Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Inspection Across Coral Gables
A chimney inspection in Coral Gables typically costs between $189 and $1,200, depending on whether you need a standard visual check or a full camera-equipped Level 2 inspection. Most inspections take 45 to 90 minutes. If you own a home in Coral Gables, especially one built before 1940, you should know that the humidity and salt air here act on old masonry differently than almost anywhere else in Florida. Call (786) 305-7861 to schedule an inspection with a technician who understands what Coral Gables chimneys actually look like inside.
Why Flint Chimney Co Miami Is Coral Gables’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
Flint Chimney Co Miami operates as part of the Garrison Partners family, founded in 2002. Our inspection crews work across Coral Gables regularly, from the Biltmore area down to the Riviera neighborhoods, and we’re familiar with what a 1920s Mediterranean Revival chimney should and should not look like. The work is led by Hank Delano, and every technician who arrives at a Coral Gables home is background-checked and uniformed. We assign a written price before any tool comes off the truck, and every repair we recommend carries a one-year written guarantee under our 365-Day Done Right Promise. That promise is not marketing language. If a covered repair fails within the year, we return at no charge.
We also know that Coral Gables homeowners have been burned by chimney companies before, sometimes literally. The no-show appointments, the price that changes at the door, the crew that leaves mortar dust across a barrel tile roof and drives off. Our process is built to eliminate that. You get a live person when you call, a written quote before work starts, and a technician who will show you camera footage of your flue before recommending anything. For chimney inspections in Coral Gables, that discipline matters.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Fire in Coral Gables
Chimney fire in Coral Gables is not a common event, but when it happens, it happens inside chimneys that were never built for modern conditions. A chimney fire is exactly what it sounds like: creosote or debris inside the flue ignites, and the fire burns inside the chimney stack at temperatures that crack clay tile liners within minutes. In Coral Gables, many homes have chimneys that were built in the 1920s with unlined brick flues or thin clay tile. Those chimneys are more vulnerable than a modern stainless steel liner system. If you’ve had a chimney fire, or you suspect one from loud cracking sounds and dense smoke, the first step is a full inspection. A chimney fire inspection in Coral Gables runs $189 to $450 depending on how far the technician has to assess the damage. We document everything with a camera probe, because you should see the damage before you pay to fix it.
What a chimney fire inspection covers
Our technician checks the flue walls for cracked tiles or displaced mortar joints. They check the smoke chamber, the damper, and the crown. After a chimney fire, even a small one, the liner can be compromised in ways you cannot see from the firebox.
When Coral Gables homeowners should call
If you hear a roar from the chimney that sounds like a freight train, or you see flames shooting from the top of the stack, get everyone out and call 911. After the fire is out, call us at (786) 305-7861. The inspection we do after a fire will tell you whether the chimney is safe to use again or needs a liner repair.
Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Coral Gables
A Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Coral Gables is what you need when something has changed: you’re buying or selling a house, you’ve had a chimney fire, you’ve changed the appliance venting into the flue, or you’re switching fuels. It includes everything in a Level 1 visual check, plus a camera scan of the entire flue. In Coral Gables, a Level 2 inspection typically runs $389 to $650, depending on chimney height and access. We use the camera because a lot of what goes wrong inside a 1920s chimney is invisible from the roof or the firebox. Hairline cracks in old clay tile, spalled sections, moisture intrusion at the crown, unlined brick with crumbling mortar, all of it shows up on camera. We show you every frame.
Why the camera matters
A mirror and a flashlight cannot see a hairline crack thirty feet up a flue. A camera probe can. In humid salt air like Coral Gables has, hairline cracks widen within a season. A camera inspection is the only way to document the condition of the flue before someone recommends a repair.
Real estate inspections
We do a lot of Level 2 inspections for real estate transactions in Coral Gables. Sellers want proof the chimney is sound. Buyers want proof they are not buying a $12,000 liner replacement six months after closing. We give both parties a written report with images, and our findings stand.
Trusted Brands We Service in Coral Gables
We work with materials that are built to hold up in South Florida’s salt air. For chimney lining and repair, we use HeatShield resurfacing products, DuraFlex stainless steel liners, and Gelco components where a specific job calls for them. Copperfield caps and dampers are common on Coral Gables homes because they handle the humidity better than rust-prone steel. When you get an inspection report from us, any repair recommendation will name the material and the brand. We do not stock these brands as a marketing line. We specify them by job, not by margin, and we keep fast access to them for Coral Gables customers who need a repair done before hurricane season or before a home sale closes.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Coral Gables Homes
- Unlined brick flues from the 1920s. Many Coral Gables chimneys were built before modern lining standards existed. Brick alone cannot contain the heat and condensation of repeated use, and in salt air the mortar joints break down faster than they would inland.
