I recently had my crown and a half chimney rebuilt by Winstons Chimney Service. The team I worked with was Ivan, Ever and Ernesto. They were a great team. I found them to be efficient and skilled. They did a great job matching the new bricks to the original ones. I worked more closely with Ivan. He was great about calling me every morning and giving me their estimated arrival time. He also was great about making sure I was happy with the work. He took time to explain what they were doing. He showed me how to work the chimney damper and everything. Lastly, the guys not only did a great job but the work was immaculate. They did not leave a single item or brick remnant behind. Everything was precisely cleaned and swept. I was impressed. Overall, I had a great experience and I would recommend this team and company for anyone. read more

They are the best! I have called a few other chimney service companies and I have seen what they did. They broke everything apart, and still didn't fix my chimney. This company showed up on time with plenty of equipment needed to actually help fix the problem and not just talk about it. I first got in touch with them when I went to work in a new building and discovered smoke coming through my attic. After explaining the situation to the owner of the building, he recommended that we get in touch with Winston's. They took care of us very quickly and efficiently. Winston's Chimney Service crew members came out to take a look and gave me a thorough inspection of the chimney and cleaned everything up so I can be worry free. THANK YOU, WINSTON'S CHIMNEY SERVICE! read more

They rock and did a great job at identifying the issues within my chimney and then making appropriate repairs using HeatShield. Ryan and Adonay were both incredibly professional and outstanding to work with. They are my chimney service provider going forward if I have any issues. Thanks again for the assistance and a remarkably easy repair. read more

The fireplaces are lovely, I recommend Winston's Chimney Service for all my friends who need any chimney repair or installation service. They are professional and very helpful. Winston's Chimney Service is the best company to call for fireplaces. Their technicians and their service are exceptional. read more

Thanks for taking the time to review my rating. Your response is certainly in keeping with all your others to those who were childish enough to provide you less than favorable ratings. Good luck to you as well. read more

Winstons did an excellent job on our chimney repairs. They set an appt time for our cleaning and inspection quickly. We found the office personnel to be quite helpful. Brian came to our home and he did a very thorough inspection. Excellent really. Brian took a lot of time to explain all the work and to show us using his camera all the issues inside our chimney. The exterior work needed was shown through pictures. Brian gave us a very detailed estimate for the work. He communicated well and did a terrific job explaining all the issues in the estimate. However we felt the initial price was much too high. He was willing to negotiate a bit but we still thought their price was high. We arranged for other bids which were lower. But Winston's excellent inspection and attention to detail as well as experience and good ratings gave us confidence that they would do the best job. So we had an additional discussion and agreed on a price that while better then their estimate was still higher then other vendors. We had a lot of repairs required as we have 2 chimneys and 2 HVAC systems. New Liners, mortar repairs both externally and inside the chimneys, moss reduction , waterproofing, etc. Winstons crew was very well organized and worked efficiently. They did a very good job. After the work was completed, Brian came and reviewed all the work that had been done. He had a lot of pictures and could show us the before and after pictures. We felt they did a high quality job. Altho they are expensive they were worth it as we feel confident using our fireplace, and our HVAC systems are more efficient then pre-work. The reason I give them 4 stars rather then 5 is first, their pricing, which I still think is high. Secondly, they were initially reluctant to send Brian to do a final review of the work so we could see that everything detailed in the proposal was in fact completed. We did not understand this reluctance and felt it should have been a standard practice for Winstons when they do major work like we had them perform. But in the end Brian came we were very pleased with his final review and are happy we decided to use Winstons for this work. We highly recommend them and we plan to use them for our annual cleanings. read more

Lenny and Darryl replaced my chimney liner and repointed the portion of the chimney above the roofline. They clearly explained what they would be doing and why. They also communicated effectively, including e-mailing me to confirm the appointment and calling me while en route. They were professional, cleaned up the job site thoroughly and offered a highly competitive price. While I hope this will be the last chimney repair I'll be doing for a while, I'd happily use Winston's again. read more

Great company and very professional. We had some questions about our chimney and adding a gas fireplace. They came out, inspected our chimney for free and provided options on how to install a gas fireplace in our home. They were very polite and professional and look forward to working with again if we need it! read more

They fixed my chimney issue where i had water seeping in through the brick. Very prompt and professional.

