A homeowner is not expected to be an expert in construction but having some knowledge of their home and its condition is beneficial. This is so that they can observe when areas of their house are in need of maintenance. Take the chimney, for example, what are some observations that can be made to determine what condition it is in?
Firstly, you may want to think about anything that has happened that would have caused damage to the chimney. Have any large objects fallen on it like tree limbs or scaffolding, etc? Have there been any natural disasters such as a bad storm or earthquake? Even a small earthquake could do some damage. You may also want to think about how the weather, in general, affects the home as, over time, this can start to erode brick and mortar.
You can also do a visual check of the chimney to find out what condition it's in. To do this, stand a small distance from the house so that you see the entire chimney area, look to see if it is listing or leaning. Does it look like it is starting to separate from the rest of the building? Next, look at the footings of the chimney to see if there is any sign of deterioration. A simple test you can do is to take a screwdriver and scrape some of the mortar, if it crumbles away easily then this is a good indication that you will need to have some repair work carried out on it.
As we’ve mentioned, a homeowner can do some simple checks to determine the chimney's condition, however, there are other parts of it that will require a professional inspection.
If you have observed any deterioration on your chimney, please feel free to contact us for advice.
Firstly, you may want to think about anything that has happened that would have caused damage to the chimney. Have any large objects fallen on it like tree limbs or scaffolding, etc? Have there been any natural disasters such as a bad storm or earthquake? Even a small earthquake could do some damage. You may also want to think about how the weather, in general, affects the home as, over time, this can start to erode brick and mortar.
You can also do a visual check of the chimney to find out what condition it's in. To do this, stand a small distance from the house so that you see the entire chimney area, look to see if it is listing or leaning. Does it look like it is starting to separate from the rest of the building? Next, look at the footings of the chimney to see if there is any sign of deterioration. A simple test you can do is to take a screwdriver and scrape some of the mortar, if it crumbles away easily then this is a good indication that you will need to have some repair work carried out on it.
As we’ve mentioned, a homeowner can do some simple checks to determine the chimney's condition, however, there are other parts of it that will require a professional inspection.
If you have observed any deterioration on your chimney, please feel free to contact us for advice.
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