The local pros we’d call for our own homes — and hand to our customers when a job runs past where our expertise ends.
Chimney and fireplace work has a way of turning into other work. You call us about a draft problem and it turns out the real issue is your heating system. Or the masonry repair reveals a roofing gap. Or you finally get the fireplace working and realize the rest of the room’s lighting hasn’t been touched since the Clinton administration.
We can’t do all of that. But over the years we’ve gotten to know the people who can — and these are the ones we’re comfortable putting our name next to.
This isn’t a paid directory. Nobody bought a spot on this page.
Heating & Cooling
Glenbrook Heating
When a chimney or venting issue traces back to the furnace or boiler, this is who we point people toward. Solid, local, and they know the North Shore housing stock — which matters more than people realize when your system was sized for a house that’s been renovated three times.
Boris Zaturensky — BZ HVAC and Home Improvement
Boris is our go-to recommendation for anyone juggling multiple HVAC units or water heaters. He’s based in Morton Grove and has a strong reputation across the local area for exactly that kind of multi-system work — the stuff that trips up generalists. If you’ve got more than one unit to keep running, or a water heater on its last legs, he’s the call.
Home Services
PanePal
Window washing — when you want the glass genuinely clean and streak-free, inside and out, these are the folks we send people to.
Lighting & Interiors
Hanging Lights Club
Once the firebox is done and the hearth looks right, the lighting around it is usually next. These are the people we send folks to for fixtures and lighting that actually suit the room instead of fighting it.
A note on how this list works
We keep it short on purpose. The moment this page becomes a wall of logos, it stops meaning anything. If someone’s on here, it’s because we’ve seen their work or trust the person doing it — and if that ever stops being true, they come off the page.
Know a great local pro we should meet? Tell us. We’re always glad to find good people, but we vet before we vouch.