Three stars for prompt service and friendly technicians. I was glad to have gotten a second opinion and would recommend that for any service you're looking for. The second and third opinions were the same and 1/10th the cost ($1500 vs $12,000). The itemized proposal was very helpful when comparing "apples to apples" as I searched around for other companies after the initial sticker shock. May call Winston's for cleaning as their prices were comparable to others. read more

I learned a valuable lesson today - carefully review the actual certifications of the contractor before hiring them for inspection or repair. In Dec 2010, I contacted A Step in Time Chimney Sweeps for a chimney cleaning and inspection of my recently purchased 1938 cape cod with a wood stove. They recommended that a replacement stainless steel liner be installed in place of the clay liner - but that was it. On the positive side, they said the chimney was clean. Seeking another quote for liner installation, I called Winston's. Chuck Hall (the company's President - Natl Fireplace Institute and F.I.R.E certified inspector) advised me that the chimney was actually blocked, and there was no liner at all(clay or otherwise) just the brick in the part he could see from the top, plus there had been a chimney fire at some time in the past. Any use of the wood stove would have been dangerous. He further advised me of the very high costs required if we were to try to bring the system up to code, and the implications of failing to do the work properly to code (no permit, and insurance implications). Remember, he was doing this for free - this was a quote. He said he wouldn't do the work unless it could be done to code. I volunteered to pay him an inspection fee. Fortunately, we never used the wood stove in that period, so came to no harm. After looking at A Step in Time's website - I realized that they had no such certifications. They should not have presented themselves as qualified to inspect my system. read more

I called whinston after I had another company come out and tell me I had a crack in my flu.... Lenny and Darrell came out on time did the inspection with their camera and showed me there were no significant problems. Great guys! Very honest company, I would highly recommend them! Thanks Lenny and Darrell! read more

I am very happy with Winston's Chimney, and the services of Ryan. I highly recommend this company and would surely use them again.

Our 9 year old gas fireplace was having problems with the blower.....Called half a dozen fireplace services before finally got reply from Winston's....while making appointment, they quoted minimum assessment fee which was VERY high, plus fee for actual work.....was desperate, as no other company responded..... ...worker, Todd, seemed to know what he was doing, and did fix/replace the broken blower...... ....but the day after service, there was a strong odor of gas in the house, so called them back, and they did return......said there were leaks, and put more sealant around them....made up some kinda story that our house was so well sealed that air & gas were actually being sucked back into our house.....and if the leak was not fixed, then we'd have to get a entire new fireplace.....then proceeded to show us fireplace replacements he'd done and gave us sales brochures......... ...the leak persisted....we went with another service/company who fixed it correctly the first time for less Would not recommend.....at all read more

Winston's Chimney did a fantastic job for my buyer clients! They are purchasing an older home in Arlington and the home inspector suggested a level 2 inspection by Winston's. This is the busiest time of year for the company, but they were able to get me an appointment very quickly. They also took the time to explain what could be wrong with the chimney flue so that we could work with the seller to come to a solution that worked for both parties. Dejuan was Great! He allowed both agents to video tape the inspection and explained very simply and thoroughly what the issue was. He made sure that all of our questions were answered and then he recommended a solution that worked best for the current condition of the flues. It wasn't the most expensive solution, but it was the best one for the situation. I've used Winston's before and will continue to use their services in the future. read more

Jeff came out to do an inspection and cleaning with his crew. Needed additional work done. Called back for an appointment and Jenny set up an appointment to get additional work done. Jenny was most helpful in explaining work to be done and cost verification. She was pleasant and very helpful. Adonay and Oslim came out to do the necessary work. Adonay explained the work to be done and laid out pads to cover carpeting in our rec room. They worked straight thru with no breaks until every thing was completed and cleaned up nicely. They were very polite and careful. I received my work invoice and called Jenny back and processed my payment. My experience was great with all the staff I dealt with and would recommend them for your chimney needs . Bob Brumit read more

Fernando was on time, professional and courteous. He and his partner did a great job. Will call and use again.

