Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Chimney Company in Summit, IL
Chimney repair in Summit usually means fixing what a century of river-corridor damp has done to brick and clay tile liners. Most homes here were built between 1900 and 1940, and their chimneys show it: spalled brick, crumbling crowns, and flue liners cracked by freeze-thaw cycles that hit harder in this flood-prone pocket of the Des Plaines River valley. Wexford Chimney Sweep has served Summit since 2013, and we treat every sweep here as a moisture inspection first. Call (866) 361-2607 when you want an honest read on whether your chimney needs work now or can safely wait.
Why Summit Homes Are Different
Summit is a dense village of roughly 11,000 people where the housing stock sits shoulder to shoulder. We’re talking early-20th-century bungalows, two-flats, and small frame and brick worker cottages built for the industrial river corridor. Lots are small, setbacks are tight, and many chimneys on adjacent buildings either share masonry or are close enough that one failing flue becomes a neighbor’s problem. In Summit’s close-set two-flats and cottages, a neglected flue can push smoke and carbon monoxide toward the unit next door, so our technicians check the roofline and neighboring stacks, not just the chimney they were called for.
The climate adds a second layer. Summit sits low along the Des Plaines River, which means chronic damp and a real flood history. That moisture gets into brick and mortar, freezes in winter, and spalls the face off brick over time. We routinely find deteriorated mortar crowns and cracked clay tile liners on homes that have never had a chimney inspection. A sweep in Summit is never just a sweep; it’s a condition report on how your masonry is holding up to the river’s humidity.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Main Summit Services
Two calls dominate our Summit schedule: chimney sweeping before and during burn season, and dryer vent cleaning for the same reason people in close-set housing care about both. Each service keeps a different kind of exhaust fire from starting.
Chimney Sweep in Summit
A chimney sweep in Summit covers the flue, the smoke chamber, and the firebox, plus a visual check of the exterior masonry and crown. Creosote builds faster here because older flues are often unlined or parged and already rough inside, which gives deposits something to grip. We remove what’s there, flag what’s cracking, and tell you plainly if the liner can wait another season. For the full Summit-specific details, see Chimney Sweep in Summit.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Summit
Lint exhaust is the other fire hazard in Summit’s compact homes, where dryer vents run short distances through tight framing and often exit close to windows or neighboring walls. A clogged vent raises drying times and keeps heat where it shouldn’t be. Wexford is one company for both your chimney and your dryer vent, which matters when both are original to a 1920s cottage. Details on our Summit dryer vent service are here: Dryer Vent Cleaning in Summit.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees — you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Chimney Repair in Summit
Chimney repair in Summit tends to be structural rather than cosmetic. The damp river air works into old mortar, winter freeze-thaw pushes it apart, and the result is brick that sheds its face, crowns that crack, and clay tile liners that split from the top down. Most of the repair calls we take here could have been smaller fixes if a sweep had caught the moisture entry point early. That’s why our repair approach is evidence-first: nothing gets recommended without camera inspection footage you can see yourself. For a full picture of what repair involves, start with our Chimney Repair overview.
Chimney Crown Repair
Signs you need it
Hairline cracks across the concrete cap, missing chunks at the edges, or water staining on the top few courses of interior brick.
What it costs in Summit
Chimney crown repair in Summit typically runs $800 to $1,500 depending on access and how much of the old crown needs removal.
How we do it
We remove loose crown material, build a form or shape a proper overhang, and pour a replacement crown that sheds water away from the flue.
Chimney Flashing Repair
Signs you need it
Water stains on ceilings near the fireplace, damp attic framing around the chimney, or rusted, pulled-away flashing visible from the roof.
What it costs in Summit
Chimney flashing repair in Summit ranges from $450 to $950 depending on how much step and counter flashing must be replaced.
How we do it
We cut out the failed flashing, install new step flashing tucked into the mortar joints, and seal the counter flashing so water moves off the roof instead of into it.
What Chimney Repair Costs in Summit
| Item | Typical range in Summit |
|---|---|
| Chimney crown repair | $800 – $1,500 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $450 – $950 |
| Chimney cap replacement | $250 – $650 |
Can you repair a chimney without rebuilding the whole stack?
Usually yes. Crowns, flashing, caps, and even deteriorated flue liners can often be restored without a full rebuild. HeatShield liner repair, for example, restores a compromised flue without a full reline when conditions allow. The camera inspection tells us what the minimum effective fix is.
Do I really need to fix a cracked crown, or can it wait?
Small cracks let water in every time it rains or snow melts, and Summit’s freeze-thaw cycles widen them fast. If the crack is surface-level, it may wait a season. If it let water into the brick already, it’s cheaper to fix now than to rebuild spalled brick later. Call (866) 361-2607 and we’ll tell you which one you have.
Brands We Service in Summit
We stock and install Olympia Chimney and Famco parts, along with Copperfield and DuraFlex products, all in standard Summit setups without the usual wait. That means a cap replacement or liner component doesn’t sit on backorder for two weeks. For the full list of what we carry, see our brands.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Chimney Company in Summit, IL
| Service | Typical range in Summit |
|---|---|
| Chimney sweep | $180 – $340 |
| Level 1 inspection | $120 – $250 |
| Level 2 inspection | $300 – $550 |
| Chimney cap installation | $250 – $650 |
| Chimney cap replacement | $250 – $650 |
| Chimney liner installation | $2,500 – $6,500 |
| Chimney flashing repair | $450 – $950 |
| Chimney crown repair | $800 – $1,500 |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $120 – $260 |
In Summit, two things push a repair quote upward: roof access on steep older bungalows and masonry that crumbles faster than expected once we open it up. We price the sweep and any follow-up work before we start, so the number you agree to is the number you pay.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Summit
We work throughout all of Summit’s 60501 ZIP code, including the older residential blocks near the river and the denser two-flat streets closer to the village center. Most jobs in Summit can be scheduled within the week, with repair follow-ups set at the sweep appointment when the camera shows something that needs attention.
- Summit Village Center
- Argo area
- Des Plaines River corridor
- South Summit
- East Summit
Service Area – Cities Near Summit
Wexford Chimney Sweep also covers the neighboring villages where the same pre-war housing, river damp, and tight lots show up in slightly different forms. That includes Lyons, IL just west along Route 43, La Grange, IL with its older frame and brick stock, Brookfield, IL across the river, and North Riverside, IL directly east. Same flat-price sweep agreement, same camera evidence before any repair recommendation.
Serving Summit, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Summit area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage — if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Chimney Company in Summit
Most Summit sweeps can be scheduled within the week. Repairs that a sweep uncovers are quoted on the spot and scheduled right after so you’re not waiting on a second company. Call (866) 361-2607 for the soonest opening.
Routine chimney sweeping and inspections don’t require a permit in Summit. Structural repairs like a full rebuild may need village approval depending on scope. We’ll flag any permit question before work begins so you’re not surprised later.
We inspect the roofline and any masonry your flue shares with an adjacent building as a standard part of a Summit sweep. Exact diagnosis of a neighbor’s chimney is a separate visit for them, but we’ll tell you if something on their side looks like it’s affecting yours.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees — talk to a local chimney cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you — the visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Summit Customers Say
"Showed up when they said they would. That's most of the battle."
— Katie Parker"Fast, fair, done right. No notes."
— Elena Vargas"Swept it, capped it, and installed a proper damper. The downdraft smell in the summer that we'd lived with for years is gone."
— Jason Miller