Fire Place and Brickwork


Gus Allen superintendent for  A Michigan Brick Repair a masonry repair company warned the Michigan Contractor Association about the dangers of using uninsured contractors on fireplace chimney repairs

Mr Allen started by explaining that when dealing with a firplace chimney It has to have proper clearance of the roof or it will not draft properly. When a firplace chimney does not draft properly it can lead to smoke damage in your homeowners house causing thousands of dollars in damage. While your masonry contractor may have the best intentions , and be a nicest person in the world if they are uninsured you will be left footing the bill for any damages.
While damages to a customer’s home may be costly and expensive, the cost or smoke and fire damage pale in comparison to the risk of someone getting hurt. Even the most skilled chimney repair man can easily themselves seriously injured or even dead if their scaffolding fails or they make one misstep while repairing the brick on a chimney. Even the most successful contractor can find themselves broke or close to it if an un-insured masonry contractor or any subcontractor for that matter is seriously injured while working for them.
A couple great rules to follow are don't have the contractor show you his insurance , have his agent fax you his coverage, this ensures the policy is current . Also as rule I don’t let any of my contractor’s brick or otherwise get to far ahead off me on money. That is I'm not paying more than half up front and rarely pay more than a third. I have often bought the materials, or had the contractor buy them, but I pay for them at the supply house. If it's a "long job", more than a week, I will make interim payments 
Gus Allen has been in the masonry construction business for 25 years, after moving to Pontiac 17 years ago he began focusing on chimney repair and brick repair. He is a Master Mason and can build almost anything out of brick, block or stone. Since forming Michigan brick repair he now supervises the masonry restoration and brickwork projects on a regular basis. His passion or the masonry trade is surpassed only by love of his 4 children