Q: Our 1940 home has a brick fireplace and chimney. We had it inspected recently and were told by several people that it has a crack near the roofline and needs to be taken down and rebuilt. The ...

Stacy is a journalist and content creator with six years of experience writing about home improvement topics. Besides Forbes Home she has contributed her work and expertise to publications such as ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...

Q. We had a chimney cleaning service inspect our chimney and they suggested that we install an insulated flexible aluminum flue liner in our chimney connected directly to our gas water heater vent.

Rosanne is an interior design and home improvement writer with 8 years of experience. During that time she has worked with numerous businesses and publications. Rosanne has been with Forbes Home for ...

Q: Not long ago you answered a question from a reader about fireplace chimneys. You talked at length about dampers but you did not mention the need for a chimney liner. My house is 1906 vintage, and a ...

“That’s too much — no one else even mentioned we’d need an expensive liner — you trying to rip us off here?” Chimneys — you can’t live with them and you can’t live without them — or at least you ...

Jim Smart owns Smart Sweep Chimney Service. He and his son Jesse are certified professional chimney sweeps. Together, this ...