An often forgotten component of any home is the chimney. The chimney is vital to many homes, as it offers either a functional or decorative purpose for a home. While the chimney might look great, it can present problems if it is not taken care of properly. One of the best things you can do to your chimney is to install a chimney cap. Continue reading to learn more about chimney caps and some tips for choosing one. Continue reading »
Before homeowners make any new addition to their home, one of the prevalent questions they ask is, “Will it improve my home value?”. By the way, that’s a very important question because no one wants to make an investment that would not yield sufficient returns.
In a study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 77% of home buyers were looking for homes with a fireplace. This shows the intrinsic value of having a chimney. If you’re going to have a chimney, then why would the one thing that will help preserve its worth be absent? Chimney caps are crucial because they help to prevent moisture, buildup, animals, and drafts from entering the chimney. This helps to protect the integrity of your chimney. Learn more about how to correct an improper draft at chimneykings.com
Custom chimney caps are further designed to meet a home’s specific needs, which makes them even more valuable. Here are the top ways a custom chimney cap can increase your home value.
- Increase Appraisal Value
As a rule of thumb, additions made to a building increases its appraisal value. The National Association of Realtors estimates that having a fireplace in a property can increase its appraisal value by up to 12%. Then it’s only reasonable that you install a custom chimney cap to protect your fireplace and chimney.
- Protect Your Chimney
Moisture getting into the chimney accelerates the deterioration of the chimney and it also promotes the growth of mold and mildews. Wind drafts reduce the efficiency of the fireplace and pull smoke back inwards. Animals residing in the chimney can pollute the chimney areas, which leads to degradation. Without a chimney cap, you can be assured that all of these damages will negatively impact your home value. That’s why it’s prudent to have a chimney cap if you have a chimney. Even better, you can get a custom chimney cap from Master Caps.
- Attract Prospective Buyers
If you plan on listing your property, a custom chimney cap in your chimney will help to attract more prospective buyers. As we’ve seen from the earlier studies highlighted, home buyers want a fireplace where they can spend time with their family. A custom chimney cap is designed to optimize the efficiency of your chimney and it will be a strong sell. Moreover, having many potential buyers means you can easily get a better offer.
- Enhances Aesthetic Appeal
A custom-built chimney cap is designed to perfectly complement the house in terms of its size, material, color, and more. That’s why the chimney cap is a great way to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your home. When potential buyers see it, they envision living a warm and comfortable life in that home, making the sell easier. With Master Caps, you get to design a custom chimney cap that speaks best to your preference.
Conclusion
Installing a custom chimney cap is a great investment because it not only protects the integrity of your fireplace but it also improves its aesthetic appeal and value. Kindly contact Master Caps if you want a custom chimney cap that is built to last and sure to increase your home value.
Most homeowners don’t even think twice about adding a chimney cap onto their chimney. They don’t deem a simple piece of a metal as important. Whether it’s a copper chimney cap or a colored steel chase cover. Although, this assumption is very dangerous and misleading for several reasons. That simple piece of metal has a complex job and it includes keeping your home safe.
The first reason being that chimney caps protect much more than your chimney, they protect your family and even home. Secondly, chimney caps increase the value of your home, especially if they are copper.
Why Having a Chimney Cap is Necessary
Let’s start by going over what a chimney cap does and why it’s necessary to have one. Many don’t know this but chimney caps are actually crucial to the safety and well-being of the home. If the home has a fireplace, a chimney cap should be installed.
If you don’t have a chimney cap installed, there are risks your home is now prone to. All of these risks are serious and even unavoidable without a chimney cap. All issues that come with an uncovered chimney flu are health hazards and can be life threatening. Of course, this can all be prevented by getting a chimney cap is installed.
So, what exactly is a chimney cap keeping you safe from? They prevent costly water leaks, chimney-related fires, and even animal infestation.
Why Chimney Leaks are so Dangerous
Essentially, a chimney is an open hole just waiting for debris to fall into it. When it’s not covered up, rain can easily access the chimney flu.
On average, Texas receives 40 inches of rainfall in a year. That’s almost 3 and a half feet in water. Now think about if you haven’t had a chimney cap installed for just two years. Your chimney could potential be leaking up to 6 feet and 6 inches of water…that’s the same height as Michael Jordan!
Now what’s the big deal, right? I’m sure you’e thinking water will evaporate and if a leak does occur you’ll know it. Sometimes leaks are found before they spread into other sections of the home. Although, most times this isn’t the case. The majority of chimney leaks aren’t found until they reach the walls of the home.
Once the rain does seep into the walls of your house, there are many health risks that are now present. Harmful mold and fungus will begin to grow, often leaving a faint smell. Therefore, it’s hard to detect exactly where a leak is coming from.
Instead of waiting for the worst to happen, you are much better off just investing in an effective chimney cap right away.
How Chimney Fires Start
Fires that are started by unsafe chimney are much more common than people may think. Whether it’s from a buildup of creosote or something is blocking the chimney, nobody is ever prepared for a fire. Chimney-related fires are hard to put out. Therefore, more than the chimney of a home burns down.
When a chimney flu is left open, things are bound to fall into it. Things such as leaves, sticks, and hail are all very common objects that tend to find their way into the chimney flu. All of these create an unsafe environment where a fire can now start at any moment.
Above all, living things can get into the chimney as well. Raccoons, opossums, These critters can create serious damage in your chimney, as well as start fires.
Sometimes, the wildlife even moves into walls or attic of the home. This can become very dangerous for many reasons. It increases the chances of your family having direct contact with the undomesticated animals.
