Chimney and fireplace service in DuPage County and west Cook
In La Grange more than a third of homes predate 1940; in Naperville the median home was built in 1990. Either way, the inspection is free and the price comes in writing first.
The eastern edge of this area is brick and mostly postwar or older. In La Grange, 36.1 percent of homes date to 1939 or earlier and another 27.9 percent to the 1940s and 1950s (Census Bureau, 2020 to 2024 survey). Elmhurst has 14.7 percent from before 1940 and 28.3 percent from the two postwar decades, with a median home built in 1966. Hinsdale mixes both eras: 15.8 percent of its homes predate 1940, yet its median home dates to 1981. Expect masonry fireplaces, clay flues and crowns that are often just a sloped layer of mortar.
West of there, DuPage gets newer. Across the county only 5.3 percent of homes were built before 1940 and the median is 1978. In Naperville the median home dates to 1990 and just 2.5 percent are pre-war, so the usual fireplace is factory-built with a metal flue inside a framed chase, often burning gas. Gas heats 87.1 percent of La Grange homes, 86.1 percent of Naperville's and 83.0 percent across DuPage County.
Brick chimneys in La Grange, Western Springs and Elmhurst
On a 1920s to 1960s brick chimney the first thing to go is usually the top: the mortar wash crown cracks, water reaches the upper courses, and the joints open up there before anywhere else. Fixed early, that is a minor crown repair at $150 to $700 or tuckpointing the stack at $500 to $2,500. Left for several winters, it becomes a rebuild of the top few feet and a new crown, typically $600 to $1,000, or a rebuild above the roofline at $1,000 to $3,500.
Many of these chimneys also vent the furnace and water heater through the original clay tile. We check every flue for cracked or missing tile and for a flue too large for what it now serves, the usual reason for a liner.
Prefab chimneys and chase covers in Naperville and the newer subdivisions
On a 1980s or 1990s house the chimney is often a metal flue in a wood-framed chase sided to match the house. The chase cover on top is the part that fails. A thin galvanized cover rusts, dishes in the middle and holds water, which then runs into the chase and stains the ceiling or the wall beside the fireplace. A custom chase cover typically runs $425 to $850, and a prefab metal cap $200 to $650.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America advises cleaning factory-built fireplaces whenever any real buildup appears, because the deposits are acidic and attack the metal. We follow the fireplace's listing and the maker's parts when we repair one.
Gas fireplaces, inserts and wood-to-gas
Gas fireplaces that won't light or keep going out are the most common call in this part of DuPage. Typical parts: igniter $90 to $150, thermocouple $150 to $350, thermopile or gas valve $150 to $300. Converting a wood fireplace usually means a gas insert at $2,000 to $5,000, plus $500 to $1,000 or more when a gas line has to be run to the fireplace. Lake-effect snow does reach DuPage occasionally; the NWS recorded 5.0 inches near Villa Park in November 2025, and Nicor warns that snow over a gas vent can cause carbon monoxide to build up indoors.
FAQ
DuPage County & West Cook questions
Why don't you charge for the inspection?
The one Chicago chimney company we found that publishes prices charges $69 just for an inspection. Ours is free: we look at the chimney from the roof and from inside, take photos and write down a price for anything that needs doing. Cleaning is priced at that visit too.
Our Naperville fireplace is gas and there's no brick chimney. What needs checking?
The vent run, the cap or termination outside, the chase cover if there is a chase, the burner, pilot and glass, and the gas connections. Factory-built units also need their parts and clearances kept to the maker's listing. We check all of it at the free inspection.
Can we turn our wood-burning fireplace into a gas fireplace?
Usually, with a gas insert set into the existing firebox and vented through a liner run up the chimney. An installed insert typically costs $2,000 to $5,000, and a new gas line to the fireplace $500 to $1,000 or more. We measure and quote for free.
We're selling in Elmhurst. Should the chimney be looked at before listing?
It helps. Items 6 and 13 of the Illinois disclosure form ask about chimney leaks and defects and about fireplace or woodburning stove defects, answered from what the seller actually knows. Our home-sale inspection is free and gives you written findings with photos.
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.