Did the holidays have you thinking about your chimney? While chimneys are usually neglected all year, the lore of the ever-elusive Santa Clause tends to bring this forgotten aspect of your home to light. In this blog, we’ll discuss why chimney maintenance is important and the positive impacts it has on your home, like:
- Ensuring your home’s safety
Adding Curb Appeal
The exterior of your home is visible to anyone driving down your street — so, if you want to make a good first impression on your neighbors, it’s important to keep your property looking spiffy. While many homeowners choose to focus on their landscaping, a dilapidated or crumbling chimney can distract from the beautiful aspects of your home just as much as dead shrubbery and overgrown weeds can. If it’s about time to update your chimney, think about doing the following repairs:
- Fix or replace the bricks
Fix or Replace the Bricks
If the bricks on your chimney are crumbling, loose, or missing, it’s both unsafe and unsightly. Hiring a professional to replace any missing or broken bricks is the best way to ensure your curb appeal-enhancing project is done correctly. Christie Cut Stone offers more than 200 unique styles, shapes, and textures of brick, so our experts can perfectly match the replacement bricks to your existing material. Or, if you really want to add some pizazz to your exterior, you can use a completely different material to create an eclectic, one-of-a-kind look.
Refinish the Bricks
Has your chimney been repaired previously? If so, you may have multiple mismatched bricks. In this case, it’s a good idea to refinish your chimney completely, rather than try to match multiple types of brick. Because we have a wide variety of brick and stone to choose from, you can create a stunning combination that will add dimension and visual interest to your home. If you’re thinking about refinishing your chimney, call us for a free consultation!
Invest in a Chimney Cap
In order to protect your newly repaired or refinished chimney, you’ll want to invest in something to keep water and any unwanted critters out. A chimney cap will protect your fresh repairs, prevent costly damage, and adds personality to your home!
Ensuring Your Home’s Safety
The primary functions of your chimney are to direct smoke from your fireplace out of your house and help remove byproduct gasses, like carbon dioxide, from the air. Keeping your chimney properly maintained is crucial to ensuring the safety of your home and everyone in it. Before each seasonal change or after a chimney repair, it’s important to take the following precautions:
- Consider a chimney inspection
Do an Exterior Check
If you’ve recently installed a chimney cap, it’s important to check and make sure that it’s in working order. Carefully inspect the exterior and ensure that there are no bird’s nests, excessive debris, or crowding tree limbs. It’s also important to be sure that your rood roof is flush against the chimney itself.
Inspect the Inside
Making sure that the inside of your chimney is in working order is just as important as checking the exterior. Using a flashlight, you can inspect the interior of your chimney — most importantly, the flue damper. Make sure that it opens, closes, and seals properly. While holding the damper open, check the flue for any combustible materials. As a general rule, you should be able to see daylight at the top of your chimney. Also, be sure to look for signs of moisture — this could mean there’s a problem with your chimney cap.
Consider a Chimney Inspection
While you can check your chimney for obvious faults yourself, it’s important that you get an inspection performed by an expert at least once a year. An inspector will examine the structure of your chimney, the flue system, and the basic installation and connections to confirm that they are free of obstructions and combustible materials. If you’re skipping your regular inspections, your chimney is at a higher risk for fires and other safety hazards.
Memphis Chimney Design
At Christie Cut Stone, we offer both natural stone and brick elements that are perfect for your chimney. Whether you need to repair your chimney or want to refinish it all together, we can help give your home’s exterior the attention it deserves. Contact our team for a free consultation!