Get in touch City of Chicago!
❄️ Winter is on the horizon!
Ensure a warm and worry-free burning season in Chicago. Have your chimney cleaned and inspected by professionals. 🏠🔥 Reach out at 847-994-4388 or drop us an email. Safety first, always! #ChimneyServices #WinterPrep #ChicagoHomes
The Windy City. The City of Big Shoulders. Chi-Town. But not the Second City, because Chicago is second-to-none. Ranked the number one city in the world in 2018 by Time Out magazine, Chicago is an international metropolis with the homegrown spirit of a small town. Chicago’s history as an epicenter of cosmopolitan innovation and industry goes all the way back to the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and continues today with a rapidly growing technology sector that has recently outpaced that of even Los Angeles.
But what makes Chicago truly special is its architecture. Living and working in Chicago on chimneys often feels like walking through an enormous time capsule filled with breathtaking feats of engineering and design. State Street and Michigan Avenue alone feature some of the most iconic American buildings of the 19th and 20th century. Chicago’s residential neighborhoods are also replete with nearly a dozen unique historical building types, from bungalows to greystones, and are loosely connected by verdant tree-lined boulevards.
Chicagoans are enormously proud of their city, and for good reason. They lay claim to some of the nation’s best schools, food, sports teams, public works and museums, and almost anything else you could think of. Yet they are also the first to welcome newcomers into the fold. Chicago, like New York, is a city of immigrants, and diversity and growth is its greatest strength. So never change, Chicago: keep changing.
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Contact Info
📞 Got chimney concerns or inquiries? Feel free to reach out to our office anytime between Monday and Friday, from 9AM to 6PM, at 847-994-4388 . We’re here to help! #ChimneyServices #CustomerSupport
Chimney Monkey specializes in chimney sweeping, fireplace cleaning, inspections, and repairs. Ensure your home’s safety and efficiency with our professional services.
Serving Chicago and Nearby Areas: We proudly serve Chicago and surrounding communities, including Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Kenilworth, Skokie, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette, Winnetka and nearby towns.
Call us today and let us take care of your chimney needs!
Chimney and Dryer Vent Services in Chicago
We work across the city, from Rogers Park two-flats to Gold Coast high-rises, including hard-to-reach rooftop and rope-access jobs. Our Chicago services include:
- Level 1 and Level 2 chimney inspections – a documented condition report on the flue, firebox, and chimney exterior.
- Chimney cleaning and sweeping – a thorough sweeping that clears creosote glaze and restores draft.
- Chimney leak repair – crown, flashing, and crack repairs that end recurring water stains.
- Brick and mortar chimney repair – structural work on deteriorated brick, block, and mortar.
- Chimney tuckpointing – repointing that adds years to sound brick without a full rebuild.
- Chimney cap installation – stock and custom caps sized to your flue and installed to last.
- Fireplace cleaning service – a full fireplace cleaning, including glass, logs, and damper.
- Dryer vent cleaning service – full-run duct cleaning, including rooftop and long-run terminations.
- Water heater chimney liners – stainless liners that keep appliance exhaust vented safely.
- Fireplace mantel design and installation – design and installation of mantels, hearths, and surrounds.
Chimney Repair in Chicago
Repair is the largest part of what we do in the city, and Chicago’s building stock is the reason. Greystones, brick two-flats and Bungalow Belt homes were built with unlined or clay-tile-lined flues that are now eighty to a hundred and twenty years old. Freeze-thaw cycles off the lake work water into failing mortar joints, the crown cracks, the liner spalls, and what began as a stained ceiling turns into a rebuild. We handle chimney repair at every level: relining, firebox rebuilds, crown replacement, flashing, and tuckpointing above the roofline where most Chicago chimneys fail first.
Fireplace Installation and Gas Conversion
A large share of Chicago fireplaces have not burned wood in years. If your firebox is cracked, your flue is undersized, or you simply want heat without the hauling and the ash, a sealed gas insert is usually the cheaper and safer answer. We size and fit direct-vent units, run the liner, and handle the venting through masonry stacks and through the sidewalls of newer construction. See gas fireplace installation for what the work involves.
What We See on Chicago Chimneys
Three problems account for most of our city calls. First, shared party-wall chimneys in two-flats and courtyard buildings, where one neighbour’s appliance vents into a flue that was never designed for it. Second, abandoned coal and oil flues that were capped badly or not at all, so the stack fills with water every spring. Third, crowns poured flush to the brick with no overhang and no expansion joint, which is why so many otherwise sound Chicago chimneys leak at the top. None of these are visible from the ground, which is why an inspection comes before an estimate.
Chimney Sweeping and Inspection
If you burn wood regularly, an annual chimney sweep keeps creosote from reaching the glazed third stage that fuels flue fires. Gas appliances still need yearly attention, because gas produces acidic condensate that eats clay tile and because birds and debris block gas flues just as readily. Every visit includes a Level 1 chimney inspection with photographs, so you see what we see rather than taking our word for it.
Where We Work in the City
We cover the North Side and lakefront neighbourhoods most heavily: Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Edgewater, Rogers Park, North Center, Ravenswood, Albany Park, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, Sauganash and Edison Park. We also work the near west and northwest, and we serve the North Shore suburbs from Evanston north. Parking and access in dense blocks are part of the job; tell us about alley access or a shared gangway when you book and we will bring the right ladder.
Booking and What It Costs
Call 847-994-4388 to book. Sweeping and a Level 1 inspection are a flat visit fee quoted before we arrive. Repairs are quoted after inspection, in writing, with photographs of the defect. We do not quote masonry over the phone, because nobody can price a crown or a liner they have not seen, and any company that does is guessing.
Chicago Chimney Questions
How often should a Chicago chimney be swept?
Once a year for a wood-burning fireplace in regular use, or after roughly a cord of wood. Gas appliances should be inspected annually even though there is no soot to remove.
Why does my chimney leak only in spring?
Water absorbed by porous brick and failed mortar freezes, expands and opens the joint wider each winter. The leak shows when the thaw arrives. Crown repair, tuckpointing and a water-repellent sealer solve it; paint and roofing tar do not.
Do I need a chimney inspection to sell my Chicago home?
It is not legally required, but most buyer inspectors flag the chimney, and a Level 2 inspection with a camera survey of the flue prevents a late renegotiation.
Can you line a flue in a two-flat with two appliances?
Usually yes. Each appliance needs its own correctly sized liner, and in older Chicago buildings that often means two stainless liners inside one masonry stack. We confirm what will fit during the inspection.
Do you work in high-rise buildings?
We service direct-vent gas fireplaces in condos and high-rises where building management permits access. Masonry work above the roofline in tall buildings is usually handled by the association’s contractor.
Our Prices
Flat rates as of July 2026: a chimney sweep is $335 with the Level 1 inspection included, a Level 1 inspection on its own is $205, the same rate covers a utility chimney serving a furnace or water heater, and a Level 2 inspection with a camera survey of the flue is $295. A fireplace liner runs roughly $200 per linear foot, so most complete liner jobs come in between $3,000 and $4,000. Masonry repairs are quoted in writing after inspection. Call 847-994-4388 to book or to confirm current pricing.
