How the drive from Moorpark changes the visit
Each town wears a chimney differently, and we tell you which of these applies to yours once we have looked.
our home town, between the 118 and the 23
Moorpark
Moorpark is where we live, so these are the chimneys we know best. A Moorpark house can have a masonry stack or a factory-built fireplace, and the two need different checks. On a factory-built unit we read the label plate, look at the chase top and the cap, and tell you whether the parts match what the maker listed.
the valley just east of us on the 118
Simi Valley
Simi Valley is a short drive east on the 118. The 1994 Northridge earthquake shook this valley, so on an older brick stack we run the camera the full length of the flue and show you each tile joint. If one has opened up, you see it on the screen before we say a word about repair.
south of us over the hill on the 23
Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks is the next town south on the 23. Homes there sit in HOA neighborhoods, where exterior chimney work can need association approval. We photograph the cap, crown and chase cover so you have pictures to show the board before anything changes on the outside.
west of us across the Santa Rosa Valley
Camarillo
Camarillo is a straight run west from Moorpark through Somis or the Santa Rosa Valley. Onshore wind reaches the city from the coast, and caps and crowns take it first. We show you the crown surface on the camera, point out any crack, and explain whether it needs a sealant now or can wait a season.
up the 126 in the Santa Clara River Valley
Fillmore
Fillmore is a drive north over Grimes Canyon or around on the 126. Some Fillmore homes still burn wood in winter, and the older brick stacks in town were built before stainless liners. We look for cracked or missing clay tiles and show you each one on the camera screen, then explain the repair options in order of what matters first.
farther down the 126, between Fillmore and Ventura
Santa Paula
Santa Paula's downtown and the streets around it hold some of the oldest houses in the county, with original brick chimneys. We go slowly on these. The camera shows the mortar between each course, and we explain which joints are worn and which only look rough from the ground.
Santa Monicas' inland side, strung along the Ventura Freeway
Agoura Hills
Roughly half the houses here are from before 1980, and the newer half often vents through a metal flue inside a framed chase. Whichever you have, the camera goes up and you look at each joint with us.
Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley, with Spanish-named streets
Alhambra
A third of the homes on streets like Granada and Cordova went up before 1950. Old brick earns a slow camera pass, and we stop at every open joint so you can judge it for yourself.
foothill city below the San Gabriel Mountains, with a Metro stop downtown
Arcadia
Big new houses keep replacing the original ranches, so one street can hold a brick stack beside a factory-built metal flue. Each wears out differently, and the camera settles which one you are dealing with.
Little India and tract streets in about 1.6 square miles
Artesia
Dairy land filled in fast with tract homes. Put gas logs in an old brick chimney and the flue still deserves a look, because gas exhaust is damp and hard on mortar. Our screen shows you how yours is holding up.
Santa Catalina Island's one incorporated town, on Crescent Avenue
Avalon
More than half of the island town's homes date from before 1950, older than stainless liners. Only about a third of them stand alone, so we show you what the camera picks up and rank any repairs by what matters.
mouth of San Gabriel Canyon, with Route 66 on Foothill Boulevard
Azusa
Bungalows near Citrus Avenue come from the town's earliest decades, while the ranch tracts arrived after World War II. Those two chimneys age differently. After the sweep, you get a look inside your own flue and a plain account of it.
citrus and walnut groves once, now suburb beside Big Dalton Wash
Baldwin Park
Walnut groves became suburb fast once the war ended, leaving about 7 in 10 homes older than 1980. Even if a brick firebox now holds gas logs, ask to see the flue. It goes on camera and we explain what any deposits mean.
small Gateway Cities town at the Los Angeles River's edge
Bell
About a quarter of households here own, so landlords and renters read this page too. Whoever holds the keys can stand beside us and watch the camera climb a 1930s brick flue, joint by worn joint.
former farmland along the Rio Hondo, split into small lots
Bell Gardens
Dust Bowl families came to these small lots in the 1930s, and chimneys of that vintage carry decades of mortar wear. Our camera shows where the joints have thinned, and we lay out the fixes by what matters most.
named for an orchard apple, built on farm and dairy land
Bellflower
Single-family homes are about half of what stands here; apartments and townhomes fill in the rest. If your ranch house or bungalow has a fireplace, the camera tells you plainly whether it is ready for a fire.
