Chimney Saga Conclusion

I first published a “ha ha, oh no!” story about our chimney last month.  It was my first post to be labeled home “improvement” (instead of home improvement).

The boss did come out the next week and agreed that the job hadn’t been finished.  There was no actual apology, but he was very gracious.  I decided that I did want to install a new damper on top of the chimney, so they said they would complete the original job for free, of course, but the standard damper charge was still $400 plus tax. 

So I called our nearest fireplace store and ordered a sealtight damper from them for $250, then called the company and let them know I had a damper they could install for me. 

They called back and said they would install it for $109 plus tax.

I called back and said that my chimney had had 2 1/2 years of weather damage from not being finished when I first hired and paid them.

They called back and said they’d install it for $50. Plus tax.

I looked at the directions for installation and decided that not climbing up a ladder with a corded drill and mason bit with 2 1/2 kids trying to climb up after me was worth $50. 

Of course, when they did come out, there was a kerfuffle that the damper I bought was the wrong size.  Since it clearly stated that this damper fit a myriad of sizes including the size he told me earlier, he tried to explain to me that the store had sold me a damper that only fit chimneys built on the east coast.  He asked me where I had bought it and when I told him, he was surprised that with their good reputation, they would do that.

Yeah, really.

But, again, he was gracious and sold me one out of his truck for exactly the price I had paid at the fireplace store and gave me the time to call the store to make sure I could return it for a full refund. (Overall, I saved over $100 and gained 3 headaches and 4 ulcers.)

The whole thing was done in less than an hour, and this time I had him go up with my camera and take pictures of the finished chimney for me.  I learned that trick after the most recent roofing debacle when the branch harpooned the dining room ceiling.   

Just one more follow-up note.  When I returned the original “east coast” damper to the store and explained to them the chimney man's explanation of why it didn’t fit our chimney, although I had given the correct dimensions, he scoffed at theory.  When he asked who had done the work and I told him, he was surprised that with their good reputation, they would do that.

It’s enough to make a steward cynical.