Baltimore Chimney Sweeps & Repair Pros - Baltimore, Maryland

Frank B.

Aaron and his crew at A Step In Time Chimney Services were very courteous and professional. They came out and looked everything over thoroughly and gave a free estimate. Once I decided to have them do the work, they scheduled the time and were prompt and efficient. They did an outstanding job. He even made a follow-up call that evening to be sure everything was working fine. I highly recommend this company for your chimney and fireplace needs. They have the highest level of integrity and the price was very reasonable.

Doreen N.

I had the unfortunate experience of contracting this company to do chimney work a little over a year ago. They assured me the leak was fixed and they changed accessories on the top of the chimney. When it rains water still comes into the fireplace. I contacted them on more than one occasion about the problem and it has not been resolved. Mike is rude and the grantor of this franchise should really reevaluate this business. I would never recommend them and
as there is no possibility for zero stars I had to select 1 star. They took my $1,500 and I still have the problem.

negativzero stars I had to be concocting with 1 star. Hard to say why they are still in business. Wished I had read the reviews before engaging their services. Potential clints"beware".

buddha5137

Not sure why its reported closed, they are still operating or giving the perception that they are operating. This review is a review of the location in Baltimore owned by Michael Shipe.

I contacted this business due to a mailer coupon for a $99 chimney sweep. The receptionist says that the owner, Mike, would come out to do an inspection first to see if a cleaning is all it needed. Mike came on the day of the appointment, never went up to the chimney and proceeded to tell me the grout lines were bad, needed caulking, the caps were separating, the crown was cracked and it would be $1600-$1700 for the job. He also proceeded to tell me that it would be in my best interest to get on his schedule as he was "very busy" and asked what I was going to do. I told him I was going to call around which he did not object.

I was skeptical because I just bought the house a year ago and the previous owner gave me all the records that was done for the chimney which included 2 new caps, a new crown, new liner, new grout, etc. So I contacted the company used by the previous owners and they didn't dispute Mike's claims, but was skeptical as well.

Long story short: chimney was inspected and cleaned with everything still looking fine. Oh, and Mike told me not to use the fireplace as it was a hazard. What is this guy doing? Mike is a fraud and a hustler and has no reason getting any business from anyone.

Beware, if you want to lose money for unnecessary work, a Step In Time Chimney Baltimore is just your business. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and step as far away from this company.

Josh R.

Waited over 3 weeks for a wood stove inspection and cleaning appointment on 11/16. Rep arrived on time but was clearly in a hurry. There was no inspection performed, only a quick peek with a phone flashlight while talking to a colleague. I was advised that the $99 cleaning would need to be done at a later date. When I called back to the office to schedule they said they’d take my name and number and get back to me? I don’t know why they offer free “inspections” just to leave when they feel there is no money to be made off of a $99 sweep. I’d be happy to pay for a real inspection and cleaning

Phil K.

I had a coupon for a $99 chimney cleaning so I called to check on appointments for the Columbia MD area. Rep was polite and told me this is a 2 step process. First they come and do a chimney inspection and then schedule a cleaning on a separate visit. When I asked why they couldn't inspect and clean on the same appointment she asked when my chimney was last cleaned. I replied last year - I have this done each year - she put me on hold and when she came back said they can come tomorrow, November 1 between 11am and 1 pm. I said great and provided address and phone number.

I called the next day at 1:30 pm to ask about my appointment status. Rep said she had me listed between 1 and 3 pm. I said no it was 11 to 1. She then said the sweeps didn't want to get up early so they changed appointments. I told her no one contacted me about changing the appointment, she said someone should have called, I repeated no one called but since I was home would take the 1 to 3 appointment.

No one showed between 1 - 3 but I was home till 5 pm. No one showed by 5 and no one called. I thought maybe I'd get a call the next day, however, it's November 8 and zero contact from this company. Needless to say if they called now I would not use their service and cannot / will not recommend to friends or neighbors.

Alex H.

I give them 2 stars. One for being punctual, and one for professionalism.
-1 star for no cleaning
-1 star for no inspection
-1 star for massive up-sell attempt
I made an appointment for a $95 special for a cleaning and inspection. The person who showed up (believe he said he was the owner) looked up at my chimney while standing in the driveway and said I needed a new chase. Went inside my house, looked up the chimney with his phone flashlight and said the everything looked fine. He continued to say the chase needed to be replaced, and he didn't need to go up on the roof. I was quote $1,400 for a new stainless steel chase including labor. Even though he didn't charge me I got neither a cleaning or an inspection.

Being skeptical I made an appointment with a local company in Bel Air for $175. I never revealed that I was looking for a second opinion. They came on time, cleaned and inspected my chimney. They showed and emailed pictures they took of the chase while on the roof, and said it would need to be replaced... in a couple of years. It was starting to show signs of rust, but no leakage. And the price? $600 for a stainless steel chase, including labor.
Although the quote of $1,400 was alarming what really concerned me was giving a quote to do a job without actually inspecting the chase. As a homeowner that's a red flag, because the cost of a job can skyrocket due to 'unforeseen' problems that are discovered on the day the work is to be done.

Brad S.

We called A Step In Time to come out and provide a quote for some repair work that needed to be done to our chimney. The man who showed up (whose name I don't actually know because he never introduced himself) began by trashing the masonry work my wife and I had done ourselves on our home, then doing a high-speed lap around the foundation pointing out things that he said needed to be fixed, and didn't actually look at the chimney until we pointed out to him that that was why he was there in the first place. We explained what we wanted done (re-pointing, a liner, and hookup to our gas appliances), and he gave us an off-the cuff quote without ever actually looking in our basement, demanded we commit immediately to letting him do the work "at [his] leisure", and practically ran back to his truck when we let him know we were going to take time to think and get a couple other quotes.

In a decade of home ownership I've never actually said the words "get off my property" but this guy got me pretty close.

Franklin K.

Step in Time chimney performed a free inspection and took my problems seriously. They had no problem servicing Harford County, MD.
They cleaned and repaired my dryer vent, eliminating the bird's nest they found. I am confident the bird won't get in again.
They do so much more than chimneys. I hired them to waterproof the exposed foundation of my house.
They are fast, easy to schedule, and get the job done.