Los Angeles Basin city around Greystone Mansion and its 1912 hotel
Beverly Hills
Nearly 40 percent of homes here go back before 1950, and those brick chimneys were built on site, each a little different. So we go by what the camera shows in your flue, not by what is typical for the age.
small gated foothill city below the San Gabriels
Bradbury
Under 800 people live here and there are no large tracts, so no two chimneys call for the same plan. Brick or metal, we explain what the screen shows before anyone talks about repairs.
studio town tucked under the Verdugo Mountains
Burbank
A third of the homes are older than 1950, and many post-war houses took gas logs later on. Either way, the condition of the flue decides what is safe, so the camera goes up before we say anything.
planned neighborhoods tucked into the Santa Monica Mountains
Calabasas
Factory-built fireplaces with metal flues inside framed chases turn up often in these stucco homes. None of that is brick work, so we explain the chase top and the metal pipe and show you each on camera.
San Fernando Valley neighborhood, once called Owensmouth, home of Antique Row
Canoga Park
Houses from the Owensmouth years and just after have site-built brick chimneys, unlike the ranch homes around them. Our screen shows you which kind of flue you own and how worn it has become.
refinery and airship-base city near the coast
Carson
Three in four homes here were standing before 1980, with low ranch houses leading the count. Your post-war stack of block or brick may look short and simple, yet its inside can tell a different story on camera.
southeast county suburb of tract streets and Auto Square
Cerritos
Half of these houses went up by the mid 1970s, and a factory-built firebox with metal pipe inside a framed chase is likely. Two stories means a tall run, so you watch from the hearth as the camera climbs.
college town known as the City of Trees and PhDs
Claremont
Ranch tracts north of Foothill Boulevard run from the 1950s through the 1970s, and the older brick houses are a different job altogether. Sweep, then camera, then we talk you through each section of your flue.
mostly industrial city with home pockets like Rosewood and Bandini
Commerce
Plants and warehouses fill most of the map, leaving homes in a few small pockets. Own a post-war house with gas logs in one of them? The camera view and a clear explanation work the same.
the city of Rosecrans Avenue, Long Beach Boulevard and Woodley Airport
Compton
About 3 in 10 homes predate 1950, and the rest are mostly stucco ranches from after the war. A block chimney fitted later with gas logs can look tidy at the hearth and still be worn up top, so we show you the top too.
1880s citrus town in the inland San Gabriel Valley
Covina
The citrus years left some early bungalows close to downtown, though 1950s and 1960s houses are far more common. Many got gas logs along the way. We explain what that switch means for your flue and show you its condition.
dense rental city on Atlantic Avenue beside the Los Angeles River
Cudahy
Only about 1 in 7 households own here, and lots often hold a house plus added units. A landlord can ask for a camera look at the original chimney, and we explain the results in terms anyone in the building can follow.
Baldwin Hills edge city with the Culver Hotel downtown
Culver City
Fox Hills is largely 1970s condos, while 1 in 4 homes elsewhere in the city predates 1950. A metal flue in a condo and an old brick stack need different questions, and we answer yours with the picture in front of you.
hillside suburb on the old Diamond Bar Ranch
Diamond Bar
About half of these homes came after 1980, and stucco with tile is the rule on the slopes. A tile roof makes a chimney top awkward to reach, so the camera view lets you look at the flue without climbing anything.
former aerospace suburb where Apollo spacecraft were built
Downey
Aerospace money built most of the city's houses in the 1940s and 1950s, and 8 in 10 predate 1980. Those chimneys have some age on them now, and we would rather you see the flue than take our word.
foothill town named for Andres Duarte, below the San Gabriels
Duarte
Between the 1950s and the 1970s citrus land became suburb, so most chimneys share that age. Once the sweep is done, you see what came out and we talk about what it says for how often to book.
1850s settlement at the Santa Fe Trail's far end, between rivers
El Monte
People settled here in the 1850s, at what was called a Santa Fe Trail end, and a fifth of today's homes predate 1950. If yours has early brick, we show you the mortar on screen and say what it can handle.
refinery town just south of LAX
El Segundo
Named for a second Standard Oil refinery, this town has more apartments and condos than detached houses. A 1950s or 1960s house here might burn gas logs now, and the camera shows whether its old flue suits them.
old berry-farm town, known for card clubs and its Japanese American community
Gardena
Tract homes replaced the berry farms once World War II ended, though small bungalows survive in the old sections. If yours has a fireplace, we sweep it, then explain what the flue looks like and what, if anything, comes next.
