Chimney Rebuilds, From the Top Courses Down

Chicago chimneys almost always fail from the top. The courses above the roof take the snow, the wind and the swings across freezing, about 78 of them a year at O'Hare by our reading of NOAA's 1991–2020 normals. On bungalows built between 1910 and the mid-1930s, and on the brick two-flats built alongside them, many chimneys still have a thin mortar wash where a real crown should be. Water gets in at the top, freezes, and over decades the joints open and the bricks work loose.

A rebuild means taking the chimney down to masonry that is still sound and relaying it. Sometimes that is the top few feet and a new crown. Sometimes it is everything above the roofline, and now and then the whole chimney has to come down. We photograph the course where the brick turns solid so you can see exactly where the line is and why.

Signs you need this

• Bricks near the top that move when you push them
• A stack that leans or has twisted above the roof
• Brick chips and mortar on the roof or in the gutters
• Joints open so deep you can see the flue tile
• A crown broken into loose pieces

How we do it

1. Find the solid brickAt the free inspection we check the stack course by course and photograph where the loose masonry stops.
2. Write the scopeYou get a written price for the height we rebuild, and we check what your city requires before anything is scheduled.
3. Take down and relayWe remove the damaged courses and relay the stack in a mortar matched to the brick, reusing sound brick and sourcing salvaged Chicago commons where the original was common brick.
4. Finish the top for winterA poured crown with an overhang and drip edge, new flashing and counter-flashing, and a cap, all built to current code.

Do I need a permit to rebuild a chimney in Chicago?

Usually, yes. The terms of the city's Express Permit Program for masonry say the permit authorizes reconstruction or in-kind replacement of masonry elements such as chimneys, as long as the work is specifically described on the permit application. The application asks for at least one photo of the existing condition, and ours come from the inspection.

Very small jobs are different. The Department of Buildings says replacing up to 50 square feet of masonry in kind, on a residential building up to four stories, needs no permit, though that exception may not apply to Chicago Landmarks and landmark districts. In the suburbs the rules vary by town, so we check what your city requires before we schedule.

Repair or rebuild?

If the bricks are sound and only the joints have eroded, tuckpointing is cheaper and keeps the original masonry. Once bricks are loose, cracked through or spalled deep, or the stack is out of plumb, new mortar will not hold it together for long. The deciding count is how many courses have let go, and the inspection photos show you that count.

What a chimney rebuild costs

Typical 2026 ranges: rebuilding the top few feet and the crown runs $600 to $1,000, everything above the roofline $1,000 to $3,500, and a full replacement $4,000 to $15,000. Height, the number of flues, roof pitch, brick matching and access decide where your job falls. The written price comes before any work.