Chimney Repair and Sweeping in Downers Grove, Illinois
Downers Grove is a 1960s and '70s village at heart, built around a railroad town from the 1800s. The inspection is free, and you get a written price before any work.
Pierce Downer, a farmer from upstate New York, staked his claim here in 1832, and the grove of bur oaks he settled by gave the village its name. The Burlington railroad reached town in 1864, and today three Metra stops, Belmont Road, Main Street and Fairview Avenue, still mark out the older blocks. Some houses near the center date from the mid-1800s, and the village has 68 confirmed Sears kit homes plus kit houses from Harris Brothers, Wardway and Aladdin.
Most of the housing came later. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey puts the median year built at 1974, with about 40 percent of homes from the 1960s and '70s and fewer than 9 percent from before 1940. About 83 percent heat with gas. That makes the usual Downers Grove chimney a brick stack from a split-level or ranch, with a fireplace flue beside a furnace and water-heater flue. We look at both on the free inspection.
Sixty-year-old crowns and flashing
A chimney from the 1960s has been through roughly sixty winters. From NOAA's 1991–2020 normals for O'Hare, the air dips below freezing and climbs back above it on about 78 days a year, and each cycle works water deeper into hairline cracks in the crown and the mortar joints. Many crowns from that era are a sloped layer of mortar rather than a poured slab, so they tend to fail first.
Typical ranges here: minor crown repair $150–$700, a new poured crown $1,000–$3,000, flashing $300–$1,800 and tuckpointing $500–$2,500. When only the top courses are loose, rebuilding the top few feet with a new crown usually runs $600–$1,000.
Teardowns, additions and the flue left behind
Downers Grove has had one of the highest teardown rates around Chicago, and many of the houses that stayed have been remodeled. A common result is a new high-efficiency furnace venting out a side wall while the old water heater keeps using a clay flue sized for two appliances. The exhaust cools in that oversized flue and condenses, which wets the mortar from the inside.
A liner sized to the water heater fixes it. An aluminum liner (gas appliances only) typically costs $625–$2,250 and a stainless liner $900–$3,800.
- Brick chimneys on 1960s–70s split-levels and ranches
- Kit homes and older houses near the Main Street station
- Newer homes on teardown lots, often with gas or factory-built fireplaces
Where we work in Downers Grove
Near the Main Street station · Belmont Road area · Fairview Avenue area · Downtown blocks around the Tivoli Theatre · North side · South side
FAQ
Downers Grove chimney questions
What does a chimney cleaning cost in Downers Grove?
We set that price at the free inspection, after we have seen the fireplace, the flue and the buildup. It is written down before any work starts.
We bought a teardown-replacement house with a gas fireplace. Does it need a yearly check?
Yes. NFPA 211 calls for a yearly inspection of chimneys, fireplaces and vents, and Nicor Gas tells customers to have gas appliances inspected at least once a year. We check the pilot, burner, glass seal and the vent outside.
Do I need a permit for chimney work in Downers Grove?
Rules vary from town to town, so we check what your village requires before the job is scheduled and tell you what applies.
When can you come?
Sunday through Friday in 3-hour windows: 8 to 11, 11 to 2 or 2 to 5. We are closed Saturday and call ahead to confirm.
Book online
Book in Downers Grove. The inspection is free.
Free inspection in a 3-hour window: 8 to 11, 11 to 2, or 2 to 5. We call to confirm before we arrive.