. That worked great.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Golden view said:


> Or just get rid of it. It's what I do on almost all my projects. Amazing what that 8 square feet does to open up a kitchen.


On a flipper house we're doing, we yanked two big chimneys...one, the entire fireplace went once we found out it was solely supported by the floor structure only...I chit you not. The other was simply for an oil burner which we're getting rid of and going direct vent high efficiency.

Removing interior chimneys can certainly add space...crappy fireplaces even more so. Knock out walls, and your really in business :whistling


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

So you can clearly see the saw cut process opens up deficiencies the naked eye can't readily see. 

All pointed up over the weekend, sealer is going on today. 

The neighbor next door asked for an estimate and it gave me a unique perspective of my crows nest in action :thumbup:

Here's that chimney bracket I spoke of...


----------



## PennCoat (Apr 15, 2014)

Nice work. Too many customers think everyone has the same amount of experience and craftsmanship. When I go on appointments, I drill the customers with questions about the other quotes they're receiving. And at that point, hopefully they'll weed out the low-ballers.


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

PennCoat said:


> Nice work. Too many customers think everyone has the same amount of experience and craftsmanship. When I go on appointments, I drill the customers with questions about the other quotes they're receiving. And at that point, hopefully they'll weed out the low-ballers.


You ain't kidding...confidence is king and knowledge is power!


----------



## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Chimney looks like its good for another 50 years now!


----------



## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Chase covers are not only for frame chimneys, but for masonry chimneys as well...

No more crown maintenance or replacement...24ga. 304 stainless with cross hatch for drainage. One and done I like to say!


----------

