Tuckpointing Bricks on the Chimney
We are coming to an end of summer. This is when our weather begins to change and our focus turns to a nice fire in the fireplace. Did you know that most tuckpointing repairs are done during warm weather? Meaning spring, summer and fall. This is important as the mortar needs to fully dry and […]
Chimney vs. Water
Every blog post, video and chimney professional will tell you water damage to a chimney is the worst and the most common damage your chimney will go through. Plants, our bodies and animals are made up of at least 70% water! Yet, our chimneys are not. Chimneys are heavily affected by rain, wind and everyday […]
Do I Need to Waterproof the Chimney?
There are a lot of questions being asked about waterproof chimney. Many think it’s a ‘nice to have’ versus a necessity. We decided to ask the certified technicians about waterproof chimney, and here’s what they had to say. Q: Should bricks be waterproofed? I thought that bricks need to ‘breathe’? Bricks are a porous material […]
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 […]
How Your Chimney Shows Signs of Being ‘Under the Weather’
Chicago weather… You never know what to expect. One minute we get reminded what sunshine looks like, and the next, 4-foot snow drifts up against the garage door. We spoke with a couple of our certified technicians as to what to look out for with all of the recent snow, sleet, freezing temperatures and the […]
Music Coming from my Chimney?
It’s always interesting to learn what’s been on everyone’s priority list. Interesting to find out that projects around the house has been the #1 task. I guess if we’re stuck inside, best to make our time useful. The #1 task for this past week? Outdoor holiday lights. Saturday’s are the day to make the round […]
Sorry Water, You’re Not Welcome Down My Chimney
This Spring and soon to be Summer season have been all about the rain. Now again, we’re getting remnants of tropical storm Cristobal (not the college football coach) merging with yet another storm. How much more of a beating can the chimney handle? We’ve talked about tuckpointing or repairing the masonry between the bricks, stone […]
Growing Green on the Chimney
Yup, we’re talking about weeds and other growing plants and undesirable plants growing directly out of and on the chimney. What are they? And is it a good idea to have decorative plants on the chimney? Here are a couple of questions we’ve received over the past couple of years. With spring coming soon, (especially […]
Fireplace is Off, Summer is On & Repairs are….
As many of us begin to enjoy time off, spending time outside playing with kids, talking with neighbors and walking around the house and yard are many of our pleasures. We begin to make checklists of projects that need to be done, sometimes small and some a bit bigger than expected. Even thought this isn’t […]
