I saw a chimney specialist truck over at the construction office so I called him to check my chimney up at the roof since it looks like it might need repointing.  I told him over the phone that I had liners inside the chimney already so did not need them but please look up on the roof.  So the appointment was for today at 8:30. Two trucks show up.  The owner I spoke to gets out and says that they have to go inside the house first.   I was not ready for that since I was only asking about the chimney above the roof.  So I said no thank you.   So the owner turned to the helper in the other truck and said "She won't let us in" and he turned and got back in his truck and they both left.  He had an Irish drawing on his truck of a leprechaun and I wonder now if he is one of those Irish Travelers that swindle people.  I thought he might be OK since he was in the parking lot outside the construction office.  In case you don't know who the Irish Travelers are, they are a group or clan or pack of Irish immigrants from years ago who live in and around Virginia I think, and they go all over the east coast and swindle people for construction projects. For example they might sell someone a driveway coating and put down a coat of oil or very thin asphalt or never show up again sometimes. What may have happened here? --73.33.xxx.xxx

In other news, I learned that if you have a chimney made of bricks from before 1900, you need to be careful about what kind of mortar you use, because the vintage bricks weren't fired to the same strengths as modern bricks. And using the wrong type of mortar can ruin your vintage bricks, because the mortar needs to be softer in compression strength than the bricks, and have greater vapor permeability. Oldhouseguy has a nice column on repointing brick in older houses. --96.46.xxx.xx

Be Well. --173.63.xx.xx

I told the guy over the phone what I wanted and he did not say anything about having to come in. They could have done what I wanted, then rescheduled and come in at another time. Unless they are too busy with people changing heaters and having violations that don't allow that and they needed to not deal with my problem. But that scenario doesn't fit either. --73.33.xxx.xxx

Just like we have learned who will be a PITA tenant they have learned who will be a PITA customer and you probably fit into that category and he didn't need to deal with it so he left. --72.231.xxx.xxx

Miss Ally, I am an Irish Immigrant from the North of Ireland and I think you were smart to not let them in, for the work you were contemplating ,there was no reason for them to go inside,I tuckpointed the chimney on this house after we bought it forty some years ago with with small tubes of grey morter like caulking. It still looks good after all those years.The Travelers you talk about,were what we called Tinkers,back there.They were an iterent band of characters who traveled around the Irish countryside seeing what they could get their hands on without paying for it.we never could take our eyes off them,otherwise they would steal our eyes too.Frank,I must admit,I have used The Blarney, it has gotten me out of a few scrapes,no doubt ,but that's another story?And to be honest, you don't really have to climb up all those steps at Blarney Castle to acquire it,I can teach you.Charlie............... ............... ....... ..............may the road rise to meet you,may the wind..............Miss Ally,I'm proud of you............................................. --174.199.x.xxx

With electrical jobs, I refuse those in which I cannot check any part of the system. Too much liability. --66.226.xx.xx

The ones you mentioned,even conned Home Depot out of thousands somewhere in the Mid West...Charlie......... ......... ...... ............................. --174.199.x.xxx

Gail --71.203.xx.xx

Gail, Back in Ireland, the politically correct call them "travelers". We just call them tinkers or gypsies,which they are.Worked on a Hydro job in Perthshire in Scotland .There were a couple of families of Tinkers working on the job,what they did,was solder sheet copper together to put in place between the concrete butments, for expansion purposes. That was where they got the name originally,because they went around the country, making tin cups and pails out of sheet tin, they were quite good at what they did.Here in America we would classify them as tinknockers.Some of the ones who worked with us,would give you the shirts off their backs,which surprised us,different from the ones we were accustomed to.Charlie.....................thats your lesson in Irish history for today by professor Charlie...................go raith mait. ugut.......................... --174.199.x.xxx

Never met a Leprechaun I didn't like. --71.13.xx.xxx

Gail, a few years ago, the Irish government in all it's. Wisidom, built a series of houses for the "travelling community",they wouldn't go into the houses at the beginning, then eventually did,stayed a month or so,then up and left, but made sure to strip all the copper,before they did. Second lesson in Irish history.....Charlie.......................au revoir........................................................ --174.199.x.xxx

