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Chim-Tex Construction Co.
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About Chim-Tex

Started with a chimney brush.
Grew into eight trades.

Chim-Tex started in 2008 as a one-man chimney sweep with a pickup and a brush. Eighteen years later it is a full-trade construction company.

The work that drives the calendar is fireplace installation and rebuild. The work that lets us deliver those projects without coordination drama is the eight construction trades we kept under one roof. Most fireplace contractors in Houston bundle four to six subcontractor crews for every job. We hire the trades directly.

The same crew that frames the chase also runs the venting, installs the firebox, lays the surround tile, and patches the ceiling. One schedule. One bill. One person accountable. The customer never hears "you need to call the electrician" from us.

Roland San Lucas, senior fireplace installer at Chim-Tex Construction, on the Blue Jack National build in Hockley, TX
Roland San Lucas on the Blue Jack National build in Hockley, TX.

"The sweep that other sweeps call" is the old tagline, and it still fits.

When a chimney company or fireplace contractor runs into something they can't handle, we're the one they call.

That reputation didn't come from marketing. It came from doing the work right enough times that the trade knows our name. Houston is a big metro and a tight construction trade. People talk. The fastest way to build a reputation in this business is to fix the project the previous contractor walked away from.

Headquartered at 14300 Northwest Fwy in Houston and serving all of Texas. For the right project we travel anywhere. Houston metro is the core market. The Texas Gulf Coast (Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport, South Padre, Port Lavaca) is a heavy second. DFW, Austin, San Antonio, east and west Texas round out the calendar.

The path from then to now

Eighteen years.
Eight trades.

  1. 2008

    One brush, one truck, one phone.

    Lou starts Chim-Tex out of his garage in Houston. Initial scope: chimney sweep and inspection. First customers come from word-of-mouth referrals.

  2. 2010

    First masonry trade comes in-house.

    After a year of subcontracting brick and stone work that kept missing deadlines, masonry becomes the first full-time trade on the Chim-Tex payroll. The pattern starts.

  3. 2013

    Welding shop opens.

    Custom firebox fabrication and steel surround work demands an in-house welder. The shop expands to handle fabrication for outside contractors too.

  4. 2016

    Full-trade construction company.

    Plumbing (gas line work), electrical, framing, sheetrock, tile, and roofing are all in-house. The company shifts from "fireplace contractor with subs" to "full-trade construction company specializing in fireplaces."

  5. 2020

    Coastal projects expand.

    A growing share of work comes from the Texas Gulf Coast: Galveston, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Rockport. Salt-air and hurricane-rated builds become a real specialty.

  6. 2024

    Statewide service.

    Travel projects across Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, east Texas, and the Texas Hill Country become a regular part of the calendar. The Houston metro stays the core market.

  7. Today

    The sweep that other sweeps call.

    Eighteen years in. Eight trades on one payroll. A reputation built across the Texas construction trade. The tagline is the same as the day Lou started picking up the phone.

The crew

Named. Credentialed.
On the job.

Every project runs off a real person accountable for the trade. Below is who runs each side of the work at Chim-Tex.

Lou

Founder & Director of Operations

Started the company in 2008 as a one-man chimney sweep. USMC veteran. Reads every message that comes in. On site for every custom build. Reachable directly at 832-242-8155.

Roland San Lucas

Senior fireplace installer

Longtime Chim-Tex crew member. Pictured on the Blue Jack National build in Hockley, TX. The person on your job site when Lou is on the phone with the next one.

Daniel Sanchez

Expert carpenter (framing lead)

Runs the framing side of every custom build. Chase construction, structural framing around the firebox, headers, and bump-outs are Daniel's work. Engineered framing when the project calls for it.

Nate Garza

Roofing lead & OSHA safety professional

OSHA-certified safety professional. Runs the roofing crew including the Park Cities Presbyterian Church install in Dallas at approximately fifty feet off the ground. Chase flashing, cap replacement, and full reroofs when chimney work reveals underlying issues.

Credentials

Licensed. Bonded. Insured.
Documented.

USMC veteran owned

Founder Lou served in the United States Marine Corps before starting the company. The crew culture reflects that: punctual, organized, accountable, and clean.

Licensed and bonded

Fully licensed for the trades we perform in Texas. Bonded for the jurisdictions where bonding is required for permitted work.

General liability insurance

Two-million-dollar general liability policy. Certificate of insurance issued to the homeowner or general contractor before the first day of any project.

Workers' compensation

Active workers' compensation coverage for every crew member. The customer is protected from any work-site injury claim.

Tools and equipment coverage

Full coverage on our tools, fabrication equipment, and work vehicles. If something happens on a job site, no work delay traces to insurance paperwork.

CertainTeed certified roofer

CertainTeed roofing certification for shingle and steep-slope roofing work. When chimney work exposes underlying roofing problems, we handle the roofing to the same certified standard.

How we run a project

Marine Corps clock.
Marine Corps standards.

01

Show up early

If the crew is scheduled for 7:30, the crew is on site at 7:15. If something will delay arrival, the customer hears about it before the scheduled time, not after.

02

Finish what we start

A Chim-Tex crew does not leave a customer with an in-progress job and a long silence. Communication runs daily. Final handoff is when the homeowner says the work is done.

03

Clean at the end of every day

Construction work is messy. The way the site looks at 5 PM is the customer's view of the project. We clean.

04

Treat the home like our own

Drop cloths down. Doors closed. Pets accounted for. Air purifiers running where we are creating dust. Standard practice, not a special request.

05

Answer the phone

During business hours, an actual person picks up. After hours, calls roll to voicemail and we return them the same business day. No call-center, no chatbot, no "your call is important."

06

Document the work

Every project closes with photo documentation, the written warranty, the permit close-out paperwork, and the manufacturer registration for any factory-built units.

About-the-company questions

What customers ask
about the shop.

How big is the Chim-Tex crew?

The full payroll covers all eight trades and varies between fifteen and twenty-two people depending on the project mix and the season. The active crew on any given project is sized to the work: a typical residential install runs three to five trade workers on site simultaneously.

Do you only work on fireplaces?

Fireplaces are what we specialize in and what drives the calendar. The eight trades are the broader capability that the fireplace work requires. For existing customers and projects adjacent to fireplace work, we will take on outdoor kitchen builds, masonry restorations, full chimney rebuilds, and similar full-trade construction work. We are not a general remodeler though.

Where is the office?

14300 Northwest Fwy, Suite A-21, Houston, TX 77040. Northwest Houston, off I-290 inside Beltway 8. The shop is at the same address. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8 to 6, Saturday by appointment.

Do you have a Spanish-speaking crew?

Yes. Lou and most of the crew speak both English and Spanish. We are comfortable working in either language on site, and we can correspond in either language for quotes and contracts.

What is the most ambitious project you have done?

A floor-to-ceiling marble linear gas fireplace install in a Memorial-area new build, with an indoor-outdoor see-through configuration, full welded steel firebox, and a 16-foot mantel beam. The project ran across all eight trades over eleven weeks. The customer is still in touch.