Full chimney rebuild from the roofline up on a Wilmette residence — matched hard-fired brick, poured crown with drip edge, stainless cap, and flashing woven into the roofing as one weather system.
Project Details
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After 
Before 1/3 — Full stack — original leaning chimney demolished to roofline and rebuilt in matching brick
After 
Before 2/3 — Crown assembly — new crown, cap, and flashing integrated as a complete weather barrier
After 
Before 3/3 — Base detail — new brick courses set plumb and level with correct mortar joint spacing
This Wilmette chimney had moved past the point where repair made structural sense — the honest recommendation was a rebuild from sound masonry up. We sourced brick matched to the home, rebuilt every course plumb and level, and finished with the same crown, cap, and flashing standard we put on new-construction chimneys, so the rebuilt stack reads as original to the home.
New brick laid over a structurally failing base inherits that failure — a proper rebuild starts from sound masonry
The crown, cap, and flashing are where most chimneys fail first, and where cut-rate rebuilds cut corners again
A rebuilt stack should read as original to the home — mismatched brick on a rebuild permanently marks the roofline
Every project follows the same disciplined sequence — no shortcuts, no hand-offs, same crew start to finish.
We measure lean, assess mortar hardness, probe every course for structural integrity, and review flue liner condition before recommending partial or full rebuild.
We dismantle systematically above the roofline, saving undamaged brick for reuse where possible. Staging and tarping protect the roof and interior throughout demo.
Every course is rebuilt plumb and level using matched hard-fired brick and correctly formulated mortar. No shortcuts — the rebuilt chimney has to outlast the next 30+ years of Illinois winters.
A properly overhanging poured crown, stainless cap, and integrated counter-flashing are installed as part of every rebuild. The weather envelope is complete before we leave.
The crew rebuilding your chimney is the same in-house team that builds chimneys on our custom home projects — same brick-matching discipline, same poured-crown and flashing standard, same documentation. A rebuild done to new-construction standard is the last time you think about that chimney for thirty years.
We recommend a full rebuild when the chimney has leaned more than 1 inch per 10 feet of height, when the flue liner is compromised throughout, or when more than 30% of the brick is structurally unsound. Partial repairs on a failing stack rarely hold.
Most single-flue residential chimney rebuilds from roofline up take 3-7 days. Full tear-down-to-foundation rebuilds on large chimneys run 2-3 weeks. We give you a written schedule before demo starts.
In most Chicagoland municipalities, yes. We handle permit applications as part of our project scope and ensure all work is code-compliant and inspected.
