Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Chimney Sweep Across Hollywood
A chimney sweep in Hollywood typically runs $180 – $340 for a standard cleaning with a Level 1 inspection, and most appointments are booked within 3 – 5 business days. We work throughout the 90028 ZIP and surrounding neighborhoods, from the hillside streets off Beachwood Drive to the older bungalow courts near Santa Monica Boulevard. Ashwood Chimney Sweep is led by Norm Castillo, and every job includes camera inspection so you see exactly what we see. Call (833) 805-3229 for a free estimate.
Why Ashwood Chimney Sweep Is Hollywood’s Preferred Chimney Sweep Company
Our Chimney Sweep crews know Hollywood’s housing stock better than most roofers do. That matters when you live in a 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow with a clay flue liner nobody has looked at since the Carter administration. Hollywood homeowners call us because we don’t hand off findings to a separate repair crew. The person who inspects your chimney is the same person who does the repair work, which eliminates the broken-telephone problem that plagues this industry.
We carry materials from Copperfield and DuraFlex, the same professional-trade brands specified by certified chimney contractors nationwide. That’s not a marketing line. It means when your inspection reveals a cracked flue tile, we can move to repair with materials already on the truck, not order from a retail warehouse and reschedule. For Hollywood’s subdivided rental properties, where one address can hide multiple fireplaces and venting systems, that speed keeps insurance inspections moving.
Styles & brands we work with
Chimney Maintenance in Hollywood
Chimney maintenance for a typical Hollywood home means an annual sweep and Level 1 inspection, usually priced between $180 and $220. The 90028 ZIP is full of 1910s and 1920s Spanish Colonial and Craftsman homes with original brick fireplaces. Most of those fireplaces sit unused for years at a time. That’s not a reason to skip maintenance. It’s the reason creosote hardens, clay tiles spall, and birds move into the smoke chamber.
We recommend an annual sweep for any wood-burning fireplace, even one you light twice a year. For gas inserts, a maintenance visit every two years covers the venting system, and we check the flue for obstructions that built up before the insert was installed.
Level 1 Inspection
We inspect the accessible portions of the chimney interior and exterior: the flue, the smoke chamber, the firebox, the crown, and the flashing at the roofline. In Hollywood, we’re checking for the things this housing stock is known for: spalled clay tiles, cracked crowns from winter rain, and mortar joints that have turned to sand. A Level 1 inspection runs $180 – $220 when combined with a sweep.
Annual Sweep
Our annual sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue walls and smoke chamber, then we run the brush through every accessible section and follow with a camera check. If we find anything that needs repair, you get the camera footage. You don’t get a vague recommendation. You see the crack, the gap, the nest, whatever it is, on screen before any work is authorized.
Chimney Sweep Services in Hollywood
Chimney sweep services in Hollywood cover everything from one-time cleanings to recurring maintenance for rental properties. A standard chimney sweep with Level 1 inspection starts at $180 – $220 in the 90028 ZIP. Level 2 inspections, which we recommend for any Hollywood home that hasn’t been swept in five or more years, run $250 – $400 depending on roof access and the number of flues.
For multi-unit rentals, we schedule each unit’s chimney separately. A 1926 fourplex on North Berendo Street can hide four different fireplaces, four different flue conditions, and four different insurance inspection requirements. We’ll sweep and inspect each one and give the property owner a single report with camera documentation for each unit.
Creosote Removal
Creosote in a Hollywood chimney is usually glazed, not fluffy. That’s the product of partial burns, low heat, and a fireplace that gets lit occasionally instead of heated hard. Glazed creosote is harder to remove and more flammable than the flaky stuff. We remove it, then show you the before-and-after footage. Creosote removal is included in a standard sweep when buildup is light to moderate. Heavy glaze may require additional mechanical removal, which we quote before starting.
Level 2 Inspection
A Level 2 inspection includes everything in a Level 1, plus access to the roof, attic, and crawlspace to inspect the full chimney structure. We run a camera down the flue and record the entire pass. For Hollywood’s older homes, we recommend a Level 2 when you buy the house, when you convert an open fireplace to an insert, or when any part of the chimney hasn’t been touched in years. It’s the difference between guessing and seeing.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Hollywood
When repairs come up, we install parts from manufacturers professionals actually specify. DuraFlex flexible liner systems, HeatShield restoration product, and components sourced from Copperfield and Famco. These aren’t brands you’ll find on a big-box shelf, and that’s deliberate. For Hollywood’s aging masonry chimneys, a DuraFlex liner or a HeatShield application often means the difference between a $600 repair and a $6,000 rebuild. We stock the common sizes in our service vehicles, so most Hollywood repair jobs don’t require a second trip.
Common Chimney Sweep Problems We See in Hollywood Homes
- Spalled clay flue tiles in 1920s bungalows. Original clay liners crack and flake after decades of thermal cycling and disuse. We find this constantly in Spanish Colonial Revival homes throughout the 90028 ZIP, and a camera inspection is the only way to confirm it without demolishing anything.