- Ornamental chimneys with no actual flue. This is more common in Coral Gables than almost anywhere else we work. The chimney is there for the architecture, not the fireplace. Staining from a rusting metal cap or crumbling mortar gets misread as a venting problem when there is no flue to inspect at all.
- Appliances vented into old fireplace chimneys. A 1920s chimney built for a wood fireplace gets a gas water heater or dryer vented into it decades later. The lower temperature exhaust creates condensation, which eats clay tile from the inside. A fireplace-only inspection misses this entirely.
- Spalled clay tile and corroded dampers. Salt air and high humidity accelerate spalling, the flaking and breaking of clay tile surfaces. Dampers rust and seize. What looks like a cosmetic stain at the crown is often a structural problem below.
In the Biltmore area, we inspected a 1927 Mediterranean Revival home whose chimney showed rust stains at the crown. Our technician found the flue was unlined and the clay tile had spalled in the salt air, while the decorative cap was corroded. We documented it all with our camera probe and recommended a HeatShield resurfacing, showing the homeowner every frame before any work.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Coral Gables, FL
A standard Level 1 chimney inspection in Coral Gables runs $189 to $289. A Level 2 inspection with a full camera scan runs $389 to $650. If the chimney is very tall, the roof access is difficult, or it is a pre-1940 home with an unlined flue that needs extra documentation, the price can reach $800 to $1,200 for a Level 3 inspection, which may require removing part of the chimney structure. Our Chimney Inspection team always gives you a written price before work begins. Estimates are free. Call (786) 305-7861 and we will tell you exactly what an inspection on your Coral Gables home will cost.
We Also Serve Cities Near Coral Gables
Our service area extends to Chimney Inspection in Coral Gables and the surrounding communities, including Miami, Miami Beach, and Miami Gardens. Scheduling is coordinated from our Miami (South FL) office, and crews serve Coral Gables locally. Call (786) 305-7861 to book an inspection anywhere in this area.
Serving Coral Gables, FL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Coral Gables area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Inspection in Coral Gables
Yes, but the inspection will be shorter and less expensive, because the point is to verify there is no flue to inspect. In Coral Gables, many Biltmore area chimneys are purely ornamental. What looks like a chimney problem, rust stains or crumbling mortar, is often just a cosmetic cap or crown issue. A visual inspection confirms whether there is a real flue at all. Call (786) 305-7861 for an exact quote. The cost is usually at the low end of the Level 1 range.
If you never use the fireplace and nothing is vented into the chimney, an inspection every three to five years is enough for most Coral Gables homes. But if the chimney vents a gas appliance, or if you notice staining, efflorescence, or crumbling mortar, get it checked sooner. Humid salt air works on masonry year-round, even when the chimney sits cold. Call us for an assessment, and we will tell you if the chimney can wait.
A Level 1 inspection is a visual check of the accessible parts of the chimney, the firebox, damper, and roof. A Level 2 adds a camera scan of the entire flue interior. For a Spanish Colonial home in Coral Gables, which may have an unlined or partially lined flue, the Level 2 is usually the right call. Lime is mortar, not cement. Old homes deserve careful documentation. We always show you the camera footage.
Yes. This is one of the most important inspections we do in Coral Gables. When a gas appliance vents through an old chimney, the exhaust is cooler and wetter than wood smoke. That condensation breaks down clay tile and mortar over time. We inspect the entire venting path, not just the visible sections. The price falls in the Level 1 to Level 2 range, depending on whether a camera is needed.
Looking up from the firebox shows you the first 18 inches of the flue. It tells you nothing about the other 20 feet. Hairline cracks, spalled tile, and unlined sections are invisible from below. A camera inspection documents the whole flue and gives you the evidence to see exactly what we see. In Coral Gables, where many homes have pre-1940 chimneys, that evidence is the only fair basis for any repair recommendation. Call (786) 305-7861 for a free estimate.
Written by Hank Delano, Owner at Flint Chimney Co Miami, serving Coral Gables, FL.