Experience was fantastic! Received several appointment reminders and a call about 15 mins before they arrived (on time, during window). Steve and Ali arrived with masks and shoe covers and got to work quickly. They diagnosed problem which was a bad wire causing the gas fireplace to not start and quickly fixed it! Both were knowledgeable and patient with my questions. They tested the unit before they left to make sure everything was working and even gave me some pointers on different features. Thanks for the great service, will definitely use Winston's for any future fireplace needs! read more

I never post reviews, but Todd and Daniel deserved one for the exceptional service provided recently on two gas fireplaces and two unrelated issues that Todd (Master Gas Fitter) discovered during the visit and promptly repaired. We have used 3 other services before, but none, and I mean NONE, have come close to the expertise, timeliness, efficiency and exceptional customer service that we experienced with Todd and Daniel of Winston's Chimney Service. I can't speak to chimney work, but I most heartily recommend them for any gas-related appliance. read more

These guys insisted the only way they could get me a quote for a wood burning insert was to re-inspect and re-sweep my chimney. At a cost of $400 and after I just had those two things done a month ago. What a scam! read more

They arrived a little late, but that was no big deal. They called when they were about 30 mins out which gave me plenty of time to get home. They did an excellent job cleaning and inspecting our fireplace and provided photos of the damage that needed to be repaired. We had two other quotes that gave us similar information, but without photos and a full explanation. The cost of the cleaning and inspection service was comparable to other local companies, but in my opinion you receive more for your money. Will update this post after they complete the repairs. read more

Brian called 30 minutes before his arrival to let me know he was on his way. He and Al did an inspection of my chimney with a camera and explained patiently everything they were seeing. I am bummed that we will need major work, but am thankful that I am more informed about the extent of the necessary work thanks to Brian and Al answering my many questions. Overall, both Brian and Al were friendly, knowledgeable and thorough. I look forward to getting a fair proposal and hopefully I can hire them to do the work because Brian and Al were positive representatives for the company. read more

Professional team lead by Kevin Martinez, who was detailed and meticulous in his work of inspecting and cleaning the chimney.

Fernando did a great job with replacing the back and side panels of my chimney. He arrived during the scheduled time and was very careful not to leave a mess behind. read more

They did a fantastic job! They arrived early (called before to see if I was available). They were personable, professional, and thorough. I would highly recommend their service. read more

Winstons chimney was here today on time and as usual professional helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you Jeff and Sam for your help! As a realtor I recommend these guys to my clients all the time and they never fail my clients. read more

Winston's Chimney Service - @Winstonschimney was here today on time and professional as usual! Thank you Jeff and Sam for your help! #restonrealtor - Chimney Sweeps Near Me - Manassas, Virginia

I'm a General Contractor and referrals are an extension of my reputation. This is the feedback from my customer now theirs: Dear Joe, We want you to know how pleased we were with the services of your recommended Winston's Chimney team. They came today and did repair/replacement on our chimney in spite of the windy cold. What a team! Lenny and Darrell have worked together for 11 years. Their aim is to be sure their customers are satisfied. Please pass along to your Winston's Chimney Service colleagues our 10-star satisfaction with their company and its services. Best, read more

I needed my chimney swept and a couple of young guys came from Winston's and told me I needed a $9000 rebuild. I had to hire someone else to come and do the sweep. The guys seemed earnest enough and I should have insisted they stay and do the sweep, that's why I gave two stars. Live and learn! read more

I stand by my review. My wife and I are both scientists and the facts do not support the owner's explanation of root cause. Nice try though! The problem has been resolved, and the diagnosis was 100% verifiably wrong. read more

Rob and Brandon (and the desk staff!) were great in scheduling and coming out and getting the work done efficiently and with professionalism. Thank you. I will use their services again. read more

