Chimney and fireplace service in Oak Park

Oak Park has some of the oldest housing in Cook County. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 survey counts 59.3 percent of the village's 24,872 housing units as built in 1939 or earlier, about 14,700 of them, and the median home dates to 1938. The Oak Park River Forest Historical Society puts it plainly: nearly all the village's housing went up between 1892 and 1950, and by 1930 Oak Park had 64,000 people, more than it has today.

Gas is the main heat in 77.4 percent of homes. In a house that old the masonry chimney typically serves the boiler or furnace and the water heater as well as the fireplace, and the clay tiles inside it have been taking acidic gas exhaust for decades. Our free inspection checks each flue from the roof and the firebox and ends with photos and a written price.

Wright, the Prairie School and big chimneys

Frank Lloyd Wright settled in Oak Park in 1889 and built many houses here before leaving in 1911, and the village now has the largest collection of Wright-designed homes anywhere. Prairie School houses tend to have broad, low chimneys that anchor the middle of the house, with wide fireplaces below. Those wide flues draw poorly if a cap or damper is wrong, and a smoky fireplace typically costs $140 to $850 to sort out.

A big central chimney also has a lot of crown and a lot of flashing. A crown with minor cracks typically runs $150 to $700 to repair and a new poured crown $1,000 to $3,000, and flashing $300 to $1,800. On any house with notable masonry we match the brick and keep the mortar softer than the brick, as the National Park Service advises for historic walls.

Historic districts and demolition

Oak Park has three historic districts, Ridgeland–Oak Park, the Frank Lloyd Wright–Prairie School of Architecture district and Gunderson, plus more than 70 local landmarks. The village's preservation page says a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed for full or partial demolition in a historic district, and that the commission doesn't review ordinary maintenance that needs no building permit.

That can matter for chimneys, because taking a stack down below the roofline may be treated as partial demolition. Removing a chimney below the roofline typically runs $800 to $2,000. If you live in one of the districts, we help you prepare the photos and scope for the village's review and check what else the village requires before we start.

Where we work in Oak Park

Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District · Ridgeland · Gunderson · Fair Oaks · Downtown Oak Park · Oak Park Avenue · Harrison Street · Barrie Park