Should I get a fireplace and chimney safety inspection before buying an older home?
Yes — and in Swannanoa the storm makes it essential. Homes here took real damage, and the valley is full of both older Grovemont masonry that rode it out and new rebuilds going up in its place. Whichever you're buying, have the flue scoped and any gas line tested before closing; storm-stressed chimneys don't always show it from the yard.
Damage a camera sees and the driveway doesn't
A chimney can take a hit — a shifted cap, a cracked crown, a flue tile knocked out of line — and still look sound from the ground. In a valley that's been through serious storm damage, that's the risk hiding in older Grovemont and Bee Tree homes. A general home inspection is a visual check from the hearth and roofline; it can't see the flue. We run a camera the length of it and document what the storm and the years left behind, so it's a known quantity before you close, not a first-winter emergency.
New rebuilds need the same scrutiny
The rebuilds and renovations going up around Swannanoa often include fresh fireplaces and stoves — and new doesn't automatically mean verified. Vent terminations, clearances, and gas connections still need a licensed set of eyes. We check the venting and, as a licensed gas contractor in a natural-gas town, pressure-test the line and pull the permit with Buncombe County. Permitted work is what protects the sale and the homeowner's insurance down the road.
Fifteen minutes east
Swannanoa is a quick 15 minutes east of our Asheville showroom, so we can get out inside your due-diligence window while a chimney finding is still a seller's repair credit. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.