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 Westwood
Chimney inspection in Westwood typically runs $149 – $249 for a Level 1 visual check and $249 – $449 for a Level 2 camera inspection, depending on roof access and flue condition. Most Westwood homeowners schedule us because they’ve just bought a 1920s Spanish Colonial, or they’ve been burning wood for years without a second look. We know the hillside streets here well: the tight driveways off Sunset, the shared stacks in Little Holmby, the cracked crowns we find every week above Westwood Hills. You’re not getting a flatland checklist when you hire us. You’re getting an inspection from our Chimney Sweep in Westwood that actually matches the house you live in. Call (213) 652-7061 and we’ll give you a written price before we touch a ladder.
Why Ashby Chimney Los Angeles Is Westwood’s Preferred Chimney Inspection Company
We’ve been inspecting chimneys since 2002, and the Westwood calls we get tend to follow a pattern. Someone bought a hillside home with an original masonry flue. The seller’s disclosure didn’t mention the chimney. Now there’s a smell when the neighbor runs their water heater, or damp spots near the crown, or a damper that won’t seat. That’s a Westwood problem, not a generic one, and it’s the reason our technicians here are trained to look at shared stacks, seismic settling, and tight roof access before anything else. Every Ashby Chimney Los Angeles technician is background-checked and uniformed, and you’ll know who’s walking into your home before they arrive. We show the camera footage. We explain what we’re seeing in plain English. And we put the price in writing first, every time, no exceptions.
The Kingswell Guarantee backs every inspection and repair we do. If a covered repair fails within the guarantee period, we come back and correct it at no charge. That’s not a policy buried in fine print. It’s the way we’ve worked since day one: say the price, show up in the window we promised, leave the chimney cleaner than we found it, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if anything fails. The Ashby name carries ash right in it. Fitting, for the people whose job is to clean it out.
Styles & brands we work with
Fireplace Inspection in Westwood
Fireplace inspection in Westwood means checking more than the firebox where you burn your logs. Most homes here were built between the 1920s and 1950s, with original masonry chimneys that have absorbed decades of wood fires, coastal moisture, and the occasional tremor. We inspect the firebox, damper, smoke chamber, flue liner (the clay or steel tube that vents combustion gases out of your home), chimney crown, and flashing at the roofline. On attached hillside properties, we also check what’s venting into the stack from the other side of the party wall.
Level 1 Inspection for Active Fireplaces
A Level 1 inspection covers what you can see from the hearth and a basic look at the flue from above. It suits a fireplace you use regularly and haven’t changed. In Westwood, most Level 1 inspections cost $149 – $249. If we spot anything questionable, we’ll tell you honestly whether it can wait or needs a camera look.
When a Westwood Home Needs a Level 2 Camera Inspection
If you’ve just bought the house, changed fuel type, had a chimney fire, or share a stack with an attached neighbor, you need a Level 2. That’s a camera run through the full flue, top to bottom. In Westwood’s dense hillside blocks, this is where we catch the cross-contamination issues and hidden liner cracks that a Level 1 visual will miss. Level 2 runs $249 – $449 here.
Chimney Inspection Services in Westwood
Chimney inspection services in Westwood go beyond a visual once-over. We offer Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 inspections, plus real estate inspections for buyers and sellers who need documentation before closing. A camera inspection is standard for any Level 2 call, and we’ll walk you through the footage frame by frame. Nothing gets recommended without evidence you can see for yourself. Our Chimney Inspection team carries professional-grade equipment and documents everything with a written report.
Real Estate Inspection for Westwood Buyers
Buying a 1920s Spanish Colonial in Westwood? Your home inspector’s chimney section is usually three sentences long and ends with “recommend further evaluation by a qualified chimney professional.” That’s us. A real estate inspection with camera documentation gives you leverage in the negotiation and a clear picture of what the flue actually needs. Most real estate inspections here run $299 – $449.
Flue Inspection for Shared Stacks
Westwood’s attached hillside homes often share a chimney stack with the unit next door or have flues running inches from a neighbor’s wall. A flue inspection here has to account for what’s venting from the other side. We check for cross-contamination, backdrafting, and a neighbor’s unlined flue bleeding exhaust into your firebox. That’s not a risk in the flat, detached lots of Century City, but in Little Holmby and Westwood Hills it’s a regular finding.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Westwood
When a Westwood repair requires new components, we install materials from established chimney-trade suppliers like Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. Not whatever happened to be in the van. A HeatShield flue liner or a top-sealing damper from Famco is a long-term fix for the exact problems we see in 1920s masonry chimneys here. Because we source from these suppliers directly and schedule Westwood work in tight local windows, parts arrive fast and the job doesn’t drag on for weeks. Your repair is covered in writing, and if it fails inside the guarantee period, we return at no charge under the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Chimney Inspection Problems We See in Westwood Homes
- Cracked clay flue liners from decades of wood fires. Original 1920s and 1930s masonry chimneys in Westwood often have clay liners that have spalled (cracked and flaked) from heat and moisture. Hot gases can then reach wall cavities between attached units, which is a fire hazard only a real camera inspection catches.
