Serving Cicero Homes: Chimney, Fireplace & Dryer Vent Service

What Cicero homes can book

Homes and businesses in Cicero can book chimney work from the flue to the cap. That includes clearing soot and creosote before the first fire, removing a nest or a blockage, and repairing a crown or rebuilding a crumbling stack. Fireplace work covers wood-burning, gas and electric units. On the laundry side, we clean, repair and reroute dryer vents.

Repair and masonry work for Cicero chimneys

Chimney repair for homes in Cicero covers leaks, cracked crowns, loose or broken brick, failing flashing and damaged liners. Call about it if you see water stains on a wall or ceiling near the chimney, bits of mortar on the roof, or brick flakes collecting at the base of the stack.

• Mortar joints that have worn back from the brick face are the job for chimney tuckpointing, which replaces the old mortar before water gets into the wall.
• Spalled, cracked or missing brick and a broken crown call for chimney masonry repair.
• A chimney with no cap, or a rusted one, is open to rain, animals and debris. How chimney cap installation works explains the fix.
• Adding a fireplace, or replacing one that can't be saved, is covered under fireplace installation.

What Cicero's housing and permit records mean for chimney work

Most homes in town were built before 1940

In Cicero, 61.8% of housing units were built before 1940 and 26.2% between 1940 and 1969. The median year built is 1938 (CMAP Community Data Snapshot, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates). Taken together, nearly nine in ten homes were built before 1970. Masonry chimneys of that age have usually been through decades of heat and water. Mortar joints tend to wear out before the brick does, and crowns crack. Older flues may be unlined or lined with clay tile, and they may have been patched or relined at some point since. On a house this old, it is worth checking the mortar, crown, flashing and liner before you assume the chimney is fine because it still draws.

Bungalows, two-flats and other traditional house types

Cicero's Unified Development Code says the traditional neighborhoods north of Cermak Road between Lombard and Central Avenues and south of Cermak to Pershing Road contain a mix of historic bungalows and two-flats, cape cod cottages, two-story colonial designs and raised ranches that define Cicero's predominant housing stock (Cicero Unified Development Code, Chapter 114, document dated 10.19.2022). These layouts differ in roof pitch, chimney height and how many floors a flue passes through. A two-flat may also have more than one appliance venting into the same chimney. When you get in touch, tell us the house type, how many stories it has and what connects to the chimney. That helps us plan roof access and the right equipment for the visit.

Chimney work requires a building permit

The Town of Cicero lists "Chimney Work" among the projects that require a building permit, whether homeowners do the work themselves or hire a contractor (Building Permit Requirements – The Town of Cicero). Before a repair or rebuild is scheduled, plan for the permit step and ask how it will be handled. The Town decides which jobs count as chimney work. If you're unsure whether your project needs a permit, check with the Building Department.

The codes the town has adopted

The Town of Cicero states it has adopted, among others, the 2024 International Residential Code (with local amendments), the 2024 International Fire Code (with local amendments) and the 2009 International Mechanical Code, applicable to all properties in the town (General Information – The Town of Cicero). New chimney and fireplace work is measured against those codes and the Town's amendments, so rebuilding a chimney exactly the way it was originally built may not be enough.