We’ve received many questions about exterior chimney repair over the years from concerned homeowners trying to keep up on the maintenance of their chimney. This includes damage to mortar and any structural damage not involving the flue, fireplace, and so on. Here’s some of the most interesting questions that we’ve received, and our answers to […]
Repair Stone Chimney vs Brick: What’s Easier to Maintain
Repair a stone chimney is similar to repairing a brick and mortar chimney. Stone chimneys are made of large stones that are held together by mortar. It’s easy to think that stone chimneys do not deteriorate as quickly as brick and mortar chimneys due to the less porous nature of stones. Though the stones are […]
Chimney Damage from Storms: 4 Ways to Identify a Problem
Chimney damage from storms is likely to happen especially during the Chicagolands spring and summer months. As Chicagoland often experiences very heavy thunderstorms during summer, it’s important to keep up with your chimney’s maintenance. The howling of the wind, rain and even hail of a summer storm echoing through the chimney sounds eerie enough as […]
Tuckpointing Chimney Repair: DIY or Hire a Professional
Tuckpointing chimney repairs are a time consuming and expensive project. For an average chimney, the standard time to complete tuckpointing repairs may be around 4-6 hours, at the very minimum. It can cost a decent amount of money too. Because of the time and expense, many think of turning to a do it yourself YouTube […]
Chimney Freeze Thaw Cycle in a Mild Chicago Winter
Chimney freeze thaw cycle is a regular occurrence in Illinois, even with the mild winter we’ve been experiencing. Now with the week ahead, temperatures hovering around the 30 degree mark during the day, chance of snow multiple times and in the 20’s at night, is a perfect recipe for the chimney to have to endure […]
Chimney Brick Repair: Before Another Storm Hits
This has been a bit of a rough summer with the rain storms and high winds. It has resulted in numerous homes needing brick chimney repair. Now, that’s not to say those with stone chimneys or chimney’s made of siding don’t need repair, because they certainly do. Let’s talk about what goes into a brick […]
What do Homeowners Need to Know About the Art of Chimney Tuckpointing
We all know what tuckpointing is all about. You can check your brick or stone home at anytime searching for missing mortar. That’s fairly easy. However, how often do you check the chimney, the highest point on your home? With the chimney braving all of the Chicago elements such as rain, high wind, hail, snow, […]
Giving Your Old Chimney New Life
As you drive around any of the suburbs or within the City of Chicago, you will quickly find many homes that were built prior to 1960. Although older homes are beautiful and exhibit characteristics of the time, it also lacks the safety codes that are standard in newer homes built after 1960. Sadly, these codes […]
Are There Ghosts in My Chimney?
As the children walked home from a fruitful night of trick or treating, they looked up at the sky to admire the full moon on Halloween night. It’s large size and red-tint color brightened up the cloudless sky. The night sky seemed to place the children in a trance as their hands slowly, almost in […]
Chimney Repairs – Do It Once. That’s It.
It’s the weekend again and our big activity is to take a walk around the neighborhood. People who you never see outside are now cutting the grass, cleaning out the gutters, or even washing windows. At least they are giving me something different to look at. I will admit, there was a house I walked […]