- Shared stack cross-contamination between attached hillside homes. A neighbor’s water heater or furnace venting into a shared masonry stack can push exhaust back through your fireplace. We’ve documented this repeatedly in Little Holmby and Westwood Hills.
- Cracked crowns and spalling brick from seismic settling. Hillside properties shift over time. The chimney crown is often the first thing to crack, letting water in behind the brick. Santa Ana rain and wind accelerates the damage.
- Hidden water entry through flashing on tight roof access. Tight Westwood streets sometimes leave no roof access on one side, so some crews skip checking the crown and flashing entirely. That’s exactly where leaks form and go unnoticed until the ceiling stains.
Pricing for Chimney Inspection in Westwood, CA
A Level 1 chimney inspection in Westwood runs $149 – $249. Add camera work and the range moves to $249 – $449. Real estate inspections with full documentation land between $299 – $449. What affects the price most is roof access: a steep slope above Westwood Hills or a street with no ladder room on one side adds labor. Chimney height and shared-stack complexity matter too. We’ll quote a written price before any work starts, so the number you approve at the door matches the invoice. Call (213) 652-7061 for a free estimate and we’ll give you real numbers, not a vague range with a surprise ending.
We Also Serve Cities Near Westwood
Ashby Chimney Los Angeles handles chimney inspections across Chimney Inspection in Westwood and the surrounding communities, including Brentwood, Sun Valley, Sherman Oaks, and North Hollywood. If you’re near the Westwood border and wondering if we cover your street, call us. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Los Angeles office, and crews serve Westwood locally.
Serving Westwood, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Westwood 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 Westwood
The most common signs are a persistent smoky smell in your firebox when you haven’t burned anything, soot appearing on your hearth without a fire, or a water heater exhaust odor near the mantel. Westwood’s attached hillside homes from the 1920s – 1950s frequently share masonry stacks, and a Level 2 camera inspection is the only way to see what’s happening inside the flue. We’ve found neighbor water heaters venting into a client’s stack more times than we can count. Call (213) 652-7061 if you suspect this and we’ll document it clearly for both property owners.
Hillside homes here sit on ground that shifts, so chimneys develop cracked crowns, spalled brick, and shifted flashing that flatland properties rarely see. Dense attached construction also means shared stacks and cross-contamination risk. The flat, detached lots of Century City don’t have that problem, but Little Holmby, Westwood Hills, and the canyon streets absolutely do. A technician who doesn’t know the difference will miss what a Westwood chimney is trying to tell you.
Probably not, if it’s the first inspection in many years. A Level 1 is a visual check from the hearth and the roof. But a 1930s flue in Westwood that’s burned wood every winter for 80 years likely has liner cracks, moisture damage, or creosote gumming the smoke chamber. A Level 2 camera inspection is the responsible choice for a first visit to an older fireplace. We’ll tell you plainly if a Level 1 will suffice, and we’ll never upsell you into a camera run you don’t need.
Westwood’s mild, wet winters mean fireplaces get used sporadically: a fire on a rainy night, then weeks of no burn. That pattern creates layered creosote, because the flue never gets hot enough for long enough to burn off residue between uses. The result is a sticky, flaky first-degree creosote that builds faster than usual and needs mechanical brushing, not just a chemical log. Our inspection identifies the creosote stage and tells you whether it’s safe to burn before cleaning.
Some Westwood streets are narrow enough that roof access only exists on one side, and a steep hillside adds real height. That means a tech without the right ladder setup might skip the crown and flashing, which are the first places to fail on these older homes. We schedule Westwood inspections with the right equipment and the time to access every part of the chimney. If we can’t safely reach something, we’ll tell you and document why.
If you own a fireplace in Westwood and haven’t had the flue looked at in years, or you’re closing on a home here and need a real estate inspection, call (213) 652-7061. A live person answers, 24/7. We’ll give you a written price, show up when we say we will, and document everything on camera so you know exactly what your chimney needs. That’s Chimney Inspection done the Kingswell Way.
Written by Nathan Corliss, Owner at Ashby Chimney Los Angeles, providing chimney inspection, sweep, and fireplace repair services since 2002.