Authentic Fireplaces, Inc.

Jim authentic is a master at his craft. Our fireplace was in need of help. I had a couple of fireplace businesses take a look and I wasn’t sold on their interpretation of status or their assessment of my fireplace. Jim came over by just looking at it almost immediately shared his thoughts on why it is in the condition it’s in as well as the steps necessary to bring the fireplace back to life. Mr. Jim is a true master of his craft; we thank him TONS and we strongly recommend Authentic Fireplaces to all. Once again Jim, THANK-YOU!!!
Aug 13th, 2021

It can be difficult to get ahold of Jim Crawford because he is so busy, but it's definitely worth the effort. He is "the man" when it comes to fireplace and chimney repairs. He does the job right and goes the extra mile to insure satisfaction. It cost me $5K have the effects of water damage from a broken chimney cap repaired, Once water gets in the cracks on the chimney cap, the brick will separate from the flu liner and it just gets a lot worse from there, so be sure and inspect your chimney cap and chimney for cracks at least once a year.
Feb 28th, 2020

Jim Crawford and his team did an incredible job on our chimney and fireplace repair and remodel. Jim came highly recommend as the best masonry chimney/fireplace expert in the area. That meant he was in high demand. After working with him, I can see why. He emphasized safety above all, and he ensured all work was done to artisan standards. He was also able to refer us to excellent contractors for other parts of our project (carpenter, tile setter, etc.). I highly recommend Jim for any masonry fireplace project.
Sep 23rd, 2019

Had my 1970ish Rancho Bernardo chimney repaired and relined, a spark arrester installed, and the interior of the fireplace sealed properly yesterday by Authentic Fireplaces Restoration. Seven hours and $2,500 later, I now have a safe and efficient fireplace/chimney. They did a great job, cleaned up very well. The initial camera inspection was done by Swede Chimney Sweep of Tierrasanta. Yes, initially I did leave messages on both the office and cell phones, as well as emailed. Jim Crawford is very good, is in great demand, so you need to be patient to get the initial appointment and then set up the work. But it was well worth waiting a few weeks for that to occur. I highly recommend this family-owned chimney restoration business.
Jul 2nd, 2019

Our realtors called Jim Crawford in to evaluate the fireplace on a 1947 home we hoped to purchase in El Cerrito (SDSU area). He did a thorough evaluation of the fireplace, the chimney and even the foundation under the fireplace, which were all in disrepair. Jim's report helped us convince the sellers that the fireplace and chimney were unsafe and that the required repairs should be reflected in the price of the home. We proceeded to purchase the home and waited patiently for Jim and his team to schedule our repairs. Jim and his team are well worth waiting for. We cannot say enough good things about Jim, his crew and Authentic Fireplaces, Inc. Everyone is professional and took amazing care both inside and outside our property. They even worked with our neighbors to get their approval to brace their scaffolding on the adjoining property to make it safer for all involved. When they left, there was no way to know that they had been there except that the fireplace and chimney were now repaired and in perfect condition. They raised the fireplace floor to better align with the hearth, repaired a large crack at the back of the firewall and painted the firebox black with heat tolerant paint to disguise the repairs, lined the chimney with stainless steel, removed all cracked and damaged bricks on the chimney, cut out accessible rusted steel and replaced approximately 20 damaged bricks with similar bricks from Jim's collection of antique bricks, installed a black stainless hooded spark arrested and a new air-tight (energy efficient and bee-tight) damper, rebuilt the chimney crown, caulked all gaps between the brick chimney and the house and finally sealed the crown and entire chimney with Chimney Saver. The work was extensive and the Authentic Fireplaces, Inc. team was totally professional and took great care with our property, inside and out. We are so thankful our realtors (Jenni and Gustavo Lopez) recommended Jim Crawford for the fireplace inspection. His work is excellent and he takes great pride in coming from a long line of Irish stone masons! I am attaching two photos. One is of the masking job they did in our living room to contain the dust from the repairs. The second is of the shored up foundation in the crawlspace under the fireplace.
Aug 19th, 2019