Objects, living or not, block the smoke from exiting the flu correctly. When this happens, whatever’s in the way is very likely to catch on fire. A chimney cap is the only way to stop things from falling in the chimney and costing you money from repairs.
Wildlife Living in the Chimney
As it may seem, undomesticated animals can cause issues when proper precautions are not in place. For example, imagine if your home didn’t have any walls. Obviously, you would feel unsafe from the dangers that lurk outside of your home. No, I’m not talking about robbers or even the lack privacy you would have.
Wildlife, rain, insects, and even unwanted plants would find their way into your home. All of these things could cause you and your family harm. Although, of course this could have been avoided. All you needed was a preventive.
Now, use that same predicament for a chimney. Walls give your home security and a sense of protection, just as a chimney cap does but for your chimney. Without a cover over your chimney flu, the same things that would come into your chimney as they would in a home without walls.
It’s very common for wildlife to climb into the chimney. When they do, they make it a permanent home for themselves and the rest of the animal’s family. Before you know it they start to multiple and move to other places in the home, such as the walls and attic.
You are much better from investing in that hardy chimney cap than unknowingly letting these animals highhandedly take over your home.
Avoiding Predicaments Before they Happen
How do I prevent my chimney from starting a fire, leak, or letting animals in? Add a copper chimney cap, or any Masters Services chimney cap of choice to your chimney. Having a chimney cap installed eliminates all of these specified health hazards.
Several homeowners don’t take a chimney cap into consideration when they have never had any issues with their chimney or fireplace in the place. Although, if you don’t have a chimney, you are essentially waiting for the worse to happen. For instance, when condensation is stuck in the chimney, it will continue to build up until it turns into a leak.
Water leaks, potential fire hazards, and being at risk for an animal invasion can all be avoided. Overall, installing a chimney cap will be extremely beneficial in the long run.
About Copper Chimney Caps
Our favorite and most popular material that we use is copper. There is no doubt that copper has a beautiful and timeless look. That’s one of the reasons it’s our absolute favorite pick!
When looking for a cap that will effectively do the job, durability is a key factor you want to look for. Likewise, one important fact about copper is that it is very strong. It can withstand high temperatures and does not bend or tear with ease. This is something that should be taken in consideration when searching for a chimney cap that’s right for you.
How Chimney Caps Increase home Value
Chimney caps are must for your home’s safety but they also serve another purpose. Having a chimney cap increases the value of your home. This means the worth of your house goes up when you install a chimney cap. With a copper chimney cap, your home value is bound to increase. I mean just take a look at what a copper chimney cap can do for a chimney flu!
Who wouldn’t love a copper chimney cap for their home? Seriously, look at that beauty. No wonder copper chimney caps are so popular.
If you are selling your home or even revamping the style of your existing home, a copper chimney cap is the perfect place to start. The style of your home doesn’t revolve around a chimney cap material but it will always match your style.
When selling a home, the buyer doesn’t just look at the layout of the home. They look at the convenience. This includes anything that could potentially need an expensive repair done later on. Therefore, when an attractive and working chimney cap is already installed, this is appealing to the possible home buyer.
The main purpose of chimney caps is to keep you and your family’s home safe. On the other hand, they also improve the overall style of the home. This is an added plus for some. Although, many decide they want one mostly for looks. All they want is a chimney cap that’s best for the growth of the home’s style. The copper chimney cap is the absolute best option for doing just that.
Other Chimney Caps we Offer
Although, our copper chimney cap is beautiful and extremely popular, it’s not always for everyone. Surely, not one chimney cap fits every homeowners style. Because of this, Master Caps offers a variety of styles and materials for any size chimney cap.
Whether your chimney is small or large, tall or short, we can always make a fitting chimney cap based on your personal needs. No matter the circumstance, your chimney always needs a chimney cap. With Master Caps, a chimney cap can be shipped to you as soon as you customize it and we make it.
We also other option when looking at materials for chimney caps, colored steel. Now colored steel chimney caps aren’t as eye catching as as our chimney chimney caps, they are affordable and still look expensive.
Master Caps has names for all of our chimney caps. Copper is our most popular material, now let’s talk about about our most popular chimney cap design. Here we have, the #1 chimney cap. Hints the name, it is our best selling chimney cap. It is also our least expensive chimney cap. Below is a photo of the #1 chimney cap.
Now let’s talk about our Hayes and Hayes Bell chimney caps. These chimney cap designs are often made with copper. Many times you can find these installed on larger homes or homes with more than one chimney.
Developing a Style for your Home
Many new homeowners struggle with developing a unique and elegant look for their home. Oftentimes, homeowners will make the mistake of choosing a style that will soon go out of fashion. With chimney caps you never have to worry about that.
Our chimney caps are all available for customization or upgrades of any kind. Therefore, you get a unique but effective chimney cap design. All of our Masters Caps are prefabricated and made by our company. This way, every customer receives an authentic cap from their chimney.
Copper chimney caps are quite popular because they tend to match with almost anything. This is why it’s great for new homeowners. Many homeowners switch around the overall style of their home several times before they feel comfortable in their house.
No matter how many times you feel like you need to change up your home decor, copper never goes out of fashion and will look the part for many years.
Don’t live in Texas?
Master Caps acknowledged that the need and want for chimney caps doesn’t just apply to the Lone Star State. We decided to start taking chimney cap orders from anywhere in the United States. As a result, people all over the country wanted a chimney cap from Master Caps by Masters Services.
If you are interested in having a copper chimney cap, or any chimney cap you desire, shipped to your home. Give us a call at 972-877-4650 or click here to build your own chimney cap.