Verdugo hillsides above a dense southern core of apartments
Glendale
Only about a third of the homes here are detached. For those that are, a pre-war brick chimney is a likely find, and worn mortar shows clearly on our camera once the soot is gone.
Pride of the Foothills, with its Village along Glendora Avenue
Glendora
Eight in 10 houses are older than 1980, and most of those ranch tracts cover the flat land below the hills. When a block chimney has switched to gas logs, you still want to know what the flue looks like, and we show you.
about one square mile, one of the smallest cities around
Hawaiian Gardens
In a city this small, houses sit on modest tract lots and many are rentals. Owner or landlord, you can watch the flue on screen and leave knowing whether that fireplace is fit to use.
South Bay apartment city named for Nathaniel Hawthorne
Hawthorne
Roughly 3 in 4 units are not detached houses, and most households rent. Anyone who does have a post-war fireplace may have a brick or block chimney behind it, so we open it up to view and talk through what the camera shows.
beach city of roughly 1.4 square miles, with the Lighthouse Cafe
Hermosa Beach
Early beach cottages hang on between newer homes, and a fifth of what is here predates 1950. An old cottage flue in salt air gets a careful look from us, and you see each section as the camera goes by.
horse-trail community off the Ventura Freeway, known for white rail fences
Hidden Hills
Every home here stands alone on a large lot, and custom building means each chimney was designed its own way. Rather than assume anything, we send the camera up and explain what your particular setup has going on.
Pacific Electric streetcar suburb with Pacific Boulevard at its heart
Huntington Park
The Pacific Electric line pulled homes here early, and more than 4 in 10 predate 1950. Any brick stack from those decades gets our slowest camera pass, because that age of flue tends to hide its wear high up.
mostly industrial Puente Valley city with very few residents
Industry
Only about 210 people live here, so most fireplaces nearby sit in neighboring communities. If one of the few homes is yours, the job does not change: sweep, camera, and a plain walk through the results.
Market Street downtown, about five miles from the Pacific
Inglewood
The older stucco and Spanish houses stand in Morningside Park and Fairview Heights, with a brick chimney the likely match. Three in 10 homes in the city are that age or close to it, so we show you how old mortar has held.
gravel-mining city along the San Gabriel River, home of a Sriracha plant
Irwindale
Quarries take up much of the land and homes come in scattered pockets. A house from around 1985 likely has a factory-built fireplace, while an older one may have masonry, and we explain whichever one the camera finds.
foothill suburb near 1,200 feet, where the 210 passes through
La Canada Flintridge
Frank Flint laid out hillside estates here from the 1920s, and period chimneys on those streets can be large and complicated. We go through yours section by section on camera, then rank any work by what matters most.
custom homes and acre lots up in the Puente Hills
La Habra Heights
Avocados and citrus were Edwin Hart's pitch for this hillside a century ago, and a quarter of homes predate 1950. With nearly every house custom built, the chimney can be anything, so we look before we say a word.
Biola University city, incorporated in 1960
La Mirada
Barely any home here is older than 1950, and half had gone up by 1960. So the brick or block you have is about one generation of fires old, and the camera can show you how that generation has treated it.
old walnut country, named for a rancho
La Puente
Walnut groves gave way to tracts during the 1950s and 1960s, and most of it is one-story stucco on modest lots. Any fireplace in those tracts likely has block or brick above it, and you can look inside on our camera.
old Lordsburg, a citrus and college town below the foothills
La Verne
Bungalows close to Old Town go back to the Lordsburg days, while tracts spread out from the 1960s on. Those are very different chimneys, and we start by showing you which you have, then what shape it is in.
one of America's first mass-produced suburbs, around Lakewood Center
Lakewood
Nearly all of this went up at once in the early 1950s under Weingart, Boyar and Taper, on just a few floor plans. Similar houses do not age alike, though, and your flue on camera tells you more than your neighbor's would.
Antelope Valley suburb that began as a railroad stop
Lancaster
Two in three homes are newer than 1980, which points to stucco, tile and often a metal flue rather than brick. We open up what you have, sweep it, and show you what the desert has done to it.
South Bay city three miles or so from the sea
Lawndale
Most households here rent and many lots hold several units. If you are the owner of one with a fireplace, a camera look gives you a clear record to act on before a tenant lights it.
