A day in the life · Chimney
We followed a chimney shop owner for one full day. Every moment a tool got used. Every moment a tool was missing. Here's what we're building, in the order it happens.
08:20
ACT 01
Real estate attorney needs an NFPA 211 Level 2 inspection before closing on Friday. Tech runs the camera up a 30-year-old terra cotta flue, finds a 14-inch liner crack at the smoke chamber, and generates the written report before leaving the driveway.
11:00
ACT 02
Third-degree creosote — the kind that looks like tar — on a wood-burning insert flue. Tech applies chemical treatment, returns for the sweep, and documents the before-and-after with photos. Homeowner gets a PDF with the CSIA sweep record attached.
14:15
ACT 03
Gas insert retrofit needs a 5-inch stainless flex liner from firebox to cap — 22 feet of material, two techs on the roof. Tech logs material, labor, and the AHRI sizing reference before the truck moves.
17:40
ACT 04
October is six weeks out. Owner reviews open estimates from the day's inspections, flags the three that need liner work before heating season, and queues callbacks for the morning. The repair list writes itself from today's inspection reports.
A Level 2 inspection isn't a formality — it's a legal document that moves real estate. Techs need a report format that holds up in court and gets delivered the same afternoon.
Third-degree glazed creosote is a fire waiting for a date. The moment a tech documents it, the clock starts on the homeowner's decision. Your software needs to make that handoff clean.
Every chimney job has a roof component. That changes insurance requirements, crew composition, and how long jobs actually take versus how long they were quoted.
Sixty percent of revenue arrives in a ten-week window. The shops that survive the slow season are the ones that scheduled their fall work in June.
After the day ends
Browse the products that show up across this day, or talk to a chimney specialist who has run a shop like yours.
