If you have fireplace needs, contact Guy - he is a wonderful person.
A mason worked on the chimney at our home, resulting in the brick top being resized and top plate original top plate no longer fitting (that's the shiny sheet metal cap at the chimney top which keeps embers from exiting and rain from entering.) It turns out this part is extremely hard to find. It's normally sold as part of a liner kit. I tried furnace specialists, hvac parts suppliers, fireplace businesses, hardware stores, and it was looking like I might need to hire a sheet metal manufacturing company to cut and build to my size specification, which I have been told would have a steep price tag. I'm glad I tried one more fireplace business...
Guy seriously came to the rescue. Not only did he provide the part I need, he used his tools to cut and shape the part so it fit on short notice. He had an 18"x18" top plate but he cut it into the 12"x12" I need and he gave it a folded edge so it fits my chimney securely, and it uses welds to hold the chimney crown in place (the previous one used rivets) so it won't let any rain in or let rust develop. I had been advised to do this myself with metal shears - there is no way I could have had the same results on my own. Guy talked with me about options I hadn't considered, for example putting a small curve into the plate so rainwater rolls off and doesn't collect and generate rust spots. Rust developed on my old one where rain runs off the crown, and in the new one the crown is oversized so rain won't do the same thing. And the price he charged was reasonable - I hope to repay him for his work through referrals whenever fireplace needs come up in conversation.
Guy went above and beyond. He helped with my chimney needs, to the point that the masonry company was impressed and said they've had customers who've needed to special order to solve the same problem - the masonry company asked for his contact info for their own referrals!
This location is out of the way for me, I'm coming from West Seattle, but the next time I need anything fireplace related, I will be coming back to Issaquah to work with Guy again. Thompson Hearth and Home goes the extra mile to make their customers happy.
