Chimney repair, capping or height
Your chimney has been cited as deteriorated, uncapped, or not tall enough. It takes weather on every side, so it is usually the first masonry on a building to fail.
- Do I need a permit?
- This may need a permit, depending on scope. We will tell you which.
- Who actually does it?
- Our own crews. This is work we self-perform, so the schedule is ours to keep.
- Am I unusual?
- Not at all. This is one of the items we are called out for most, and it is rarely the only thing on the notice.
What the inspector was looking at
Mortar and brick crumbling above the roof. Cap and crown missing or broken. The stack leaning. Height short of what the code requires.
What happens if you leave it
An open chimney is a funnel pointed into your building. It rots the framing around it and puts water into the wall below, and a leaning stack becomes a falling-object problem.
How we get it closed
- 1The deteriorated section rebuilt from a sound course where it needs it
- 2What is sound repointed rather than needlessly torn down
- 3Cap and crown built or replaced so the stack is finally weathertight
- 4Height corrected where the code calls for it
Before you start worrying about the cost
Chimneys are self-contained work. This is one of the few items that can often be finished in a couple of days without disrupting anyone in the building.
This is almost never the only item
Chicago inspectors write up everything they can see in one visit. Fixing this and leaving the rest means the case stays open and you go to the hearing anyway. We price and clear the whole notice: our own crews on nearly all of it, licensed partners on the plumbing, heating and electrical items, and nothing left dangling for you to chase.
See how the whole thing worksUsually on the same notice
If you see any of these on yours too, that is the normal pattern rather than bad luck. They tend to share a cause.
The joints get ground out and repointed to match, so the wall stops shedding mortar and the inspector stops writing it up.
Water sent off the building the way it should go. Skip this and it quietly writes your next masonry violation for you.
The wall above your roof line made solid again, so nothing is loose over the sidewalk and water stops entering the top of the building.
Cited for chimney? Let us take it from here.
A quick call, then we come out and price every item on the notice in person. Free, and you are under no obligation to use us.
Licensed and insured. A person answers, Monday to Saturday.