Chimney help

[boiler717]

We have been in our 1921 house for a year. When we bought the house, we had an additional chimney inspection. The fireplace needed parged but no other issues were noted. The sellers paid for the repair and provided a receipt.
We love our wood-burning fireplace and use it frequently. A month or so ago, I noticed a residual smell, and since it had been almost a year, we scheduled a chimney sweep. The technician noted that the fireplace was not fully parged — only one small section was. Additionally, the flue tiles had major gaps and there was significant creosote build up (to the glass stage). They recommended that we complete parging (which also requires a new damper), tuckpointing (also not mentioned in first inspection), apply PCR to remove creosote, and apply heatshield to repair gaps. $9k estimate
So, now what? I am not sure if the new company is being alarmist, so I want to have another option. But does the original company bear any responsibility for the creosote build up since they didn’t parge the chimney as stated on their invoice? Does parging really prevent creosote build up and could this have been prevented?
I called the chimney company that performed the original inspection and repair. They reviewed our new sweep results. The owner attempted to call while I was on vacation, but we didn’t connect. I called back and the admin said he just wants to “schedule a repair” but didn’t have details. I said I wanted to talk to someone about what happened and what they want to do, and she said there was no need to talk to anyone because the owner said to schedule a repair. I told her I had questions and needed to speak to someone before having a repair. I feel that they should be doing all the work to remove creosote as well as complete the parging, but I also don’t know if I trust them to complete the work.
Any thoughts / advice / tips welcome!

[simpsongal]

I'll admit, I had to google "parging."

We had our 1971 chimney relined a couple years ago, done with mortar (you can also line w/metal) - it sounds like we had it "parged". We used a company in the off season recommended by our neighbor, it was about $2K. But I've heard chimney repair estimates can REALLY vary wildly depending on the season and contractor. Shortly after we bought our house we had our chimney cap rebuilt and replaced, that was like $1200.

I'm not sure about the liability piece (can't give legal advice). But in the very least, I would get a copy of the original inspection report, schedule the consult w/the company that fixed it, and probably ask what they were tasked with doing (see if you can get a copy of the work order or contract).

Good luck- chimney issues are not fun

[boiler717]

Apr 20, 2021 14:42:48 GMT -5 simpsongal said:

I'll admit, I had to google "parging."

We had our 1971 chimney relined a couple years ago, done with mortar (you can also line w/metal) - it sounds like we had it "parged". We used a company in the off season recommended by our neighbor, it was about $2K. But I've heard chimney repair estimates can REALLY vary wildly depending on the season and contractor. Shortly after we bought our house we had our chimney cap rebuilt and replaced, that was like $1200.

I'm not sure about the liability piece (can't give legal advice). But in the very least, I would get a copy of the original inspection report, schedule the consult w/the company that fixed it, and probably ask what they were tasked with doing (see if you can get a copy of the work order or contract).

Good luck- chimney issues are not fun

Thanks! We have the inspection report, work order, and paid invoice. It does not have any photos, though. I tried talked with the company but the admin just wanted to schedule a technician and not let me speak to anyone else, which seems super odd.

[origami]

I’m not sure what any of those terms mean, but I would get a 2nd opinion before dealing with the original company. Then if all you can do is schedule someone with the original company (so annoying), try scheduling an estimate instead of a repair. The person who comes out could call the owner while they’re there and you could discuss what was/wasn’t done properly.

I’m currently dealing with this, a bit. Our inspection said the chimney needed tuck pointing and the sellers gave us money at closing to cover it. Turns out the chimney needs rebuilt completely. The sellers already had it rebuilt within the last 2Y, but the work was crap since it’s falling apart. Our situation is different since it has been longer. We’re just sucking it up and redoing it.