Harbor-area city close to the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Lomita
Half of this town is detached houses, and about 8 in 10 homes are from before 1980. Your post-war brick and a later unit's factory-built box need separate conversations, so we start from what the camera actually shows.
harbor city of Belmont Shore, Bixby Knolls and Alamitos Beach
Long Beach
Many old chimneys here needed repair or a rebuild after 1933, so a stack in California Heights or Belmont Heights can be two ages at once. On screen we trace where one stops and the other starts, and what that means for you.
the city line where the 118 crosses into Chatsworth and Porter Ranch
Los Angeles
From Moorpark, the part of Los Angeles we reach is the north San Fernando Valley, straight down the 118 through the Santa Susana Pass. The 1994 Northridge earthquake was centered in the San Fernando Valley. When we look at a chimney here, we check for signs of a past rebuild or a brace, and we show you on the camera where old work meets new.
old dairy land at Long Beach Boulevard and Imperial Highway
Lynwood
Nearly half the homes date from before 1950, which is old for this area. Dairy farms turned into houses starting in the 1920s, and a chimney of that age can have worn joints you would want to know about, so we show you them.
Santa Monica Mountains coast, from Point Dume to the Pier
Malibu
Modern gas units are the usual choice in rebuilds, not wood-burning masonry, while older canyon houses may keep theirs. Oceanfront or canyon, we explain the setup you have and show you its condition on camera.
oceanfront South Bay city around its pier and Roundhouse Aquarium
Manhattan Beach
With so many remodels, a new gas fireplace may stand close to a surviving brick stack. They ask different questions, and our camera gives you the answer for the one you own.
tiny, dense Southeast city, built out long ago
Maywood
Few new houses ever replace the old ones in a city this full, and over 4 in 10 homes date from before 1950. Whether you own or manage one, you get a straight account of its brick from the camera.
San Gabriel foothill city, home of the 1925 Aztec Hotel
Monrovia
River rock turns up on some older chimneys here, and it weathers differently from plain brick because of its many thick joints. North of Foothill Boulevard especially, we want you looking at the screen when we reach that section.
old farm and oil-boom suburb with an 1840s adobe
Montebello
The oil boom after 1917 helped push farmland into suburb here, and bungalows remain in the older sections. Nearly a quarter of homes date from before 1950, and a sweep plus camera look tells you how yours has aged.
hill streets near East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park
On a sloping lot, a chimney may rise higher on one face than another, and fireplace types run from masonry to later units. Our camera sorts out which you have, and we explain what the view from the hearth cannot.
tract city at Imperial Highway and Studebaker Road
Norwalk
Where a fireplace exists in these tracts, brick is the norm, and half the houses were up by the late 1950s. Low roofs make the top easy to reach, and you can see it all on our screen from your living room.
Lake Palmdale and Plant 42 country, about 2,650 feet up
Palmdale
Fewer than 1 in 5 houses predates 1980, so the masonry chimney is the exception here. Own one of those older ranch homes? We sweep it and show you exactly how the desert has treated its mortar.
peninsula city planned by the Olmsted Brothers, above Malaga Cove
Palos Verdes Estates
The Olmsted Brothers planned this for Frank Vanderlip from the 1920s, and the early Spanish Revival chimneys are often part of the house design. We treat each as its own case, showing you its liner on screen and explaining any tile or crown issue.
old hay market town, with its Hay Tree still standing
Paramount
Under half of what stands here is a single detached house, and renters outnumber owners. For those with a fireplace, a look with the camera makes the talk about upkeep simple, whether you hold the deed or the lease.
Rose Bowl and Caltech city at about 850 feet
Pasadena
In Bungalow Heaven or Orange Heights, a chimney belongs to the character of the house, and homes from before 1950 are over a third of the total. We treat old brick with patience, walking you through what is sound and what is not.
former Pico and Rivera, merged between two rivers
Pico Rivera
Pico and Rivera came together in 1958, just as tract houses were filling the farmland. A 1950s brick fireplace may be nearly 70 years into its life by now, and we would like you to see how that shows on camera.
