Chimney & Masonry Repair in Highland Park, IL

Chimney and Masonry Services in Highland Park

Water usually gets into a masonry chimney from the top, so that is where we start the inspection. The crown is the sloped top of the masonry; it should overhang the brick with a drip edge, with a bond break at the flue so the flue can expand. Many older chimneys have a thin mortar wash instead, which cracks and lets water straight into the stack, and we replace those rather than patching them with tar. The flue liner, clay tile set in refractory mortar or a listed metal liner, carries the heat and smoke. Where the chimney meets the roof, base flashing and counter-flashing set into a mortar joint keep water out, and a chimney more than 30 inches wide across the slope, and not sitting on the ridge, needs a cricket behind it to shed water. Our chimney work covers crowns, caps, flashing, repointing, and partial or full rebuilds from the roofline. The same crews handle tuckpointing, brick replacement, limestone trim and facade restoration on masonry in Highland Park, for houses and commercial buildings.

Chimney Tuckpointing, and Why the Stack Goes First

The Brick Industry Association treats chimneys as a severe exposure, and it is easy to see why. Water that gets in at the top soaks into the brick from the top and the sides, and freeze-thaw cycles then spall the saturated brick faces. Around Chicago that cycle runs often: NOAA readings at O’Hare for the ten winters from 2015-16 to 2024-25 average 74 days a winter that drop to freezing and climb back above it, in a range of 47 to 91. So chimney tuckpointing done properly is more than filling joints. We cut failed mortar out by hand to two to two and a half times the joint width, repoint in thin layers with a mortar no stronger than the original and softer than the brick, and fix the crown or flashing that let the water in. Hard modern cement on soft older brick does the opposite: it cracks the brick edges instead of giving itself. Highland Park’s homes were built mainly of wood or brick, with stone trim throughout, and the 1870s houses used brick from local brickyards that had closed by 1925, which is why we match brick and mortar on evidence, as in our historic mortar and stone matching work.

Serving Highland Park as Part of the Chicago Area

North Shore Masonry serves Highland Park from our Chicago operation, with the same crews working next door in Northbrook and to the south in Wilmette, Evanston and Skokie. Start at our Chicago masonry services hub for every service and town we cover.

Talk to a Chimney and Masonry Contractor in Highland Park

If you are seeing a cracked crown, stains on the chimney below the roofline, spalled brick, loose flashing or open mortar joints, call us at +1 847-864-5990 or request a free on-site estimate. We will tell you what needs attention now, what can wait, and whether a joint repair will do or the stack needs rebuilding. If your home is a local landmark, the City’s preservation standards ask for repair rather than replacement, matched materials and no sandblasting, which is how we work anyway.

Chimney and Masonry FAQs for Highland Park, IL

What is the difference between a chimney crown and a chimney cap?

The crown is the sloped top of the chimney masonry itself. The residential code calls for it to be concrete, metal or stone, sloped, with a drip edge and a bond break where it meets the flue so the flue can expand. The cap is a separate fitted cover over the flue opening that keeps rain and animals out and, with a spark screen, arrests sparks; the residential code does not require one. Many older chimneys have a thin mortar wash in place of a real crown, and those perform poorly. A crown that has broken up should be replaced, because tar and silicone patches on a crown do not last.

What does chimney tuckpointing actually involve?

Strictly, tuckpointing is a decorative raised joint. What most people need on a chimney is repointing: cutting failed mortar out to a depth of two to two and a half times the joint width, refilling it in thin layers, and tooling it to match. The new mortar has to be no stronger than the original and softer than the brick. On an older chimney we fix the water getting in first, because repointing a stack that is still taking water is wasted money. The National Park Service says a good repointing job is meant to last at least 30 years, though a chimney’s exposure can shorten that.

What mortar should be used on a 1920s chimney?

A mortar softer and more permeable than the brick, and no stronger than the original. The Brick Industry Association recommends Type N for modern work and the softer Type O or Type K where a stronger mix would be too hard, so on a 1920s chimney we check what is already in the joints before we specify a mix. The mortar is meant to be the sacrificial part: it should crack and wear before the brick does, and be repointed again in a few decades. A hard, cement-rich mortar on softer old brick traps water and pushes the damage into the brick faces, which is one common way chimneys end up spalled. New chimneys are a different case: the Brick Industry Association specifies severe-weathering Grade SW brick and a Type N cement-lime mortar, chosen for that exposure.

When does a chimney need rebuilding instead of repointing?

When the brick itself is failing, not just the joints. The Brick Industry Association lists signs of a structural problem rather than routine wear: cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks or in a stepped pattern, widespread spalling, and brick pushed out of plane. BIA says signs like these generally warrant a professional engineer’s investigation, and on a chimney the usual outcome is that the damaged section comes down and is relaid, often from the roofline up. There is no code threshold for this; we explain what we find in writing, including when the damage calls for an engineer.

Should a chimney be inspected when a Highland Park home is bought or sold?

Yes. The chimney safety standard sets three inspection levels. Level 1 is the annual check of the accessible parts of the chimney. Level 2 adds the attic, the roof and a video scan of the flue, and is the level the standard calls for at the sale or transfer of a property, after a change of heating appliance, before relining, and after a chimney fire or major storm. Level 3 opens concealed areas, and only where needed. The inspection is a chimney sweep’s job; we handle the masonry repairs it turns up: crowns, flashing, repointing and rebuilds.

Do I need approval for chimney or masonry work in Highland Park?

Most Highland Park homes are not under Historic Preservation Commission review. If your house is a designated local landmark or sits in one of the City’s three small historic districts, exterior work, including repair, can require a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit is issued. Chimney rebuilds and structural masonry go through the City’s Building Division. On small repointing jobs we confirm the permit requirements with the City before work starts, and on a landmark or historic district home, whether a Certificate of Appropriateness is needed.