Chicago · Oak Park · Evanston · Naperville · Elgin · Joliet
Brick chimneys, rebuilt for Chicago winters.
Crown and tuckpointing repair on bungalows and two-flats, leak and flashing work, furnace and water-heater flue liners, gas fireplace repair, sweeping and rebuilds across the city and suburbs. Every job starts with a free inspection.
What's going on?
Name the problem. See the fix.
The fireplace and chimney problems we see most across the Chicago area, what's usually behind them, and the typical 2026 price range.
Typical 2026 prices around Chicago. Cleanings are priced at the free inspection, and your exact price is in writing before any work starts.
Wood and gas
One brick stack, several jobs.
Behind a Chicago bungalow or two-flat, one chimney often carries a wood fireplace flue next to the flues for a gas boiler, furnace or water heater. We check what every flue in the stack is connected to before we sweep, reline or rebuild anything.
Masonry
From a few soft joints to a new top.
Bungalow Belt brick, greystone side walls, postwar ranches and newer homes with metal chases: chimneys here wear out from the crown down. We fix what can be saved and rebuild what can't.
Why Chicago chimneys fail
Frost, lake wind and old flues.
What we see most from Evanston to Joliet.
freeze-thaw days a year
Worked out from NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for O'Hare, the thermometer crosses 32°F on about 78 days a year. Every crossing lets water in a crack freeze and push it open a little more. Chimney crown repair
of lake-effect snow in one night
On November 9–10, 2025, the National Weather Service logged 10 inches in Winthrop Harbor, 5.7 in West Ridge and 5.2 in Evanston, driven in off Lake Michigan. Chimney leak repair
of Chicago homes predate 1940
About 496,000 homes in the city were built before 1940 (Census ACS 2020–24), and most still vent a gas boiler, furnace or water heater through a clay flue. Furnace and water heater liners
The first visit
The inspection is free.
Nothing to pay for the look. We inspect, show you the photos, and write the price down before anyone picks up a trowel.
Chimney inspection
- Crown, cap, flashing and brick from the roof
- Flue, damper, smoke chamber and firebox from inside
- Every appliance connected to the stack
- A written price for anything that needs doing
Buying or selling a house
- The same roof-to-firebox look before closing
- Written findings with photos
- Illinois' disclosure form asks sellers about chimney leaks and defects (item 6) and fireplace or wood stove defects (item 13)
Gas fireplaces
A gas fire that starts on the first click.
Between 75% and 91% of homes across the city and suburbs heat with gas, and plenty of fireplaces run on it too. We trace pilot, thermocouple, igniter and valve faults, service the unit and vent, and set gas inserts into old wood fireplaces. Smell gas? Get out first, then call Peoples Gas (866-556-6002) in Chicago or Nicor Gas (888-642-6748) in the suburbs.
Where we work
Chicago and the suburbs, Waukegan to Joliet.
FAQ
Questions
Do you charge for the inspection?
No. The inspection is free. We look at the chimney from the roof and from the firebox, take photos, and write down the price of anything that needs doing before any work starts. Cleanings are priced at that same visit.
Where does Chicago require carbon monoxide alarms?
Illinois law requires a CO alarm within 15 feet of every room used for sleeping in a home with a fireplace, a fuel-burning heater or an attached garage. The City of Chicago adds two more spots: inside any bedroom that has a fireplace or fuel-burning appliance, and in the same room as every furnace, boiler and water heater.
Is there a wood-burning ban in Chicago?
No. Neither Chicago nor Illinois runs a fireplace or wood-stove burn ban program. The city's own advice is simple: if you have a vented fireplace, have the chimney cleaned every year, and burn only dry, seasoned wood.
Why do chimney crowns crack so often around Chicago?
Freeze-thaw. Working from NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for O'Hare, the temperature crosses the freezing line on about 78 days a year. Water that gets into a small crack freezes, expands and pries it wider each time, so a crown that was only a mortar wash tends to break up first.
What mortar goes on an old Chicago brick chimney?
Mortar that is softer than the brick. The National Park Service's guidance on repointing historic masonry says harder mortar sends the stress into the brick and causes cracking and spalling. Chicago common brick hasn't been made since 1981, so we also match damaged brick with salvaged commons rather than new face brick.
How often should a chimney be checked?
Once a year. NFPA 211, the national standard, calls for chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected every year and cleaned when needed, and Nicor Gas tells customers to have gas appliances inspected at least once a year too.
Book online
Pick a day. We'll bring a ladder.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.