- Bird nests and abandoned film-prop debris. Chimneys that haven’t been swept since the 1970s collect more than soot. We’ve pulled birds, nests, and yes, prop remnants out of Hollywood flues. Anything blocking the flue is a carbon monoxide risk, not a curiosity.
- Hidden chimneys behind stucco. Many Hollywood homes had chimneys enclosed or partially covered during later renovations. The flue is still there, still venting, still building creosote, but nobody can see the exterior. Camera inspection is essential on these.
- Multiple flues in subdivided rentals. One Hollywood address can hold four units, four fireplaces, and four flues that were last inspected in different decades. Insurance requirements treat each one separately, and so do we.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Sweep in Hollywood, CA
A standard chimney sweep with Level 1 inspection in Hollywood runs $180 – $220 for a single flue and one fireplace. A Level 2 inspection with full camera documentation runs $250 – $400, with roof access and multi-flue configurations pushing toward the higher end. Creosote removal is included with a standard sweep when buildup is routine. Heavy glazed creosote or a chimney that hasn’t been swept in a decade may add $50 – $120 in mechanical removal time, quoted before we start. Multi-unit rental properties are priced per flue, with a small per-address discount when we inspect several units in one visit. Call (833) 805-3229 for an exact quote. Estimates are free, and they stay free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Hollywood
We serve chimney and dryer vent customers throughout the Hollywood basin and the hills. That includes Universal City, West Hollywood, Koreatown, and Echo Park. If you’re in one of those neighborhoods, or anywhere else in the 90028 ZIP, the same camera-backed inspection standard applies. Most Hollywood appointments are scheduled within a week of your call.
Serving Hollywood, CA — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Hollywood area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Sweep in Hollywood
You need at least a Level 1 inspection, yes. A fireplace that never gets used is exactly where we find the worst problems in Hollywood: bird nests, degraded clay tiles, and mortar joints that have quietly turned to dust. Even if you never light a fire, the flue is connected to the structure of the house, and it can let water in, harbor animals, or vent gases from a water heater you didn’t know shared the stack. A $180 – $220 inspection is a lot cheaper than discovering a cracked flue during a home sale. Call (833) 805-3229 and we’ll take a look.
A Level 1 inspection covers the accessible parts of the chimney: the firebox, the visible flue, the exterior, the crown. A Level 2 covers everything plus roof access, attic access, and a full camera pass down the flue. For a 1920s Hollywood home, we recommend a Level 2 if the chimney hasn’t been inspected in five or more years, if you’re buying or selling, or if you’ve converted a fireplace to gas or an insert. Most of our Hollywood Level 2 inspections run $250 – $400.
The answer is simple: demand camera evidence. If a chimney company tells you the flue liner is cracked and you need a $5,000 rebuild, ask to see the footage. If they can’t show you, don’t authorize the work. Our policy at Ashwood is that nothing gets recommended without camera documentation you can see on screen. We recently serviced a 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow on North Kenmore Avenue where the original clay flue liner had spalled and birds had nested in the smoke chamber. After a Level 2 inspection with camera evidence, we removed the nest and soot, then applied HeatShield to reline the flue. The homeowner watched the entire camera feed and approved the repair on the spot. That’s how it should work. Call (833) 805-3229 and you’ll get the same standard.
One per fireplace or venting system, which means one per unit in most subdivided Hollywood properties. A fourplex may have four fireplaces and four flues, each needing its own Level 1 or Level 2 inspection to satisfy insurance fire-code requirements. We inspect each unit separately, run separate camera passes, and deliver a single report covering the whole address. That keeps your insurance paperwork clean without making you piece together four different invoices from four different sweeps.
That’s glazed or granulated creosote, a byproduct of incomplete wood combustion that builds up on flue walls. Third-degree glazed creosote is hardened, tarry, and highly flammable at the temperatures a hot fire can reach. In Hollywood’s dry, Santa Ana-prone climate, a chimney fire fueled by glazed creosote is a genuine wildfire-adjacent risk. A standard sweep removes routine creosote. Heavy glaze requires additional mechanical removal, which we quote before starting. If you’re seeing black, shiny deposits, call (833) 805-3229. Better to have it removed than test how far it can spread.
Schedule Your Chimney Sweep in Hollywood
Ashwood Chimney Sweep serves all of Hollywood, including the neighborhoods around Hollywood Boulevard, Franklin Avenue, and the foothill streets north of Los Feliz Boulevard. We handle chimney sweeping, chimney repair, and dryer vent cleaning, all under one call. Every inspection includes camera documentation, every repair recommendation comes with evidence you can see, and nothing gets sold without your approval. Call (833) 805-3229 to book your appointment or ask for a free estimate. Norm Castillo and our crews know exactly what Hollywood’s older chimneys hide, and we’ll show you too.
Written by Norm Castillo, Owner at Ashwood Chimney Sweep, serving Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area since 2018.