ChimTech logo featuring a stylized chimney with an open book design in red and orange tones, topped with a bright flame in orange and yellow. The logo represents a chimney services company, combining imagery of fire safety and knowledge. The company name "ChimTech" appears below in bold white text on a dark background.
ChimTech logo featuring a stylized chimney with an open book design in red and orange tones, topped with a bright flame in orange and yellow. The logo represents a chimney services company, combining imagery of fire safety and knowledge. The company name "ChimTech" appears below in bold white text on a dark background.
Schedule a Visit
Call Now
CHICAGO · CHIMNEY REMOVAL

Full Structural Assessment Completed Before a Single Brick Is Moved

We map above-roofline to basement footing before the scope is set — full-stack chimney takedown across Chicagoland.
Call (312) 768-8940
Book a Scope Assessment
A tall brick chimney rises prominently from a residential roofline, displaying weathered red brick construction with visible mortar joints and potential deterioration. The chimney is photographed from an elevated rooftop perspective, with asphalt shingle roofing visible in the foreground and bare trees and neighboring houses visible in the background. This image represents typical residential chimney conditions that may require professional inspection and maintenance services.
WHY HOMEOWNERS REMOVE

Three Situations Where Chicago Homeowners Choose Chimney Removal

Chimney removal in the Chicago area almost always traces back to one of three specific situations.

System Conversion

A pre-1950 furnace flue the new forced-air or gas system no longer uses — still admitting cold air in winter and flagged on every home inspection. Removal reclaims floor space and ends the upkeep on a system that no longer serves a purpose.

Structural Compromise

A Level 2 or Level 3 inspection finds a liner past relining, a firebox with failed structural masonry, or a stack showing active lean — conditions where removal is the more economical, permanent answer than full reconstruction.

Renovation

A gut-renovated two-flat or bungalow bungalow with a chimney footprint running through floor space the new plan needs. Removal frees that square footage cleanly.

Each situation points to the same next step: understanding what the chimney actually touches before committing to a removal scope.
Footing → Crown
Full Stack Mapped
Permit Filed
Direct to Your Municipality
One Crew
Assessment to Inspection
1–3 Days
Typical Project Window
THE MULTI-FLUE QUESTION

Why Multi-Flue Older Chicago Homes Face the Removal Question More Often

Chicago’s pre-1950 housing stock regularly contains three or four flues in a single chimney stack — especially on two-flats and three-flats.
Original construction often included one flue for the fireplace, one for the furnace, and sometimes a third for a kitchen range that hasn’t been in service since the 1940s. When a homeowner converts to forced-air heat, one or more becomes an abandoned flue — a passage with no active appliance connected.
An abandoned flue still admits moisture, still drops cold air into the house in January, still creates a spring pathway for animals, and still appears on every home inspection report as an open item.
What surprises most homeowners: removing one flue from a shared stack isn’t always structurally straightforward. The remaining flue may depend on the masonry of the one being removed for lateral support — a relationship that has to be assessed before any brick moves. ChimTech evaluates the full stack before scoping a partial or full removal on any multi-flue Chicago home. On a two-flat or three-flat, where separate units vent into the same stack, that assessment also has to confirm nothing still in service is being orphaned.
A tall brick chimney with a metal cap and crown rises prominently above a residential roofline, surrounded by neighboring houses with bare trees visible in the background. The chimney shows traditional masonry construction with red brick and appears to be in an older suburban neighborhood. This image represents typical residential chimney infrastructure commonly serviced and maintained by professional chimney companies.
FOOTING FIRST, NOT ROOFLINE

What I Look for Before We Touch a Chicago Chimney Removal

Every removal scope I write starts at the basement footing, not the roofline.
Portrait of Brian Dobuis, founder of ChimTech
Brian Dobuis
Founder, ChimTech
I’ve been in basements of older Chicago homes where the chimney footing is the size of a dining room table — and the stack above it isn’t just a column of brick. In some of these houses the original framing used the chimney as a bearing element at the floor joists, and in solid-masonry construction the stack can be tied into the party wall itself. You cannot know that from the outside, so before I scope anything I trace the chimney from crown to foundation.

Structural Load

Whether the chimney carries any framing load for the surrounding structure — in some older Chicago homes the framing used the stack as a bearing element at the floor joists, and on two-flats it can be tied into the party wall.

Floor-Level Penetrations

What the penetration looks like at each floor level, crown to foundation — every level the stack passes through gets noted before scope.

Finished Openings

What the finished opening will require at the roof, ceiling, floor, and basement slab after removal — different for above-roofline versus full interior.

I tell every homeowner which removal type applies to their specific situation before they authorize anything.
WHICH REMOVAL APPLIES

Above-Roofline vs. Full Interior Removal — Which Applies to Your Home

The removal type is determined by what you need the chimney to stop doing — not by what’s cheapest to remove.

Above-Roofline Removal

The less invasive option.

Stack comes down to the roofline

Flashing patch restores roof water resistance

Interior structure stays — attic to footing

Best when the chimney isn't causing indoor problems

Full Interior Removal

The complete takedown.

