Highwood IL | Chimney Sweep & Service

Short Stacks, Close Neighbors and Draft

When houses sit this close together, chimney height stops being a formality. A flue has to terminate high enough above its own roof and clear of anything nearby, or the chimney competes with wind coming off adjacent rooflines and the trees along the lakefront. The symptom is a fireplace that drafts fine on some days and pushes smoke into the room on others, usually when the wind is out of the east. Homeowners tend to treat that as the fireplace being temperamental. It is usually geometry. We measure the termination height and the surrounding obstructions during the inspection, and where the chimney falls short the correction is typically a stack extension or a different cap, not a rebuild.

Older Masonry and Water

Pre-1950 chimneys in Highwood were built with soft brick and lime mortar, which are not defects. They are how chimneys were built, and they hold up well as long as water is kept out of them. Once the crown cracks or the joints open, the freeze-thaw cycle takes over: water soaks in, freezes, expands, and pushes the face off the brick a little more each winter. By the time brick faces are on the ground, the repair has gone from repointing to rebuilding. We look at the crown, the joints, the flashing and the cap as one water system, because that is how water treats them. When the masonry is still sound, repointing and a proper crown with a drip edge will add years to it. When it is not, we say so.

Appliance Flues in Converted Buildings

Highwood has a lot of buildings that have been heated three or four different ways since they were built. The chimney that once served a coal furnace may now vent a modern water heater alone, which leaves the flue badly oversized. Exhaust cools, condenses and attacks the liner and mortar joints from the inside. This is a documented safety condition rather than a maintenance preference, because appliance exhaust carries carbon monoxide. We inspect the utility flue at the same rate as a fireplace, and where a liner is needed we size it to the appliance.

Rental and Multi-Unit Buildings

We work with owners and managers of two-flats and small apartment buildings here. For those we schedule the building in one visit, inspect each unit’s flue separately, and provide per-unit documentation you can hand to a tenant or keep on file. Shared flues, when we find them, get flagged specifically: two appliances sharing one flue is a common finding in buildings of this age and it is not something to leave unresolved.

Highwood Chimney Questions

My fireplace smokes into the room when the wind blows. Is the chimney dirty?
Sometimes, but in Highwood it is more often height and nearby obstructions. We measure the termination and check the surrounding rooflines. If the flue is short, the fix is usually an extension or a different cap rather than anything structural.

The brick faces are flaking off my chimney. How urgent is that?
Spalling means water is already inside the masonry and freezing. It does not have to be corrected this week, but it gets worse every winter and the repair gets larger. An inspection will establish whether repointing still works or whether a section needs rebuilding.

We only use the fireplace a few times a year. Do we still need an annual inspection?
Yes. Light use does not produce much creosote, but it also does nothing about water, nesting or a deteriorating liner, and the water heater or furnace flue is venting all year regardless.

Can you inspect all the units in my building at once?
Yes. We schedule the building in one visit and provide separate documentation for each unit.

Do you charge for the inspection?
Yes. You are paying for a documented answer: photographs, a camera survey of the flue where conditions allow, and a written explanation of what needs correcting now versus what can wait. That report is yours whether or not we do the repair.

Our Prices

Typical rates as of September 2026: a chimney sweep runs $300–$350 and includes the Level 1 inspection. An inspection on its own is $200–$300, and the same range covers a utility chimney serving a furnace or water heater. A Level 2 inspection with a camera survey of the flue is around $300. Fireplace liners are sized per flue, and most complete jobs land between $3,000 and $4,000; a utility flue liner for a furnace or water heater typically runs $3,000–$3,800. Masonry repairs, chase covers and factory-built system work are quoted in writing after inspection. Call 847-994-4388 to book or to confirm current pricing.