About Sugarloaf Chimney Restoration
Sugarloaf Chimney Restoration serves Maryland and upper northwest Washington, DC with chimney, fireplace, masonry, inspection, relining, and restoration experience built over decades of hands-on work.
Company Background
Sugarloaf Chimney Restoration is a hands-on chimney and fireplace company. When you call, you reach people who know chimney, fireplace, stove, and hearth work and can help you think through the next step for your project.
Chimney and fireplace problems cannot always be diagnosed remotely. For larger or more challenging jobs, we can travel when the scope requires hands-on work and the project supports it. When local help is the better fit, we are direct about that as well.
Since 1980, we have served Montgomery, Frederick, and Howard County, Maryland, including upper northwest Washington, DC, and have completed notable work for government buildings, including projects at the White House.
Capabilities
Additional service work includes chimney inspection and consulting, chimney cleaning, dryer vent cleaning and inspection, cast in place masonry relining, stainless steel relining, gas appliance sales and installation, masonry fireplace construction and renovation, outdoor masonry fireplaces and grills, masonry mailboxes, and waterproofing services.
Need something else? Call us. If it relates to chimneys, fireplaces, masonry, or venting, there is a good chance we can help.
We are a full-service company serving the Maryland and Washington, DC area with the same care and professionalism whether the project is a routine service call or a more demanding restoration or construction job.
That work has included projects for government buildings, including several at the White House, along with a wide range of residential and commercial jobs throughout the region.
Leadership
C.S.I.A. Certified Chimney Sweep #729, C-DET Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician #5, N.F.I. Certified Gas Specialist #135480, Dealer for Ahrens Chimney Technique #1, National Chimney Sweep Guild Member, member of the New York Chimney Sweep Guild, and member of the Poolesville, MD Chamber of Commerce.
Vice-President of Sugarloaf Enterprises, Inc. and often the first voice customers hear when they call.
Third generation masonry contractor and President of Liberty Home Crafters, Inc.
Technical Work
We use a U.L. listed cast in place masonry or a flexible stainless steel lining system for oil, gas, propane, pellet, coal, or wood heating equipment. Chimney lining can increase appliance efficiency and help prevent early deterioration of the flue liner.
Chimney sweeping and inspection work is performed with equipment designed to contain soot, dust, and debris while protecting the home. Every serviced chimney and appliance receives an NFPA Level 1 chimney inspection, with closed-circuit video evaluation available when interior documentation is needed.
Our closed-circuit internal inspection work helps identify damage, deterioration, cracks, missing mortar joints, broken tiles, and blockages, and can support both repair planning and insurance documentation.
Historic Homes
Many historic homes feature small fireplaces that are shallow in depth, narrow in width, and vent to unlined chimneys. We offer gas coal-effect fires that work well in these settings and can help bring older fireplaces back to their original character while improving performance.
Our work includes design help, venting guidance, restoration planning, and installation support where historic character and modern performance both matter.
If a fireplace has draft problems, shallow depth, poor venting, or unusual historic constraints, we can help evaluate the condition of the system and recommend a practical approach.
Project Stories
A Victorian "stick style" dwelling, the Lighthouse Keepers House was constructed from pre-cut and labeled materials shipped by barge and assembled on site. When the house was completed in 1876, two keepers and their families shared the duplex in this isolated seaside setting.
The keepers were removed in 1939 after the lighthouse was automated, and attendants were no longer needed to clean the lenses, trim the wicks, fuel the lamp, and wind the clockwork mechanism that rotated the beacon. The house and grounds were leased to Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. in 1980 for historic preservation.
In 1998, we restored all the fireplaces in the Lighthouse Keepers House and lined the chimneys with Ventinox chimney liners. We also tuckpointed the brick foundation and replaced the vent covers.
To retain the historic authenticity of the house, local beach sand was dug and mixed into the mortar. The result preserved the original charm of the Keepers House and helped ensure it remains standing for future generations to visit.
In the mid-1980s, we undertook an extensive renovation project at the Old South Mountain Inn near Middletown, Maryland. This historic property, built in the 1700s, served as an inn and tavern and survived the Civil War Battle at South Mountain.
We restored three chimneys and their Rumford-style fireplaces. Exhausto fans were installed to solve longstanding drafting and smoke problems, allowing the inn to enjoy robust open-hearth fires without the chronic smoke issues that had existed for generations.
We also restore commercial chimneys. In 1997, we relined a 120-foot chimney for Verizon Communications in College Park using Ahrens Chimney Technique, a cast in place masonry chimney lining method. At the time, it was described as the largest commercial project of its kind.
The project reduced a 33 inch by 33 inch square chimney opening to 28 inch round on a chimney 120 feet tall. It also contributed to the development of Chamber Tech 2000 for protecting the lower section of the chimney where diesel generator exhaust entered the stack.
The chimney was poured in just two and a half days, the project was completed in one week, and the specialized methods used on the job reportedly saved Verizon about $100,000 compared with other repair approaches then in use.
Long-Term Experience
We have spent decades helping develop and apply practical solutions for chimney and fireplace design, repair, relining, restoration, and performance issues.
Call 301-972-8558 to talk through your fireplace or chimney project.