Benzie County
Chimney Work in Benzie County
Benzie County occupies a short stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline in the northwest Lower Peninsula, with Beulah as the county seat, Frankfort on the water and the Betsie River running through it. It is the smallest county in Michigan by land area and one of the most resort-dependent.
Resort housing means a high share of second homes, and second homes mean intermittent heating – the same pattern that drives moisture problems in flues along the Huron shore, with the added factor of substantially heavier lake-effect snow on this side of the state.
Steep Roofs and Access in Benzie County
A lot of the newer construction around Crystal Lake and Frankfort uses steep roof pitches to shed snow, which is good for the roof and awkward for chimney work. Steep pitch means staging and fall protection rather than a ladder, and it is the main reason chimney service here is best scheduled in the warm months.
It also means the chimney extends higher above the roofline than it would on a shallow-pitch house, leaving more unsupported masonry exposed to wind. Tall stacks on steep roofs are where we most often find cracked crowns and loose upper courses.