Fairplex and Antique Row at the eastern end of the Basin
Pomona
Phillips Ranch and other southern tracts hold newer houses with factory-built units, while older sections lean toward brick. Tell us the street and we still look before guessing, because the camera is what answers the question.
peninsula coast from Point Vicente to the old Marineland site
Rancho Palos Verdes
Houses spread over the peninsula in the 1960s and 1970s, and masonry is the likely chimney on those houses. Some remodels added gas or factory-built units, so the first step is showing you which you have.
oceanfront South Bay city, where George Freeth showed off surfing
Redondo Beach
Post-war houses in the north of the city and view homes up in Hollywood Riviera have little in common, chimney included. Less than half the homes here are detached, and we adjust the explanation to the flue the camera finds.
horse-keeping community behind gates, with private roads
Rolling Hills
Planned in the 1930s as a rural, horse-keeping community, this city now has large ranch houses that likely keep their brick or masonry chimneys. Those wide lots make the view from the ground poor, which is where the screen helps.
peninsula city above the South Bay, with stables on some lots
Rolling Hills Estates
Roughly 8 in 10 homes here date from before 1980, and those ranch houses likely kept their masonry chimneys unless a remodel changed things. Step one is naming what is there, and step two is its condition on camera.
valley city close to where Whittier Narrows was centered in 1987
Rosemead
Most units here are detached one-story houses, though many are rented. A quarter date from before 1950, and when one of those has a brick stack, the sweep and the camera together tell you how much life it has left.
foothill city around Bonelli Park's Puddingstone Reservoir
San Dimas
Suburban building ran from the 1960s through the 1980s, so a factory-built fireplace is the common case and brick the exception. Metal flues have seams and joints of their own, and we walk you through each on camera.
small independent city ringed by Los Angeles, with Pacoima Wash
San Fernando
Hard shaking in 1971 and again in 1994 means a rebuilt or replaced stack is likely on some older houses. A camera view shows you where original brick stops and later work picks up, and whether the two still agree.
old city around its 1771 mission and the Mission Playhouse
San Gabriel
Post-war tracts here usually got one brick fireplace chimney, often with steel in it, and that steel is decades old now. Newer condos may have gas or nothing at all. We tell you plainly what yours is and what shape it is in.
Period Revival city of El Molino Viejo, incorporated in 1913
San Marino
Seven in 10 homes predate 1950, and many chimneys here predate modern seismic rules, with scant reinforcement. On a Tudor or Neff house, we walk you through every section on camera and rank repairs by safety.
canyon valley of Newhall, Valencia and the CalArts campus
Santa Clarita
Half the homes here came after the mid 1980s, and factory-built metal fireplaces fit that age. Those flues do not age like brick, so we show you the seams and explain what those parts need.
1920s oil-boom city, incorporated in 1957
Santa Fe Springs
Oil paid for this city in the 1920s, and most homes arrived decades later, so most chimneys share that age. A modest ranch house deserves the same plain talk as any other, with its flue on our screen while we go through it.
bluff-top beach city around Palisades Park and the 1909 Pier
Santa Monica
Fewer than 1 in 5 homes stands alone here, and renters are the majority. Courtyard buildings from the 1930s and 1940s predate modern seismic rules, so whoever manages one should see that brick for themselves, on our camera.
old foothill town at the Mount Wilson Trail
Sierra Madre
Founded in 1881, this town has 3 in 10 homes from before 1950, and steep upper streets make the chimney top hard to see from anywhere. The camera takes care of that, and we describe every joint it passes.
Los Angeles neighborhood below the Mulholland Drive ridgeline
Sherman Oaks
Moses Sherman's name stuck to a neighborhood built up mostly after the war. Apartment fireplaces here are often gas or factory-built, while an older house may have brick, and we show you on camera which you have.
hill of working oil pumps, ringed by Long Beach
Signal Hill
Oil rigs kept homes off this hill for decades, and only in the 1980s did condos and townhomes begin to fill it. A newer unit likely has a very different flue from the older houses, and we explain the difference with yours in view.
manufacturing and warehouse city just above Legg Lake
South El Monte
Factories and warehouses share these blocks with post-war tract houses. The steel inside a brick chimney of that period is now decades old, and a look on camera tells you more than the outside ever could.
old factory suburb around Tweedy Boulevard
South Gate
Firestone and General Motors drew families here for generations, and nearly half the homes are from before 1950. If your chimney is that old, we start at the top and explain what each stage of the flue shows.
1888 town of the Rialto Theatre and many historic landmarks
South Pasadena
Craftsman and Victorian houses here sit beside Spanish and Colonial Revival, and 44 percent predate 1950. Many of these chimneys have little reinforcement, so we go up slowly, stop often, and let you judge it on the screen.
residential town set between Arcadia and San Gabriel
Temple City
The 1920s gave this town its founder, Walter Temple, and most of what stands now is stucco ranch from the middle of the century. Eight in 10 homes are detached, and you see the condition of your own chimney on our screen.
