Work homeowners here can book with us
The work falls into a few groups. Cleaning and inspection covers sweeping, creosote and blockage removal, nest removal, and camera, real estate and storm damage inspections. Masonry and exterior work covers crowns, tuckpointing, leak and flashing repairs, caps, liners, rebuilds and sealing brick with chimney waterproofing. Fireplace work covers wood-burning, gas and electric units, from inserts and doors to full installations. Separate from the chimney, we also offer dryer vent cleaning, along with airflow testing, repair and rerouting.
Local pages for repairs, caps and new fireplaces
- Chimney repair for local homes: cracked crowns, open mortar joints, leaks and damaged flues. Start here if you see loose brick, staining on the stack or water near the fireplace.
- Installing a new chimney cap: keeping rain, animals and debris out of the flue. This is the one to read if your chimney top is open or the old cap is rusted or missing.
- Fireplace and insert installation: new fireplaces and inserts, wood-burning or gas. Read it if you are adding a fireplace or replacing one that can't be repaired.
What the housing records say about chimneys here
In Oak Park, 59.3% of housing units were built before 1940 and 19.9% between 1940 and 1969, and the median year built is 1938 (CMAP Community Data Snapshot, American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimates). The Village also describes its housing stock as older and more fire-prone, in the context of its electrical permit requirements (the Village's Building Permits page).
In practical terms, many homes in town have chimneys that have been in service for generations. A chimney that old has often been patched, relined or partly rebuilt along the way. Before burning wood or relying on an older gas fireplace, it makes sense to have the flue and masonry looked at. Mortar from different decades, unlined or cracked flue tiles, and earlier repairs that didn't match the original brick are common findings in older chimneys.
Village permits and the 2024 codes
The Village of Oak Park states that permits are required for most property improvement projects. It also states that any work governed by its building, electrical, mechanical or plumbing codes, or the zoning ordinance, requires a permit so inspections can be made. On Sept. 16, 2025, the Village Board adopted the 2024 I-Codes and the 2023 NEC, which apply to all permits applied for after Jan. 1, 2026. The Village's 2026 construction fee schedule, effective March 1, 2026, lists fireplace installation and flue lining as separate permit fee items (Building Permits page; 2026 Construction Fees, updated 01/26/2026).
Some smaller jobs are exempt. The Village's 2024 code amendments, for permits applied for after Jan. 1, 2026, list masonry tuckpointing involving replacement of fewer than 100 masonry units, and repair of leaking roof flashings involving less than 100 linear feet of flashing, among work that does not require a permit (2024 Code Adoption - Amendments, dated 1/2/2026). A new fireplace or a new flue liner falls under the permit fee items above, while a modest re-pointing or flashing repair may not need a permit.
Historic preservation guidance for masonry chimneys
Oak Park's Historic Preservation Commission reviews building permit applications for exterior alterations and full or partial demolition of properties in historic districts or designated as landmarks. A Certificate of Appropriateness review applies to landmarks and to full or partial demolition in a historic district (the Village's Historic Preservation page). Because rebuilding a chimney from the roofline up can involve partial demolition, the owner of a landmark or historic-district home should confirm with the Village what review applies before that work is scheduled.
On mortar, the Village's Architectural Review Guidelines say that for masonry projects reviewed by the Commission, owners shall not repoint with high-cement mortar stronger than the historic material. They also advise matching the historic mortar color, materials and joint profile when tuckpointing. As a general rule, mortar harder than the surrounding brick can shift stress and damage into the brick itself, which is why soft older masonry needs a matched mix. You can read how chimney tuckpointing works before you decide on a scope.
The guidelines' exterior maintenance section recommends re-pointing open chimney mortar joints and installing a chimney cap appropriate to the building style. It also recommends installing a chimney liner if wood-burning fireplaces are used or if masonry inside the flue is crumbling, and notes that replacement may require rebuilding the chimney from the roof surface up (Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines, adopted 12/03/2024). When a stack is past repair, our chimney rebuild service covers that roof-up reconstruction.
Landmark or historic-district home?
Check with the Village whether Historic Preservation Commission review applies before exterior chimney work begins, especially for a rebuild or anything that changes how the chimney looks from the street. Tell us about any review requirements when you request an estimate, so the mortar, brick and cap style can be planned around them.
Sources (10)
Facts and figures on this page come from these references.
- 1CMAP Community Data Snapshot | Oak Park; Building Permits | Village of Oak Park
- 2CMAP Community Data Snapshot | Oak Park
- 3Historic Preservation | Village of Oak Park
- 4Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines (adopted 12/03/2024); Historic Preservation | Village of Oak Park; 2024 Code Adoption - Amendments (Village of Oak Park, dated 1/2/2026)
- 5Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines (adopted 12/03/2024); Historic Preservation | Village of Oak Park
- 6Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines (adopted 12/03/2024); Building Permits | Village of Oak Park; Village of Oak Park 2026 Construction Fees (updated 01/26/2026)
- 7Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines (adopted 12/03/2024); Historic Preservation | Village of Oak Park; Building Permits | Village of Oak Park
- 8Building Permits | Village of Oak Park; Village of Oak Park 2026 Construction Fees (updated 01/26/2026)
- 92024 Code Adoption - Amendments (Village of Oak Park, dated 1/2/2026); Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Guidelines (adopted 12/03/2024)
- 10Building Permits | Village of Oak Park
