Do I need a permit for crown or masonry repair in Arlington Heights?

Permits in Illinois are issued locally. A permit is commonly required for relining a chimney or rebuilding it above the roofline, while routine repair work varies. Ask the local building department before work begins, and the technician can tell you what applies to your job.

Why does freeze and thaw cause so much damage in Arlington Heights?

Freeze and thaw is what turns a hairline crack into a rebuild, so cold regions lose stacks faster. Arlington Heights has cold, snowy winters and frequent freeze-thaw cycles, which are hard on exposed brick, crowns and mortar joints.

I live in a condo or townhome. Who do I ask first?

Condo and townhome complexes in Arlington Heights often have HOAs, so check with yours before exterior work on a chimney. Then call us and we can arrange the inspection.

Is the estimate really free?

Yes. Every job starts with a free estimate. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

What should I ask the technician about local requirements?

Illinois does not license chimney sweeping or masonry repair as a separate trade at the state level. Requirements are handled locally, and many municipalities ask contractors to register or hold a local business licence. Ask the technician what applies in Arlington Heights, and check with the local building department.

Cracked crown or crumbling brick, booked with one call, in Arlington Heights, IL

Arlington Heights has a lot of homes from the post-WWII boom through the 1970s, and many of them still have the masonry or prefabricated chimney they were built with. If the top of yours is cracked and brick is coming off, the crown has almost certainly let water in and the masonry below it has started to break down. The job usually means repairing or recasting the crown, repointing the joints, replacing bad brick and fitting a cap. Plan around the weather, because masonry repair is easiest in the warmer months, when mortar can cure without freezing.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

Phones answered around the clock · free estimate

This happens here because of the freeze-thaw cycle. Water gets into a small crack, freezes, expands and opens it wider. Arlington Heights has cold, snowy winters and frequent freeze-thaw swings, and Illinois has a long heating season, roughly October into April. Heavy seasonal temperature swings add wear to masonry in the Chicago area. A hairline crack that was minor one fall can be loose brick by spring.

While you wait — please don't

Stay out from under the chimney. Falling brick is a hazard at ground level, so keep people, pets and cars away from the base of the stack and the area below it.
Don't climb up to knock off loose brick. A damaged stack can shift under your weight, and working on a roof is best left to the technician.
Stop using the fireplace if the stack leans or has open gaps. A leaning stack or one with open gaps is structural rather than cosmetic, and it should be looked at before another fire is lit.
Get outside if anyone feels unwell near a burning fire. Headache, dizziness or nausea can point to carbon monoxide, so leave the house and call 911.

What the technician does

You call, we arrange the visitOne Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the work with an independent sweep or mason. We are not the contractor and we do not perform the work.
The technician inspects firstThey look at the crown, the brick and the mortar joints, and tell you what they find. The estimate is free, and the price is given before any work starts.
Crown repaired or recastWhere the crown is cracked, it is repaired or recast with an overhang and a drip edge, so water runs off the stack instead of into it.
Repointing and brick replacementWorn mortar is repointed to match the existing work, and spalled brick is cut out and replaced.
Cap fitted, or the stack rebuiltA cap is fitted on top. If the stack has lost structure above the roofline, the technician will talk you through a rebuild.
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you have seen the price and said yes.

Why this happens in Arlington Heights, IL

Many Arlington Heights homes are brick and frame ranches, split-levels and two-stories, with older homes closer to downtown. Single-family homes with attached garages are the norm, and many have masonry or prefabricated fireplaces and chimneys. Brick and mortar that has been through decades of Chicago-area clay soils and temperature swings is the kind that cracks and spalls at the top. The same goes for homes in nearby Palatine, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove and Wheeling.

Demand for chimney work peaks in late fall through winter during cold snaps, and again in spring and summer after storm damage. Across Illinois, masonry rebuilding, tuckpointing and crown repairs are concentrated in the warmer months because mortar needs to cure without freezing. If you spot the damage in winter, you can still get the stack inspected and priced, and plan the repair for when the weather allows. Spring and summer storms with high winds and hail are possible here, so a loose cap or crumbling top is worth sorting out before they arrive.

Questions people ask

Do I need a permit for crown or masonry repair in Arlington Heights?: Permits in Illinois are issued locally. A permit is commonly required for relining a chimney or rebuilding it above the roofline, while routine repair work varies. Ask the local building department before work begins, and the technician can tell you what applies to your job.
Why does freeze and thaw cause so much damage in Arlington Heights?: Freeze and thaw is what turns a hairline crack into a rebuild, so cold regions lose stacks faster. Arlington Heights has cold, snowy winters and frequent freeze-thaw cycles, which are hard on exposed brick, crowns and mortar joints.
I live in a condo or townhome. Who do I ask first?: Condo and townhome complexes in Arlington Heights often have HOAs, so check with yours before exterior work on a chimney. Then call us and we can arrange the inspection.
Is the estimate really free?: Yes. Every job starts with a free estimate. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.
What should I ask the technician about local requirements?: Illinois does not license chimney sweeping or masonry repair as a separate trade at the state level. Requirements are handled locally, and many municipalities ask contractors to register or hold a local business licence. Ask the technician what applies in Arlington Heights, and check with the local building department.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and one call gets your cracked crown or crumbling brick in front of an independent technician in Arlington Heights. The estimate is free, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

Nearby

Answers

Free tool

Inspection level quiz

Same problem in nearby cities

Every city we cover in Illinois

Something else in this area

One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.