Recently my chimney was damaged from a storm on December 19th extremely high winds and heavy rain,…read morethe wind was so strong it lifted the metal insert in my chimney and removed it w/ the bricks still attached. I immediately took to the internet to find a high-quality specialist w/ a 5* rating and reviews to back it as I had installed a high-quality metal roof installed 8 years ago by interlocking roofing at the time the cost was $ 35,000.00 now that same roof today would cost approx. close to $ 100,000.00 so I needed a professional with knowledge with working w/ a metal roof that looks like slate. and wanted to do the proper assessment of damage cost etc. prior to placing a claim w/ my insurance company. As that would give me a good idea of cost repairs what would be involved as it would be a lot different than dealing w/ your normal asphalt roof where they could just go up on the roof where in this case you cannot. You would either need a lift or specialized staging set up as that come at a higher cost. in order to not compromise the integrity of the metal roof and to avoid liability, so I needed to do my do diligences in getting the right company to assess and do the job once the claim was put in. Because it was the weekend, I filled out the information online and in less than a 1/2 hour, I had a response from Brian from Safe Sweep Chimney. Extremely professional and set up an appointment on the 30th of December to come out and assess the damage. Now I had a professional I then went online and filed my claim w/ Amica who I have had for many years and are the Best of the Best when it comes to insurance companies, after filing I was notified that I was assigned a claim representee, and a claim person would be coming out on the 31st of December, so now I have done what needed to be done. Now as stated Brian showed up like he said he would at the time he had stated and was here for well over an hour did a complete assessment, cleaned the chimney and the fee was very reasonable of $ 300 as stated during our first conversation. and wrote up a report in his findings. During his time at my home Brians communication was in terms that I could understand and the process that would need to take place, and yes, a specialize staging company would need to come out and set staging w/ stairs in order to not compromise and damage to my roof but also for the safety of his employees. and the roof would have to be tarped to avoid any scratching etc. Brian also asked me if I had ever had the chimney ever cleaned, I told him no, that I had been told back when I purchased my home back in 1978 that because I didn't have a fireplace it was necessary, that may have been the case back then only to find out not to be true, to my surprise. the cleaning the chimney is one of the things Brian insist should always be done regardless this way it ensures the integrity of the bricks and shows if there are any cracks etc. that can be repaired that can avoid any future expensive cost down the road and avoid any carbon monoxide from seeping into your home. This to me is what sets Brian apart from other his willingness to take the time to educate someone like me of the dangers that could arise, as Brian put it, though it is a costly repair that it's his job to make a homeowner aways of any hazards that could arise in the future, regardless of whether I went with him or not, That was all I needed to hear, I was relieved in knowing that hiring Brian would be another one of those best asset's I would be investing in knowing the job for one would be professional, two I would never have to worry about it again at least not as long as I remain in my home. one of the best choices I could have made by doing my homework and not just hiring anyone, and the second-best thing I ever did was having one of the best insurance companies to protect me with my Home, and Auto and Liability Insurance, Amica
I could be happier w/ my decisions and I urge anyone looking for reputable insurance company, reputable Chimney expert call Brian, at Safe Sweep Chimneys as well as Amica, oh one last thing to Brian's credit, who in today's world does this. Brian made it a point to call me the next day to see how I was doing, knowing how frazzled I was and to insure me everything would be alright. but was more concerned about me as a person. Sure, made me feel a lot better. I can only say Thank you Brian, so much appreciated the time and care you took to spend w/ me the day of my crisis.
Joseph St. Jean