Olmsted-planned South Bay industrial city, founded in 1912
Torrance
Jared Sidney Torrance had the Olmsted Brothers plan this as an industrial city, yet today most fireplaces sit in mid-century houses. Up in Walteria and Hollywood Riviera, a hillside chimney is hard to view from the ground, so the camera shows you.
nearly all industry, split by the Los Angeles River
Vernon
Honestly, there are very few homes here, and fewer fireplaces. About 330 people live in this industrial city, so if one of those older houses has a chimney, you get the same sweep and camera look as anywhere else.
eastern San Gabriel Valley city against the Puente Hills
Walnut
Almost everything here is a detached two-story, built from the 1960s into the 1990s. A tall chimney on a tile roof is not something you can inspect by eye, so we run the camera and tell you what came up.
former orchards turned tracts, with Galster Park in the South Hills
West Covina
Orchards gave way to tract houses at speed after World War II, and only 1 in 20 homes is older than 1950. That leaves a lot of steel-reinforced brick in its later decades, and the camera is how you find out where yours stands.
Sunset Strip city around the Pacific Design Center
West Hollywood
Only about 1 in 11 homes is a detached house, mostly around the Norma Triangle and nearby side streets. Older brick there may have little reinforcement, while a new condo usually has gas, and we address each on its own terms.
lakefront and hillside city at the Los Angeles County line
Westlake Village
No home here counts as pre-1950 in the figures, and half were standing by the mid 1970s. Expect factory-built metal parts more than brick, with seams that deserve a close camera pass, and Moorpark is only about 11 miles off.
Quaker town of 1887, below Turnbull Canyon
Whittier
Quakers started this town in 1887, and its oldest brick sits around Uptown, with ranch tracts across the plains. Three in 10 homes predate 1950, and your own flue on our screen sorts out what you are working with.
the valley inland from Ventura, up the 33
Ojai
Ojai winter nights get cold, and wood stoves and fireplaces there get real use. We sweep, show you what came out of the flue, and explain what the amount and texture of the creosote say about how often you should book.
down on the coastal plain past Camarillo
Oxnard
Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, and it sits right on the coast. Salt air reaches caps, chase covers and flashing first. We photograph each metal part from the roof, then come down and show you which pieces are surface rust and which have rusted through.
Oxnard Plain port town, home of the Seabee Museum
Port Hueneme
Close to home for us at about 20 miles, this wharf and naval base town is largely condos and apartments, with only 1 in 3 homes detached. A modest post-war house still gets the full camera look and a plain explanation.
the county seat on the coast, west along the 126
Ventura
Ventura has older homes downtown and in Midtown with original brick chimneys, plus newer houses in east Ventura with factory-built fireplaces. We tell you which kind you have, and what that means for the checks we do.
San Joaquin Hills city in south Orange County
Aliso Viejo
Just 6 in 100 homes date from before 1980, and attached units are the majority. Odds are you have a factory-built metal fireplace, and we explain its flue, cap and seams while you look at them on screen.
1857 German winemakers' colony, reaching east to Anaheim Hills
Anaheim
The Mother Colony House dates from 1857, but most chimneys here came with post-war tracts, about 7 decades of brick in many cases. We go over yours on camera and sort what needs care now from what can wait.
old oil town named for tar seeps, near Carbon Canyon
Brea
La Floresta and Olinda Ranch bring gas or factory-built fireplaces in stucco houses, while earlier tracts lean on brick with aging steel inside. Two different chimneys in one town, and we explain whichever one is yours.
Beach Boulevard entertainment corridor where Interstate 5 crosses
Buena Park
Stucco tracts make up most of the single-family side of town, and few homes are older than 1950. If your 1960s fireplace has gone quiet for years, have it swept and put on camera before you light it again.
coast tableland once called Harper, beside the Santa Ana River
Costa Mesa
Growth around the old Santa Ana Army Air Base brought tracts here, and a post-war brick chimney may now hold steel decades old. Sixty percent of homes are not detached, so ask whether your flue is yours alone, and we check it.
old Dairy City in northwest Orange County
Cypress
Dairy City took its current name in 1957 as tracts covered the pasture land. A house from the 1950s or 1960s likely has brick or block, while the 1970s brought metal units, and that one difference shapes what we show you.
