Cracked crowns, deteriorated mortar, spalling brick, and structurally compromised chimneys restored — from targeted repairs to full rebuilds, with code-compliant construction and permanent results.
A chimney isn't a cosmetic fixture — it's a freestanding masonry structure that penetrates your roofline and stands exposed to every Chicago winter. We rebuild it with the same rigor we bring to a ground-up custom home, not the shortcuts of a patch-and-go repair crew.
In-house AMS masons on every chimney rebuild
Crowns poured solid — never a thin mortar wash
Pass rate on structural chimney inspections
We don't stop at the visible face. Every assessment traces the flue liner, the internal wythes, and the substrate below the crown to find out how far the deterioration actually runs before we quote a scope.
If a course is compromised, we tear down to structurally sound masonry — sometimes below the roofline — rather than laying new brick over a failing base. A rebuild that sits on rot is a rebuild that fails again.
We pull from our custom-home supplier network to match your existing brick's color, texture, and course size, so the rebuilt stack reads as original — not as a patched-together repair job.
Poured concrete crowns with a drip edge, stainless steel caps, and heavy-gauge stepped flashing woven into your roofline — the three failure points that send every other repair back out on a callback.
Five steps carry every chimney rebuild from diagnosis to a finished, water-tested stack on Chicagoland homes.
We trace the flue liner, flashing, and internal wythes to find the true depth of the issue before writing any scope.
A scope built on a surface look misses failure points that resurface the first hard Chicago winter.
Compromised courses come down to structurally sound brick, often below the roofline, while shingles and landscaping stay protected.
New masonry over a failing base inherits that failure. We only build on a foundation that can carry it.
Our in-house crew sources matching brick and lays every course with uniform joints and a properly aligned flue.
A rebuild should read as original construction, not as a visibly patched section bolted onto the chimney.
Heavy-gauge step and counter-flashing gets woven into fresh mortar joints and tied into your existing shingles.
The roofline junction is where most chimney leaks start. A woven flashing detail closes that gap for good.
We pour a solid concrete crown with a drip edge, set a stainless cap, and run a water test before calling it done.
A verified water test confirms the freeze-thaw cycle behind the original damage is actually stopped.
A chimney rebuild gets one shot to be right. Full diagnosis to final water test — built to the same standard as our new construction work.
We map the true depth of the failure first — flue, flashing, substrate — then give you a written scope. No guessing once the scaffolding is up.
Heavy-gauge stepped flashing built into the fresh mortar joints and your existing shingles — the roofline seal most repairs skip entirely.
Solid concrete crowns with a real drip edge and a stainless cap — engineered to end the freeze-thaw cycle, not delay it a season or two.
No subs rotating through your roofline. The masons who diagnose the chimney are the ones on the scaffolding finishing it.
Our chimney clients are usually protecting a home they've already invested heavily in — a custom build, a historic facade, a property they plan to own for decades. They don't want the cheapest tuckpoint. They want the stack rebuilt the way it should have been built the first time, and they want the mason who can prove it.
Most chimneys fail again because whoever fixed them last time addressed the symptom, not the structure. We build every crown, flue, and flashing detail to outlast the next thirty Chicago winters — so the next call you make to us is for a new project, not the same one.
"We pour every crown for the winter it hasn't seen yet — not the inspection it needs to pass next week."
A leaning chimney is a structural emergency. Don't wait.
Answer 12 questions — get a structural risk score and repair priority. Free.
A short diagnostic that scores crown condition, mortar joints, flashing, and lean against 12 known failure points — built from what our masons actually check on the roof.
"The risk score came back 'High — structural attention required' with three specific items flagged. AMS came out the next day. Two of the three flagged items needed immediate repair. The tool was right."
— George W., Homeowner · Evanston, IL
Risk assessment based on visual warning signs. A professional on-site assessment by AMS is required for accurate structural determination and repair scoping. Call 773-656-2107 to schedule.
Every project here started as a chimney someone else told the homeowner to "just patch." Here's what full rebuilds look like when they're done right the first time.
Protecting high-value properties from structural decay.
No two chimneys fail the same way, so the number depends on how far the damage runs — crown down, or brick by brick to the roofline. These are the three scopes we quote most.
Chimney height, access, and brick type significantly affect pricing. Free on-site assessment with written quote at 773-656-2107. Book yours here.
We assess the full chimney before recommending scope. If our repair doesn't resolve the identified issue — water intrusion, structural movement, crown failure — we correct it at no charge.
"AMS rebuilt our chimney above the roofline to match the original brick perfectly. Our builder said the coursing was flawless."
Peter Vance
Wilmette, IL · North Shore
Slide to see the crumbling crown and open joints we started with — hold at the edge and you'll catch the exact line where old brick ends and new begins.
Every full or partial rebuild is warranted against deficient installation, terms included in every written contract. If it's not built to last, we didn't build it right.
What Chicagoland homeowners and builders ask us before we put scaffolding up.
Mortar joint restoration for brick and stone — the most common masonry repair for Chicagoland homes.
Custom chimney construction and fireplace masonry for residential properties and custom homes.
Spalled, cracked, and structurally compromised bricks replaced and matched to your existing facade.