Every component out — crown to basement footing

Floor, wall, and ceiling openings patched at each level

Best when the interior footprint is the issue

Renovation, footing moisture, or no structure remaining

Both options require a residential building permit when the work affects the roofline or structural framing. ChimTech identifies the authority having jurisdiction — the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, or your suburb’s building department — and coordinates that permit directly, with no third-party filing service. The permit covers the structural work, the roofline modification, and the inspection confirming the openings are properly patched and the structure is sound; you receive a copy of the permit and the passed inspection record at project close-out. If the property sits in a landmark district, we confirm whether a Commission review applies before the scope is finalised.
HOW WE APPROACH IT

How ChimTech Approaches Every Chicago Chimney Removal

Written scope. Structural check. Permit filed. One crew, start to finish.
What sets removal apart from most masonry work is the number of trades it touches at once — roofing at the flashing patch, framing if floor joists need sistering after the footing comes out, drywall and flooring at every interior opening. ChimTech coordinates all of it under a single job record.

Structural load assessment completed before scope is written — we confirm whether the chimney carries framing load at the floor joists.

Flue status confirmed — abandoned flues documented inactive before removal; active connections identified and managed in scope.

Residential permit filed with the correct municipality for all work affecting the roofline or structural framing.

Flashing patch installed to manufacturer specification at the roof penetration after above-roofline removal.

Floor, wall, and ceiling openings patched at each level for full interior removal — substrate matched to adjacent surfaces.

Single job record delivered — scope, permit number, inspection outcome, and finished condition documented.

01

Diagnostics

The assessment begins at the basement footing. We trace the chimney's structural relationship to the surrounding framing at each floor level, identify all flues in the stack — active, abandoned, and capped — and confirm which are included in the removal scope.

02

Implementation

Above-roofline removal proceeds crown to roofline, course by course, with a controlled debris-drop system protecting the roof; the flashing patch is installed in the same visit. Full interior removal continues through the attic, ceiling, floors, and footing — each opening framed, patched, and finished to match. No opening is left rough.

03

Post-Service Documentation

ChimTech confirms water resistance at the former penetration; for full interior removals, floor and ceiling patches are confirmed level and structurally sound before the crew leaves. The passed permit inspection is scheduled with the relevant building department as part of close-out.

WHERE WE REMOVE

Chimney Removal Coverage Across Chicagoland

We perform removals across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs — heaviest volume in the older housing stock on the Northwest and Southwest Sides.
Projects on the Southwest Side — Beverly, Garfield Ridge and Mount Greenwood — frequently involve the abandoned furnace-flue scenario: a pre-1950 bungalow whose original coal or oil furnace flue runs through the centre of the house with nothing connected to it. In Logan Square, Avondale and Wicker Park, gut-renovation projects regularly surface chimney footprints the updated floor plan can’t accommodate.
Oak Park, Berwyn and Evanston projects tend to mix both — system conversions and renovation-driven removals — often in the same structure. Every project, regardless of municipality, is scoped, permitted, and executed by the same ChimTech crew. The team that assesses the footing files the permit with the correct building department and completes the removal through final inspection — no handoffs, no subcontracted phases.
BeverlyGarfield RidgeMount GreenwoodPortage ParkAvondaleLogan SquareOak ParkBerwyn
Call (312) 768-8940 to schedule a structural scope assessment.
A tall brick chimney rises prominently from a residential roof in a suburban neighborhood, showcasing traditional masonry construction with visible weathering and wear. The chimney is surrounded by slate-tiled roofing, with tree-lined residential properties and houses visible in the background on an overcast day. This image exemplifies typical residential chimney infrastructure that requires professional inspection and maintenance services.

Book Your Chicago Chimney Removal Scope Assessment

If you know the chimney needs to go, the next step is a written scope — not a guess. Have your property address, chimney type, and removal goal ready; we’ll schedule the structural assessment, walk through above-roofline versus full interior options, and deliver a written scope before any work is authorized. Prefer email? Reach us at office@chimtech.org.
Call (312) 768-8940
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions — Chimney Removal

Yes. Any chimney removal that affects the roofline or structural framing requires a Chicago residential building permit. ChimTech files that permit directly with the City of Chicago and schedules the passed inspection as part of project close-out. You receive a copy of both the permit and the inspection record.

Above-roofline removal takes the stack down to the roofline and installs a flashing patch at the former opening, while the interior structure stays in place through the attic, floors, and basement. Full interior removal pulls every component from crown to basement footing and patches all floor, wall, and ceiling openings at each level. Which one applies depends on why the chimney is being removed and whether the interior footprint is part of the problem.

Above-roofline removal is typically completed in a single day. Full interior removal depends on how many floor levels the chimney passes through and the condition of the surrounding framing — a two-story Chicago two-flat with a chimney from basement to roofline is generally a two-to-three-day project. ChimTech provides a timeline estimate as part of the written scope before work begins.

Sometimes, but not always. In older Chicago homes the masonry of adjacent flues in a shared stack may provide lateral support to each other. Before any partial removal is scoped, ChimTech assesses whether the remaining flue structure can stand independently — and if it can’t, the scope changes. That determination is made before authorization, not after demolition starts.

After above-roofline removal, ChimTech installs a flashing patch at the former penetration, set to manufacturer specification and confirmed for water resistance before the crew leaves. For full interior removals, the roof opening is patched as part of the same visit sequence.

It can — which is why the structural assessment comes before the scope is written. In some older Chicago homes the original framing used the chimney as a bearing element at the floor joists. ChimTech traces the chimney’s load relationship to the surrounding framing at every level; if floor joists need to be sistered after the footing is removed, that work is included in the scope and coordinated as part of the same project.