During the summer of 2017 I obtained quotes from three contractors for pointing up my brick chimney. Motion during windstorms caused mortar to break and fall out of the joints. Also, the "cap" suffered loss and needed replacement. I did not make a quick decision, which turned out beneficial. Winston's technician was the only firm to climb on the roof, make a close inspection, and take photos. Ryan Hall called me one week later with concerns and wanted to look at the chimney again. Upon inspection, he said he would not do the mortar replacement alone, termed repointing, as this would not solve the problem. My chimney is 30 to 31 feet above the house foundation. Production home builders build the chimney free standing and tie it to the house only cosmetically, with a trim piece that connects vinyl siding to the chimney. With short chimneys, that may be OK, but high windspeeds in storms will cause a 30 ft chimney to sway, grinding away at the mortar. Instead of pointing up 14 courses of brick, Ryan recommended a total rebuild of 45 courses. The price doubled. I accepted. Winston's re-used some bricks, I had some spares, and Winston's purchased the rest, for a reasonably close match to the colonial red brick with multiple colors. Is it possible to exactly match bricks manufactured in 1986? I do not know, I did not call the brick companies. After removing the courses, during rebuild, the mason installed 20 "strap" type ties to connect the chimney to the walls of the house. Now it will not sway in the wind and has a great chance to last many years. Winston's technical approach to the project, or I should say including technical elements to their approach, was critical to truly curing the deficiency, instead of just putting a band aid over the problem as the other two bidders would have done. Just top notch, unquestionable long term prospects for the cure provided. Now the negative. My house was built 31 years ago with mortar made with a vivid orange-brown sand and standard gray masonry portland cement. The mortar has faded, but still has distinct color. I asked Winston's if they would match the color and they said "we will do the best we can." Which means they will use a standard sand and if the color is close, good, not close, that is good, too. I saw the sand used; it was gray. They took no action to match the color. And it does not match. I have some pointing up work remaining on the front brick facade and I found and bought the correct color sand at Merrifield Gardens. I bought a five gallon bucket of it for $10, an exorbitant price for 60 lb of sand. Why was Winston's reluctant to shop for sand? Sand is really cheap, a special buy of 250 lb of sand, whatever it might cost, on a $6k job is trivial. Winston's has the focus and competencies to solve serious masonry deficiencies. Whenever they decide to do color matching, I am certain they can be fully successful. read more

I've been with Winston's for over a decade and continue to be amazed at the high-quality service they provide. Today, my team was Lenny and Darrell who have worked as a team for over 14 years. The professionalism and courtesy exhibited by these guys was amazing. They inspected all aspects of the fireplace the piping the chimney and the flue. They explained what they found every step of the way and provided photographs for my records of the condition of the entire system. Winston's is neat, knowledgeable, and probably the friendliest service provider I have ever encountered. I cannot say enough good things about this company. The best. read more

In September 2010, we contracted Winston's Chimney to do the following work: (1) Groundout and repoint mortar joints on chimney. (2) Apply Premier Mortar Preserve (PMP) to entire crown - 15 year warranty. (3) Raise upstairs flue ~8" and install new stainless 13x13 stainless steel cap. (4) Install 13x13 lock top II on downstairs flue. (5) Applied chimney saver water repellent on entire chimney. Total cost: $3345. A few days ago on Sept. 8, 2011, during the major rainstorm, our chimney started leaking causing major damage to the interior walls and ceiling. There was so much water leaking the drywall around the chimney and parts of the ceiling has come apart. I called Winstons to have them come out to take a look and was told that the next available appointment isn't until Oct. 13. I told the receptionist this was not acceptable considering the extensive water damage to my home. Richard, the manager, got on the phone and said there was no way someone could examine the chimney earlier. With the earthquake and hurricane the company was booked. When asked how I could possibly wait a month to be seen he was rude and unhelpful. He basically told me to take Oct. 13 or leave it. In my experience, there are few reliable chimney repair companies out there. I thought I did my research when selecting Winstons to do the repair work last fall. At the time, they received good ratings on Angies List and was even referenced in the Washingtonian. But how do you REALLY know a chimney company did a good job? I would never recommend Winstons to anyone based on their poor work. The fact that they will not examine our chimney until ONE MONTH later is infuriating. After speaking to them on Sept. 8, I went back on Angies List to check them out. Not surprisingly, there are some "D" grades since last year. read more

