← Chimney sweep bid calculator
Enough to cover the hours on that roof, not enough to match the cheapest postcard on the block. A one-story gas fireplace and a three-story wood stove with glazed creosote are not the same job, and a flat “house sweep” price cannot see the difference.
Open the free bid calculatorStart with the on-roof time for each appliance on a single-story, easy roof. A wood fireplace is often around an hour; a wood stove or insert runs longer because of the connector and the tighter flue; a gas fireplace is shorter. Multiply those hours by the stories — two-story work is not 2×, but it is not 1× either — and add a steep or snow-ice factor on the whole stop. That is the sweep. Everything else is extra.
Light soot is the sweep you already priced. Moderate buildup adds scrape time. Glazed creosote adds chemical and a lot of scrape time, per flue. A Level 2 or camera inspection is another pass, not a nicer name for the same sweep. A nest or an animal is its own half-hour-plus. If those lines are “included” in a $199 special, they are unpaid.
Miles are a round trip. Twelve miles at 35 mph is not “in the neighborhood”; it is forty minutes on the clock before you climb. A trip / truck fee exists because the first hour of a tiny gas job still required the van, the insurance, and the setup. If on-site time would land under your minimum, charge the minimum.
A sweep paid $28 often costs more than $36 once employer taxes, roof-work workers’ compensation, liability, and paid time off are counted. Overhead sits on top of that direct cost. Margin is a share of the price the customer sees, not a markup you add last and forget. The walk-away number is total cost: below it the stop makes nothing, even before you pay yourself.
This is not a CSIA standard, not an NFPA 211 requirement, and not a finding that a chimney is safe to use. The starting hours are ballpark figures so a sweep can see the shape of a bid. Replace them with times from your own stops, confirm condition on the roof, and have a qualified professional review anything that has to be signed or insured.
Price this stop in the calculator
Charge the hours the stop will actually take — flue type times stories and roof access, plus creosote, inspection, animal work, travel, and a trip fee — then divide cost by one minus your target margin. A flat house price hides the difference between a one-story gas fireplace and a three-story wood stove.
Height, flue count, fuel, and creosote. Climbing a three-story with rods is not a one-story job, and a glazed wood stove is not a gas fireplace. A neighborhood special that ignores those lines is how a sweep works a half day for a one-hour price.
No. Starting hours are editable ballpark figures, not a standard, a code table, or a finding that any flue is safe, clean, or due for repair. Confirm condition on site.