My house was built in the 40's during a recent remodel the roof was raised requiring the height of the chimney to be increased. I just had a chimney inspection done and the inspector found that though the chimney was increased in height the flue wasn't! In addtion, the decorative cover is against code for wood burning fireplaces. The fireplace has never drawn well and the inspector is recommending the following: Increase length of the flue, replace the decorative cover with a standard spark arrestor, repair the posterior wall of the firebox, line the entire chimney with Fire Guard to fill in any cracks that are not visible in a non heated chimney. I had a second chimney inspection done and he agreed with the first guy except for the Fire Guard. He said he woould place a clay material up the chimney as far as he could reach to fill in any cracks. The second guy's estimate was considerably less that the first guy primarily because of the the "Fire Guard" application. Do either of these guys make sense? Obviously, I have contacted the contractor who had the chimney extended but I am not expecting much. HELP! I do want to repair the fireplace so that it can be used.