What chimney work costs around Chicago

The look costs nothing

Very few Chicago chimney companies publish prices at all; the one we found charges $69 just to inspect. Ours is free. We climb the roof, look up the flue from the firebox, photograph what we see and put a written price in your hand before any work, so you can hold it up against anyone else's quote.

Where Chicago chimney money goes

• Crowns and caps. O'Hare averages 38.4 inches of snow and about 78 days a year when the temperature crosses freezing (our figure, worked out from NOAA 1991–2020 normals). A crown that is only a thin mortar wash usually fails first, and once water gets under it the top courses of brick follow.
• Old brick and mortar. Chicago common brick, made from local clay, hasn't been produced since the last maker closed in 1981, so repairs are matched with salvaged commons. The National Park Service's repointing guidance says new mortar must be softer than the brick, which means slower hand work than grinding and filling with a hard modern mix.
• Flues for gas appliances. Three in four homes or more here heat with gas. When a boiler or furnace is swapped for a high-efficiency unit that vents out the side wall, the water heater can be left alone in a clay flue sized for both, and that is a common reason for an aluminum or stainless liner.

Gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts

Service	Usual reason	Typical range
Gas Fireplace Repair	Pilot, thermocouple or igniter	$90 – $350
Gas Fireplace Service	Dust, worn gaskets and blocked vents	After free inspection
Gas Inserts & Wood-to-Gas	A drafty fireplace nobody wants to feed	$2,000 – $5,000
Wood Stove & Insert Installation	An open fireplace that loses its heat	$3,000 – $8,000+

Liners, caps and dampers

Service	Usual reason	Typical range
Furnace, Boiler & Water Heater Liners	Cracked or oversized clay flue	$625 – $3,800
Chimney Liners & Relining	Cracked, gapped or missing clay tile	$900 – $7,000
Chimney Caps & Chase Covers	Missing cap or rusted chase cover	$200 – $850
Top-Sealing Dampers	Rusted or warped throat damper	$140 – $420
Firebox & Smoke Chamber	Heat cracks and eroded joints	$150 – $2,000+

A cap keeps rain, snow and squirrels out of the flue; a cap with a top-sealing damper also stops warm air leaking up the chimney all winter.

Masonry, leaks and rebuilds

Service	Usual reason	Typical range
Chimney Repair	Water, frost and old mortar	$200 – $7,000
Bungalow & Two-Flat Chimneys	Hard mortar on century-old brick	$500 – $3,500
Chimney Tuckpointing	Frost and old mortar	$500 – $7,000
Chimney Crown Repair	Freeze-thaw cracks the crown	$150 – $3,000
Chimney Flashing Repair	Worn flashing, ice dams or no cricket	$300 – $1,800
Chimney Leak Repair	Wind-driven snow and rain at the top	$150 – $1,800
Breathable Chimney Waterproofing	Brick soaking up snowmelt, then freezing	$150 – $820+
Chimney Rebuild	Decades of water and frost at the top	$600 – $15,000
Landmark District Chimney Work	Old masonry under preservation review	$500 – $3,500
Chimney Removal	An unused chimney that leaks or sheds brick	$500 – $6,000

Cleaning, inspections and smoke problems

Service	Usual reason	Typical range
Free Chimney Inspection	Yearly check, a purchase or a worry	Free
Chimney Sweep & Cleaning	Soot and creosote from fires	After free inspection
Creosote Removal	Cool, smoky fires and damp wood	After free inspection
Wood & Pellet Stove Cleaning	Fly ash and creosote in a tight pipe	After free inspection
Animal Removal	An open flue with no cap	$600 – $1,500
Smoky Fireplace & Draft	Cold flue, pressure or a short stack	$140 – $850
Home-Sale Chimney Inspection	A sale, a purchase or a disclosure form	Free

What pushes a price up or down

• Access. A chimney on the back of a three-story greystone needs more staging than one on a ranch in Tinley Park.
• How many winters the leak ran. Water that has been getting in for years takes more brick and mortar with it.
• Matching brick. Salvaged commons and a mortar mixed to suit old brick cost more than off-the-shelf materials.
• Clay flues. Many older chimneys need a liner before a new insert, stove, furnace or water heater is hooked up, and sometimes the broken tiles have to come out first.
• Permits and review. In Chicago, the Express Permit Program covers rebuilding a chimney in kind when the work is written on the permit, and in a landmark district the city's Historic Preservation Division reviews the permit. We check what your city requires before we start.

Holding a quote and unsure about it? The blog walks through what drives the price of the common Chicago jobs. Read the blog