Expert: James Ball - 5/9/2009

Question
Hello James,

I'm in the market for a new house and today I looked at a home that was built in 1992.  The house has a wood burning fireplace and, what I assume to be, a pre-fabricated chimney covered in the same vinyl siding as the rest of the house.  I noticed that portions of the vinyl siding covering the mid-section of the chimney appear warped as if they had been exposed to high heat.  Any thoughts on what is going on here and how expensive it would be repair/replace the chimney?

Thanks you very much for your time and knowledge!

Elizabeth, Rochester NY


Answer
Hello Elizabeth, it sounds like you might have had a chimney fire and the high heat warped the siding, I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have they should be able to help. you should have the chimneys inspected by a certified sweep before you buy a new home, a new or repaired chimney could cost $10,000 or more.
keep me posted
James