Chimney Repair for Naperville Homes

What Naperville's historic design manual means for chimney repair

The City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission adopted a Historic Building Design and Resource Manual in 2010. It states that most Naperville homes built before 1950 have chimneys, historically built of brick or stone and sometimes clad with stucco (source: City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission - Historic Building Design and Resource Manual, adopted 2010).

For owners of those homes, chimney repair is mostly masonry work: brick chimney repair, chimney mortar repair, crown repair and flashing. Stucco cladding needs particular attention, because a crack in the stucco can let water into the brick or stone behind it, where it isn't visible from the roof. A useful inspection checks both the surface and what is underneath before any repair is quoted.

Flashing: metal, overlapped and stepped

The same manual encourages metal chimney flashing instead of caulk or bituminous coating, base and cap flashing that overlap by at least 4 inches, and step flashing instead of box flashing (source: City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission - Historic Building Design and Resource Manual, adopted 2010).

This affects the repair itself. When a leak traces to the joint between the chimney and the roof, the quick fix is often a bead of sealant or a coat of tar over the old flashing. The manual points the other way. When we replace failed flashing, we can install metal step flashing along the sloped sides, with cap flashing lapped over the base flashing by at least 4 inches. Ask for that in your estimate so you know what you're getting.

Rebuilding with the chimney's own brick

The manual also encourages rebuilding chimneys with salvaged brick from the existing chimney. It accepts rebuilding to match the original design and discourages removing or altering a chimney that is a significant feature of the home (source: City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission - Historic Building Design and Resource Manual, adopted 2010).

When the top courses of a chimney have to come down, following that guidance means taking the brick down by hand and setting it aside. The sound bricks are cleaned and reused, and the chimney's height, shape and detailing are recorded first so the rebuilt section matches. Taking a deteriorated chimney down below the roofline is sometimes suggested as a simpler answer. The manual discourages that where the chimney is a significant feature of the house.

What affects chimney repair in Naperville

• Naperville's Historic Building Design and Resource Manual, adopted by the Historic Preservation Commission, states that most Naperville homes built before 1950 have chimneys, historically built of brick or stone and sometimes clad with stucco. Source: City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission - Historic Building Design and Resource Manual (adopted 2010).
• Naperville's Historic Building Design and Resource Manual encourages metal chimney flashing instead of caulk or bituminous coating, base and cap flashing that overlap by at least 4 inches, and step flashing instead of box flashing. Naperville's Historic Building Design and Resource Manual encourages rebuilding chimneys with salvaged brick from the existing chimney, accepts rebuilding to match the original design, and discourages removing or altering a chimney that is a significant feature of the home. Source: City of Naperville Historic Preservation Commission - Historic Building Design and Resource Manual (adopted 2010).

Chimney repair in brief

Chimney repair covers the parts that keep water out and smoke moving up: the crown, the cap, the flashing where the chimney meets the roof, the brick and mortar joints, the flue liner and the damper. On a factory-built chimney it also covers the chase and its cover. The job starts with an inspection to find where the damage begins, so the repair addresses the cause rather than patching the symptom. Our chimney repair service page explains each repair and when it's needed.

When a different job fits better

• If the main problem is loose brick, eroded joints or spalling faces across the chimney, the work is mostly masonry. Read about chimney masonry repair for homes in Naperville.
• If water is getting in at the very top and you aren't sure whether you need a cap or a full cover, our guide to chimney cap vs chase cover explains the difference before you book chimney cap repair or chase cover replacement.

Booking a repair

Same-day visits are available where the schedule allows, emergency calls are accepted, and 24-hour service runs Sunday–Friday. To understand the steps before we arrive, read how chimney repair works. For chimney, fireplace and vent work beyond repairs, browse everything we handle in Naperville.