harbor and bluff-top city beside the Headlands and Ocean Institute
Dana Point
Lantern Village goes back to Sidney Woodruff in the 1920s, and most of what came later is from the 1970s on. A Spanish-style stack and a hillside tract flue age very differently, so we compare what you have to what it should look like.
old artesian farmland once known as Talbert
Fountain Valley
Farmland with artesian wells became tracts in the 1960s and 1970s, and those houses have now grown old enough to deserve a camera. Brick or block gets one kind of look and later metal units another, and we explain which applies.
north Orange County citrus and railroad city around Hillcrest Park
Fullerton
City preservation zones protect the old streets around downtown, like Golden Hill, while Sunny Hills is 1950s and 1960s ranch. Either way masonry is likely, and we go at it the same way: clean it, put it on camera, then explain it to you.
Alonzo Cook's 1874 town around Christ Cathedral
Garden Grove
Orchards and farms made way for tracts after the war, and a site-built brick fireplace came with many of them. Rural as this place was in 1933, your concern is ordinary aging, and our camera shows how far along it is.
Pacific-front oil boom city that annexed Sunset Beach in 2011
Huntington Beach
Half the homes were standing by the mid 1970s, and fewer than half are detached. Condos are common close to the beach, so we start by working out what your fireplace connects to and show it to you.
Irvine Ranch master-planned city around UCI and the Great Park
Irvine
William Pereira's master plan shaped these villages from the 1960s on, and half of the homes went up after about 2002. Turtle Rock and University Park have the older chimneys. Newer units are usually metal, and we explain those parts plainly.
old citrus and oil town, named for the pass through the hills
La Habra
The oldest stock is small bungalows close to downtown, with single-story ranch tracts around them. Most fireplaces are brick or block and most have a lot of years on them, so seeing the flue on camera is a sensible start.
compact planned suburb in northwest Orange County, around Central Park
La Palma
Under two square miles and planned almost all at once, this town ages together. Your fireplace may be masonry from the start or a factory-built unit added afterward, and we sort that out first and then walk you through what the camera shows.
ocean frontage below steep canyons, home of Pageant of the Masters
Laguna Beach
A stone chimney on an old cottage and a gas unit in a custom home have almost nothing in common. The city keeps a historic register too, so we explain what the camera shows before any repair comes up.
old Moulton Ranch country with Aliso Creek running through
Laguna Hills
Metal and gas are the likely setups in a place built on ranch land in the 1970s and 1980s, though Nellie Gail Ranch customs may hold masonry. Our first job on any visit is telling you which you have, using the screen.
planned hills of old Rancho Niguel, beside the wilderness park
Laguna Niguel
Planning here dates from 1960 under Cabot, Cabot and Forbes, and stucco with tile became the norm. Roughly 3 in 4 homes came after 1980. When your flue is metal, the seams and the chase top are what you want to see.
low-rise manor community beside Irvine, incorporated in 1999
Laguna Woods
Detached homes are rare at 7 percent, and exterior work goes through community associations. If your manor has a fireplace, expect a gas or factory-built unit, and we explain its condition in a way you can take to your association.
old El Toro area, with two man-made lakes and eucalyptus groves
Lake Forest
El Toro's 1970s tracts and new Baker Ranch homes sit in one city, a generation apart. A townhouse flue from the older side has had far more use, so we look at its age first and then its condition.
small city beside a military training base, next to Rossmoor
Los Alamitos
Stucco tracts here date from the 1950s and 1960s, the same years Ross Cortese was building Rossmoor next door. Masonry fireplaces from then need checking at this age, and we take you through what your camera view reveals.
Saddleback Valley planned city around its man-made lake
Mission Viejo
Rancho land became a planned city from the 1960s, and not one home in a hundred is older than 1950. Metal and gas dominate, so our talk with you centers on flue joints, seals and how the top is holding on.
harbor city from Balboa Pavilion to the Newport Coast hills
Newport Beach
Old cottages stand beside new custom houses in the harbor neighborhoods, while Newport Coast is all modern estates. No single rule covers that range. The camera shows what yours needs, and we walk you through it.
