This homeowner in Boulder watched me work for an hour and then said 'I could do that with a shop vac'.

I was up on his roof last fall, cleaning a standard clay tile flue. He came out with a coffee and just stood in his yard, staring up at me the whole time. I'm running my brushes, dropping the soot, the whole routine. When I came down, covered in the usual grime, he just points at my gear and says that line. I told him it's not about the dirt you see, it's the creosote glaze you can't, and a proper inspection for cracks or blockages. He shrugged and said his neighbor's cousin did his own with a leaf blower attachment. I handed him the bill for the full service, $225, and he looked at it like I'd charged him for rocket science. Has anyone else had a client who just refused to get that there's a skill here, not just a mess?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_anderson23d ago

Guess his neighbor's cousin also does his own dentistry.

lopez.holly23d ago

I had my chimney cleaned last year for $180. The guy was in and out in 45 minutes. I watched him, and it looked like he just pushed a big brush through and vacuumed from below. I get there's a glaze, but how often does that really cause a problem if you do it every year? My neighbor does his own with a kit from the hardware store and says his inspector never mentioned an issue. Sometimes I wonder if the full service is for peace of mind more than a strict need.

felix_jones23d agoMost Upvoted

Consider the glaze risk, like xena_anderson hinted, since a real pro spots things a kit misses.