Back to landlording, I had bought a 4-plex and a corrupt PM gave like 10 graand to some plumber who failed to eeven write what the money was for? As if he had been a mystic consultant or something. --14.190.xxx.xxx

RB, Growing up in Ireland,that was one of the first lessons we learned, never let the Leprechaun out of your sight,even for an instant?............................Charlie......Gevans does a few recitations,I do too,that's when the Blarney comes into the picture...............it has the audience eating out of your hand............................ --174.199.x.xxx

Saw my handyman at the supermarket and told him about this. He said that he learned long ago to do what the customer wanted. Bill said that they may have some way of looking for in house leaks to determine if the chimney needed work. So perhaps they wanted to check inside for leaks first. I don't buy that. I was specific in what I wanted. I suspect they thought I didn't know what I was talking about when I said the chimney was lined already. --73.33.xxx.xxx

--174.199.x.xxx

Gail --71.203.xx.xx

Ally, I'm glad that you stood your ground and hope that your chimney repairs are done well by whomever you choose. Best of luck to all. --67.170.xxx.xxx

Miss Ally, your chimney has lasted this long,so don't be in any hurry to tuck point.Time enough to Spring,and weather is a little warmer,and you'll also have a choice of"experts", maybe even a Leprechaun,born near Newark.without an accent ^or"brogue" as they say here in America,where that came from, I wouldn't dare guess,Unless its tied into the corned beef kick that we hear so much about,especially around the 17th of March........Charlie................................................................... --174.199.x.xxx

They prolly wanted to place a blanket in each firebox if you have them. You could have asked what they do inside but they guessed were trouble and had a more important job elsewhere. --76.188.xxx.xx

cjo'h, the depiction of the Leprechaun is always a short red haired person. Is that what the travelers or tinkers look like in Ireland? Sort of red haired clan? Actually the red haired people from Biblical times were the Phoenicians and they were terrific sailors. Red hair and short legs to fit behind the oars, big shoulders to pull the oars and sail away. No doubt they made their way to the British Isles while the Vikings were trading down the Danube. --73.33.xxx.xxx

Actually Miss Ally,most are dark haired,they supposedly moved in from Eastern Europe,just like the people in parts of Galway,who are de descended from the wrecking of the Spanish Armada off the Coast of Connemara away back in the seventeenth century.Charlie.......................................................... --174.199.x.xxx

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riches --173.22.xx.xx

Gail --71.203.xx.xx

cjo'h! I am so happy you also know about the people from the Spanish Armada! A lot of Irish names are corruptions of Middle Eastern names. A garden club lady has the last name Izatt and she says she is a Scotswoman. Well Izatt is the Middle Eastern version of Isaac! Many of the Irish and Scots pulled the sailors out of the water and off the rocks and saved their lives, or had them arrive in town freezing cold and dripping wet. Many people don't know that the Arabs were master navigators and hired or kidnapped to navigate ships for war and trade. Good on you! --73.33.xxx.xxx

Miss Ally, just got home from a play by Brian Friel,Youl'd have enjoyed it.Dancing at Lughnasa .went big in the theatre District in lower Broadway some years ago and Londons West End. When the Abby did it.Good job someone plucked those people out of the water,It can get so gosh awful cold there. Had a couple of friends from Leitrim give my neighbour a price to do her chimney a few years ago, just like yours.One of them looked at it from three sides with binoculars.Saw enough to give her an estimate.Set up scaffolding and took bricks down to roof and rebuilt.Never had to go into her house,Came into ours for a spot of tea a few times. The chimney should be good for another hundred years.Wish we were as durable.Cement isn't too good for us.Charlie.............Oh! Gail the gypsies don't intermingle with the locals,keep and inter marry with each other and also have big fights among each others families,some deadly.......................The pubs don't like to see them coming................................. --174.199.xx.xx

Some contractors are flakes, in other news... --24.45.xxx.xx

Chris, some Contractors just think they are!Charlie............................................................ --174.199.xx.xx

and today we learned about tinkers, the black irish, tuck pointing and how important it is to trust your spidey sense when you smell the BS start to boil --76.176.xxx.xxx