The standard behind it, and its limits
Ask about your report
Send the address and the report lines you want explained.
What it is
A standard, written to say how chimneys, fireplaces and vents should be built, inspected and kept. It recommends a Level 2 at a sale or transfer, after a fire or a quake, and when the fuel changes. Meadowbrook uses it as the measuring stick in every report.
What it is not
It is not a certificate. No office issues a pass or a fail on your chimney. When people say a house failed, they mean the report names conditions under NFPA 211 or the building code that need repair before the fireplace is used.
Where a sale is involved, a buyer's requests to the seller come after the report. Those talks belong to the buyer, the seller and their agents, and contracts are outside what we do.
The usual fixes and their prices
A cap is $175 to $705. Leak repair spans $585 to $3,500. A cricket spans $470 to $1,060, and adding a full flashing replacement makes it $705 to $1,750. A gas insert is $2,900 to $5,850. For an insert, ask the city office whether a permit is needed.
Fixes quoted after a look
Work on the crown, the liner, the chase cover or the damper is quoted after the inspection. So is standalone flashing, along with mortar, masonry, the smoke chamber and the firebox. Each hinges on the camera footage and the roof check, and a rebuild may need a permit too, which the city office can confirm.
Printed prices
Meadowbrook prints a range for each of these five jobs, as a span and not one figure.
- New flashing and a cricket
- $705 to $1,750
- New cap, fitted
- $175 to $705
- Gas insert for an existing firebox
- $2,900 to $5,850
- Chimney water repair
- $585 to $3,500
- New cricket
- $470 to $1,060
Everything else is quoted after the inspection.
Questions about the standard
Is NFPA 211 a building code?
It is a standard. Local building code is a separate set of rules, and the report notes both.
Will my insurer want the report?
Some may ask. The report is a clear document to hand over, with photos.
Why is a liner not priced?
It depends on the camera footage, so we quote it afterward.
Tell us the lines to explain
We will read each line against the standard, explain what it means for the house, and price what we can. Where the standard is silent, we say so plainly.
Call (424) 677-4478