Your Chimney’s Safety Is Too Important to Trust to the Lowest Bidder

When you’re shopping for prices to get some work done to your chimney, your natural inclination may be to choose the company with the lowest price. A low bid on chimney repairs, chimney sweep services, chimney inspections and the like doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get poor service, but it could. Here’s why.

Looking closer at low chimney service prices

When a chimney company comes in with a very low price for work that other companies charge much more for, you have to ask yourself why the first company can charge so little. Maybe they’re not really in business to make money, but that’s unlikely. Some other answers are probably closer to fact:

1. You’ll pay in the end. The initial price may be low, but you may find more work and materials are “unexpectedly” needed as the job goes on. In the end, you might end up paying more than what all the other chimney companies estimated.
2. Apples and oranges. A low bid could mean fewer tasks will be done during the project. It could also mean inferior (cheaper) materials might be used. Read your written bids closely to make sure the low-price company is actually going to perform the same work with the same-quality materials as the others.
3. Equipment/tools. Professional chimney sweeps and repair companies invest considerable money in their tools and equipment in order to always have the right tool for the job. This allows them to confidently charge industry-level prices. A company that has made little investment in equipment may charge low prices and return sloppy results.
4. “Fly-by night.” Individuals and companies who give extremely low bids may not be serious about their work in the hearth industry. They may just be in it long enough to make a few bucks before moving onto something else.

What to do when hiring a chimney services company

Use this checklist to weed out inferior service providers and those who may not deal honestly with you.

• Check for certifications from industry associations such as the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) and others.
• Get references of past customers – and talk to them!
• Find out how long the individual or company has been in business.
• Look at their website – if you see that they do chimney work plus pet grooming, this may not be the company for you.
• Ask if they’ve done projects like yours in the past (not all chimney services companies perform all chimney-related work).
• Confirm a valid local business license and that they are bonded and fully insured.
• Read online reviews on Yelp and similar platforms.
• When speaking with a rep, decide if this person seems to really know the business and your particular project inside and out.

Black Moose Chimney & Stove of Antrim, NH, has been satisfying our southern New Hampshire customers since 2009. We hold CSIA certifications and are proud members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild and the Northeast Association of Chimney & Hearth Professionals. We provide a full menu of services including chimney sweep, chimney inspection, chimney repair, chimney rebuilding and more.

Call (603) 525-7905 for a job done right by professionals you can trust.