Old Towne Plaza city, reaching east to Santiago Oaks
Orange
Around the 1888 Plaza, Old Towne homes carry real history, and a chimney can be part of it. Elsewhere in town, half the houses came after the early 1970s. We tell you which era your flue belongs to and what that means.
the pleasant place of north Orange County, at Tri-City Park
Placentia
Half of these homes were up by about 1976, which makes brick or block common, and later houses moved on to factory-built. Whichever is in your living room, you watch the camera and we narrate.
1990s planned community around its plaza and lake
Rancho Santa Margarita
Hardly any homes here go back before 1980. Factory-built metal and direct-vent gas are the rule, which means no brick to worry about but plenty of seals and joints that we can show you and explain.
Pacific bluff town between the pier and Trestles
San Clemente
Casa Romantica shows the Spanish style this town is known for, though only a few homes are that old. Newer houses make up most of the rest, and the flue in either one gets the same honest walk-through from us.
valley city where San Juan and Trabuco Creeks meet
San Juan Capistrano
An adobe or masonry fireplace in an old building is a very different animal from a factory-built unit down the street. Four in 5 households own here, and we leave you with a clear plan.
Orange County seat since 1889, around Downtown Fourth Street
Santa Ana
Victorian and Craftsman houses fill Floral Park, French Park and Wilshire Square, often with brick chimneys old enough to deserve patience. Tell us when it was last swept, and we will show you what that gap looks like on camera.
old town pier and Main Street, plus Leisure World
Seal Beach
Leisure World opened in 1962 and College Park came along in the same mid-century years. If your unit has a gas or factory-built fireplace, there is less to sweep but still something to check, and we show you what.
three square miles or so, with Beach Boulevard as its spine
Stanton
Just over 1 in 4 homes here is a detached house, and the attached ones often have no hearth to speak of. Those small stucco tract homes that do have one likely use brick or block, and we show you how it has aged.
central Orange County city with Tustin Legacy on the old air station
Tustin
New Tustin Legacy homes run on factory-built or gas units, and those are nothing like the masonry you might have nearer the old part of town. We open with a simple question, what have you got, and the camera answers.
small city of detached homes, encircled by Orange and Anaheim Hills
Villa Park
Nine in 10 households own here, and a custom house may hold two or more site-built masonry fireplaces. Every flue is its own question, so we run the camera up each and rank what we show you by what matters most.
1870 temperance colony, known for the Mendez desegregation case
Westminster
Presbyterian settlers started the colony in 1870, but housing came far later, and half of it was standing by 1971. Those tracts likely have brick or block, and we show you how a fireplace of that period is coming along.
north Orange County hills bordering Chino Hills State Park
Yorba Linda
Hillside homes on the east side of town back onto wildland, so ember exposure comes with the view. Whether yours is custom or tract, we show you the flue, the cap and the screen and rank what should be handled soonest.
old navel orange capital with Victoria Avenue and Heritage Square
Riverside
Heritage Square Victorians and post-war ranch houses share a city, and only the camera can tell you how each flue has lasted. We sweep first, then you look with us and hear what the deposits and mortar are saying.
1886 South Riverside, near Temescal Canyon and Prado Dam
Corona
Three in 4 homes here came after 1980, so a metal or gas fireplace is what you likely have, with masonry reserved for older streets. Each has its own weak spots, and we point yours out on screen.
88 cities between the Malibu shore and the Lancaster desert
Los Angeles County
With 88 cities, no single chimney description fits. Pre-war areas lean to masonry, tracts to post-war brick, and newer homes to metal or gas. Tell us your street and we will show you what your own flue looks like.
inland county stretching from Riverside to the Coachella Valley
Riverside County
Most of the county is newer, with half the homes built since 1990, and the older masonry sits mainly in Riverside and Corona. Unincorporated areas vary even more. Ask about your address, and we explain what your chimney type needs.
long Pacific coast, inland hills and the Santa Ana Mountains
Orange County
Tracts and historic houses sit mostly up north, and along the shore you get cottages, condos and estates side by side. About half of homes across the county are detached. Whatever you have, the flue goes on our screen for you to look at.
our home county, from the Oxnard coast to the Conejo Valley
Ventura County
Moorpark is our base, and homes here run from harbor condos to post-war tracts in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. About half predate 1980. We bring the camera, sweep the flue, and go over it with you, step by step.
Between Two Towns?
Live near Peach Hill, Wood Ranch or the Santa Rosa Valley?
Town lines do not matter much to us. If you are anywhere between Moorpark and the coast, call and tell us the street, and we will tell you which day we can come out.