We have been customers of Winston's for 20 years. No longer. Please read this review in its entirety to find out why. Winston's had done a fine job of cleaning our chimney over 20 years, and on that basis would have earned a 5-star rating. Our 2 stars in this rating are in recognition of this 20 years of fine service. But read on. In 2014, Winston's added a camera apparatus to its chimney inspection program. The resulting photo revealed a supposed "defect" in our chimney said to warrant a $9,000 (!) repair. In all fairness, the Winston's employee who inspected our chimney added verbally that the "defect" might be minor and that the chimney might operate perfectly, which was to that employee's credit. His written report, however, mentioned only the "defect" and the need for a $9,000 repair. After the inspection, we called Winston's to ask for a more cost effective repair option. A very nice employee (again, to Winston's credit) scheduled a second inspection to view the chimney and suggest a more cost effective fix. Winston's never showed up for the second appointment. When we called to inquire about it, we were told by a manager that we could be "reassured" about the inspection results, and the fix would be $9,000. No, no other repair options would be possible. It was $9,000 or nothing. And the employee who scheduled the follow-up visit had been wrong to do so. As of November 2014, we have begun to use the chimney for winter 2014-2015. The chimney functions *perfectly*. There is no smoke residue in the house and our carbon dioxide alarms are silent. Our chimney's performance is A-1. *The upshot: Winston's tried to sell us a $9,000 chimney repair when none was needed. The company refused to re-inspect its results or to propose a more cost-effective repair option. After 20 years, Winston's is losing us as a customer.* **If Winston's tries to sell you a costly chimney repair, test your fireplace first and DON'T take their word for it.** If this review had been on the basis of our 2014 experience, our rating would be 1 star. We are adding a star for previous fine performance. Note to Winston's: We have no problem with your adding a camera aspect to your chimney inspections. We do have a problem with your pushing a $9,000 repair when none is needed. A better way to use the camera results would be to inform the homeowner that a *potential* problem existed and that Winston's should be contacted if any problems were observed (smoke odor in the house after using chimney, carbon alarms sounding, etc.) As it is, you have lost a long-term, reliable customer. As well, your employees were responsive and honest in dealing with us, but your manager was not. We suggest that you reassess. read more

Great work by a meticulous, well organized team. They were on time, accomplished all the task as written, and cleaned up a dusty mess. Elmer was the team lead, and he was easy to work with and very accommodating. I had a liner and a rebuild (from the roofline up), and both efforts were harder than anticipated but accomplished within the estimate price. No problem recommending them and their work! read more

Update: sent the company an email asking them not to deposit my check and providing the same information I provided here. Unsurprisingly, they deposited it the same day they got my email. Do not use this company. read more

