Vent: Took on a fireplace job in Asheville and the mortar mix was off from the start

Last month I got a call to fix a fireplace in Asheville that was only 2 years old. The previous guy used a type S mortar on the firebox and it was already crumbling, which I should have spotted right away. I spent three days chipping out the old joints and redoing it with a proper refractory mix. Has anyone else run into problems with homeowners arguing about the cost of doing it right?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_stella12d ago

Did your client end up pushing back on the extra labor? My buddy had a similar situation in Boone last year, spent two full days chipping and resetting a crumbling firebox like yours, and the homeowner kept complaining about the bill like the original builder's mess was his fault. He finally had to pull out the written spec for refractory mix just to get them to pay up.

robinson.hannah12d ago

Was there any kind of written contract or quote that actually spelled out the materials? Because if the original guy put type S in a firebox that's not even a mistake, that's just straight up dangerous and probably a code violation.