Guides
How to bundle chimney sweep services for a small operation
Bundling chimney sweep services means fixing what each package includes, what it costs per flue, and when the annual inspection and creosote treatment are sold.
What to take away
To bundle chimney sweep services for a small operation, fix the scope of each package first, price it from your own minutes, and sell it in the season that creates the demand.
- A bundle is a fixed scope sold at one price, not a discount on an hourly rate.
- Set the price from your own minutes per flue, drive time, and material cost, never from a competitor's flyer.
- Sell each package in the season that creates the demandpreseason, post-storm, real-estate closing, cottage opening.
- Every package needs a written scope, an exclusion list, and a callback rule.
- Review package margin monthly; retire any package that runs under your target.
This article covers business systems only. For clearance, venting, or defect questions, refer the customer to a WETT-certified technician and the authority having jurisdiction under NFPA 211.
What a bundle actually is
A bundle is one price for a defined scope: a stated number of flues, a stated appliance, a stated report, and a stated callback window. It is not an hourly rate with a friendly name.
Write the scope before you write the price. Two sweeps quoting the same house should land within one flue of each other on labor.
The scope line does the selling. "Sweep and inspect one wood appliance, one flue, written report within 48 hours" closes faster than any adjective.
Build and price the package in six steps
Work through these in order, and write the numbers down as you go.
Package Price Variables
- Mminutes on site per flue
- Ddrive and setup minutes
- Rloaded hourly rate
- Cconsumables per job
Six Steps to Build a Package
- Count every flue before quoting
- Time ten jobs with a stopwatch
- Write scope in one sentence
- Price from M, D, R, C
- Pilot on ten jobs
- Set review date within 90 days
1. Count the flues before you quote. Walk the property and list every flue, appliance, and termination on the work order. A price built on a guessed flue count is a refund you chose.
2. Time ten jobs. Record on-site minutes per flue and drive plus setup minutes on ten real jobs. Use a stopwatch, not your memory of how long a job should take.
3. Write the scope in one sentence. Name the appliance, the flue count, the report, the callback window, and the price. A new hire can run the job from that sentence alone.
4. Price it from your own numbers. Build every package from four variables you control:
Build and price
M= minutes on site per flueD= drive and setup minutesR= your loaded hourly rate, including insurance, vehicle, and toolsC= consumables per job, such as brushes, sheets, and filter bags
Package price = ((M + D) / 60 x R) + C + target margin. Substitute your own figures. If a package cannot carry your target margin at your real minutes, the scope is wrong, not the price.
5. Pilot it on ten jobs. Sell the package, record real minutes and callbacks, and compare the margin against your target. Ten jobs is the smallest run that shows a pattern.
6. Set a review date. Name an owner and a date no more than 90 days out. Rewrite the scope or retire the package if margin or callback rate moves the wrong way.
Minutes per flue and drive time move the price more than anything else. A single wood appliance flue typically takes 45 to 75 minutes on site. Drive and setup usually run 20 to 40 minutes in a compact service area.
Most small operators treat a 50% to 65% gross margin as the floor for a package, and your own overhead sets the exact number. Track two numbers monthly: average minutes per flue and callback rate per package. A package with a rising callback rate is underpriced or badly scoped.
The 17 packages, and who each one is for
Package Price Ranges
Package
- Annual inspection only
- $75-$150
- Inspection and sweep
- $200-$400
- Chimney cap
- $150-$500
Typical Price
- Annual inspection only
- Inspection and sweep
- Chimney cap
- Annual inspection only.No sweeping. Suits landlords and insurers who need a dated record; priced as a flat visit fee, typically $75 to $150 in most markets.
- Inspection and sweep.The core residential sale. One appliance, one flue, written report, typically $200 to $400.
- Wood-stove service.Baffle removal, gasket check, and flue sweep. Requires the stove model on the work order.
- Gas fireplace vent check.Visual vent and termination check only. Confirm scope limits with your credential before selling it.
- Real-estate report package.Inspection plus a dated photo report for a closing file. Sold to agents and buyers on a deadline.
- Landlord portfolio.Multi-address pricing with one invoice per property and one annual summary.
- Hospitality property.Restaurants, inns, and rental cabins. Sold on a scheduled off-hours window.
- Chimney cap.Supply and fit, priced as a separate line so the sweep invoice stays clean, typically $150 to $500 depending on material.
- Crown protection.Sealing and minor crown work within your competence; anything structural goes to a mason.
- Water-entry diagnosis.A diagnostic visit with a written finding, credited against the repair if the customer proceeds.
- Masonry maintenance.Repointing and minor repair, scheduled in the shoulder season.
- Dryer-vent add-on.Attached to a sweep visit, priced per run and per floor, typically $100 to $200 for a single run.
- New-homeowner.First-year sweep plus a walkthrough of what the system does. Sold through agents and inspectors.
- Preseason priority.A booked autumn slot at a premium, sold in July and August.
- Post-storm inspection.Rapid-response visit after a wind event. Price the emergency premium openly.
- Multi-flue.Per-flue pricing with a declining rate after the second flue.
- Maintenance membership.Annual sweep plus one inspection, billed monthly or yearly, with a locked slot, commonly $25 to $40 a month or $250 to $450 a year.
How to sell them without a discount war
Sell the package rather than the hour. A customer comparing two hourly quotes will pick the lower one; a customer comparing two scopes will pick the one that names what they get.
Put the scope, the exclusions, and the callback window in writing on every quote. The FTC guidance on advertising claims applies to a sweep's flyer as much as to any other small business: claims must be truthful and supported.
Keep records that show what you sold and what it cost. The IRS recordkeeping guidance sets out the categories a business should retain, and a package margin review needs the same paperwork.
The EPA chimney sweep resources are useful customer-facing material on annual inspection and wood burning. Hand them out with the quote.
Proof to see before spending
Before you add a package, ask for the evidence behind it.
Proof to see
- A pilot of at least ten jobs with real minutes recorded.
- A written scope a new hire could follow without asking you.
- A price that covers
M,D,R, andCat your own figures. - A callback rule stating what you redo free and what you bill.
- A review date, no more than 90 days out, with a named owner.
If the package cannot show all five, it is a favor to a customer, not a product. Compare your menu against the service and package structures other sweeps publish before you finalize pricing, and check what the National Fire Code of Canada requires of a sweep's documentation if you sell into that market.
Common questions
How many packages should a small operation carry?
Start with three: inspection and sweep, preseason priority, and maintenance membership. Add one package per quarter only after the previous one shows a stable margin. A menu of seventeen is a destination, not a launch.
Should I discount for a bundle?
No. Bundle by adding scope, not by cutting rate. If a customer wants a lower number, remove a line from the scope and show them the revised price. A discount on an underpriced package is a loss you chose.
How do I price a multi-flue job?
Price the first flue at your standard rate and apply a declining rate to each additional flue, because drive and setup are already paid. Set the decline from your own D figure. Never quote a flat house price before you have counted the flues.
What belongs in the written scope?
The appliance and the number of flues. What is included and what is excluded. The report you will leave. The callback window and the price. Anything you would argue about later belongs in the scope now. For how other sweeps package services for customers, compare wording before you commit.