I'll try to keep this short. I chose this company based on their online reviews. However, after my experience I can only surmise that these reviews, as well as the fact that this company shows up in the Fairfax County Contractors "Best Of", are a product of fabricated reviews. I essentially paid these people $250 to vacuum the ashes out of a recently used fireplace. Backstory: Recently moved into an older house and wanted to ensure that the chimney was structurally safe for use so I requested a chimney inspection, as well as sweep if necessary. Dejuan and his partner arrived at appx 1100am. It took roughly 2 minutes from when they knocked on the door until I let them in as I was outside and didn't hear the door. It took another 5 minutes for me to give them details, show them the 2 fireplaces and tell them I would be outside if they needed me. I was told that I was "All Set", handed a bill for a "Chimney Sweep" @ $250 and provided little detail about work done that I didn't have to wrestle out of them prior to their walking out my front door prior to 1130am. The times are important here as Kenny from Winston's would later tell me that he saw their van turning off at 11am arriving my house and back on at 1131am when leaving. I was told by Kenny that 30 minutes (which was actually closer to 20, given wait time, discussing work to be done, making another trip to van, then doing whatever before my being "all set" and returning to their van) was a perfectly normal time to inspect two, sixty year old chimney/flue/fireplaces and sweep one of them. To that I say BS. Per their website, Winston's uses digital cameras and video recorders to inspect the in/exterior of all client chimneys. Are you honestly telling me that 25 minutes at best is enough time to inspect two chimneys/flues, make a decision on whether a sweep is necessary and then to perform that sweep and clean up afterwards...all without ever getting on the roof? Oh yeah, because I was outside the whole time they were inside and no one set foot on my roof. I asked about this after being informed of my "all set" status and was told they did get in my roof, "when they first got here", which is absolutely untrue, as, 1). I was outside within eye/ear shot of the roof the entire time, and 2). I have bird screen/caps on the chimney that are beat up and need replaced. These were not disturbed (they would have to be moved for a top-down inspection) and I was not advised of their need to be replaced, something that should have been done during a quality inspection. The bottom line is that Winstons handed me a $250 bill for someone to vacuum the ashes from recent fires out of my fireplace. No sort of structural or safety inspection took place. What happens when I, or someone else Winstons has shorted on a real chimney inspection has a fire in their fireplace and burns their house down due to a crack or defect that should have been detected during inspection? Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen. ***UPDATE*** I discussed my concerns with Kenny at Winstons. Naturally, he fought and claimed that everything was done properly above-board. However, when I asked for visual proof that my chimney was inspected (Website claims they use video and still cameras to inspect) I received nothing and was ultimately told I didn't need to pay the invoice. Keep in mind I was never given any actual details on the condition of my 60 year old chimney, just that I was "all set". These guys are crooks. If not the entire company, then just DeJuan and the other guy that showed up at my house. Like most chimney companies, they rely on the fact that their client is ignorant or unwilling to get dirty, thus they can tell and charge you whatever they like. If you have no concern for your family's safety and want to pay $250 for someone to vacuum the ashes out of your fireplace, give Winstons a call! read more

Winston's is an excellent company, with very knowledgeable people. Chris and Daniel did an amazing job repairing and lining our two wood-burning fireplace chimneys. I highly recommend this company. Anne F. read more

Winston's Chimney Service. There is no WIN in Winston's Chimney service. You will LOSE!!! Sure they MAY have garnered those impressive 5 star ratings from people who have amazed 2-5 ratings, and one of them happens to be a chimney service? That's pretty believable. Winston's Chimney Service is a losing service. They were tasked with servicing us. But they FAILED. The inspection from Montgomery County FAILED them. You would think that if your business is chimney, you would know how to pass inspection. A SIMPLE step was NOT done properly! The best part is trying to get Winston's Chimney Service to come back to fix it. It is a NO-WINston situation. Three attempts at arranging for a "window of 4 hours" for the highly talented failures to come fix the problem that they should have done properly the first time. The only thing they are good at is making excuses: 1....wrong week 2....wrong time 3....and wrong phone number When they did show up, the technicians were eating during their time working. That's impressive. I don't mind you eating if you could get the job done...the FIRST time. Winston Chimney Service is your no-Win service. You would have better luck calling for Santa Clause to fix your chimney than having Winston Chimney Service. Ho ho ho. read more

I used this firm several years ago to fix a broken chimney cap and to have a cover installed to keep birds out. They were just great. This time I have a musty smelling fireplace which is very recent. The house is 40 years old. The technician came by and looked at it for a few mins then immediately started the sales pitch for a gas fireplace insert. There was little interest in getting to the root cause of the moisture and some simpler solutions I asked about were dismissed. Then back to the sales pitch. The the technician stated that the cover was part of the problem and started denying that they installed it and they would never have put one on my fireplace. Funny, these folks are the only ones ever to work on my chimney. Hmmmmm. I am giving 2 stars cause maybe the tech knows what he is talking about, but the hard sell on the insert was a real turn off along with the story about not putting the cap on. Not sure if there has been a change in management since my last service with these folks or not, but I was very disappointed with this service compared to last time. read more