What is a Level 2 chimney inspection and do I need one when buying a house?
In Arden, a Level 2 inspection is what a buyer orders before closing on the area's 1980s-90s homes with tired, drafty open masonry fireplaces — it puts a camera down the full flue and checks the accessible attic, crawlspace, and roof, well past a home inspector's glance. The national standard calls for Level 2 at a sale, and these aging open hearths give the camera plenty to read.
Tired open fireplaces
Royal Pines, Skyland, and the surrounding '80s-'90s neighborhoods are full of open masonry fireplaces that pull heat straight out of the room — decades in, many have flue liners that are cracked, spalled, or worn. From the firebox you can't tell a sound chimney from a failing one. A Level 2 camera pass grades the full flue, so you know before closing whether you're buying a chimney that's ready to use or one that needs work.
What a scan reveals before an insert
Most buyers of these homes eventually want a sealed insert to turn a drafty open firebox into a real, efficient heater. That project depends entirely on the flue's condition and size — which is exactly what a Level 2 documents. Learn it during your inspection window and you can plan the upgrade, and negotiate any needed reline, before you own the house rather than after.
Fifteen minutes south
Arden is 15 minutes south of our Asheville showroom at 629 Emma Rd, where you can see the sealed inserts these open fireboxes are built to take. If the report calls for a liner or gas line, we pull the Buncombe County permit and meet the inspector as a licensed gas contractor. Schedule the Level 2 inside your due-diligence window and call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Arden
We install and service fireplaces throughout Arden and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Does a standard home inspection cover the fireplace and chimney?
- I'm buying a house with a fireplace — what should I have inspected?
- Does my chimney need to be inspected or cleaned before a conversion or insert installation?
- Is it safe to use the fireplace in a house I just bought before having it serviced?
- Will my homeowner's insurance have issues with an existing wood stove in a house I'm buying?