Expert: Russel Ray - 12/1/2007

Question
I saw a house that was built in 1959 with a fireplace.  Is that good or bad?  I would like to know if the pros outdo the cons.  And how do I know if it is in good condition?  Would an inspector be able to tell me?  I'm afraid of crawling insects coming down the chimney.  What are the chances of that happening?

Answer
Hey, Esther.

A 1959 home with a fireplace is good if you want a fireplace, bad if you don't want a fireplaces, so the pros are wanting a fireplace, and the cons are not wanting a fireplace. As with anything in our homes, there is regular homeowner monitoring and maintenance for a fireplace and the chimney, so a home without the fireplace would probably have a little less maintenance associated with it.

The best person to tell you about the fireplace and chimney is a licensed chimney sweep. You can find one at the Chimney Safety Institute of America, csia.org.

A home inspector would be able to tell you a lot about the home very inexpensively because he has a general knowledge of everything. In some cases, if he finds significant problems, then he'll recommend an expert in that area of specialization. Think of the home inspector as kind of like your family doctor. If you have a chest pain, you go to the family doctor. He examines you and determines that you need to see a heart specialist, but he still charges you and your insurance company $250 for that office visit.

Let's apply that now to the home inspector. You're buying a home so the first person you call is your home inspector (the family doctor). He determines that you need a plumber (the heart specialist) to fix some major plumbing problems.

So let's look at cost using me her in San Diego as an example:

Let's presume at 1,500 square foot home. I would charge $399 for a home inspection, and the plumber is going to charge you $85 to come out and look at the problems that I found and give you an estimate on repairs, for a total of $484.

Here's what the specialists would charge here if you had them all come out individually:

Roofing contractor - $150
Electrician - $85
Plumber - $85
Pest control inspector - $75
Heating and cooling technician - $85
Structural engineer - $500
Chimney sweep - $85
Total - $1,065

See the savings?

As far as insects coming down the chimney, as long as your chimney has a rain cap and spark arrestors on it, and a damper in the fireplace, the likelihood of that happening is small. You probably have a better chance of having an accident whenever you're driving down the highway. The rain cap, spark arrestors, and damper are an integral part of your home, though, and the home inspector will be able to tell you if you have them and what condition they are in.