Fast, Reliable Chimney Cap & Crown Across Highwood
Chimney cap and crown repair in Highwood typically runs $340-$890 for most homes, with custom caps for Fort Sheridan-era chimneys starting around $520. We’re usually on Sheridan Road or within the Fort Sheridan conversion within 45 minutes of your call. Our Chimney Cap & Crown team knows the difference between a standard replacement and the odd flue sizes we find in Highwood’s 1910s bungalows. Call (888) 289-6055 any hour, day or night, and a live person answers.
Highwood sits where Lake Michigan’s east winds hit hardest. That persistent moisture, combined with freeze-thaw cycles that inland Deerfield or Northbrook simply don’t experience at the same intensity, chews through mortar crowns and corrodes standard caps faster than almost anywhere else in Lake County. We’ve been driving out to Highwood from our Chicago base for over 42 years, and we’ve learned what lasts here and what doesn’t.
Why Hearthstone Chimney Co. of Chicago Is Highwood’s Preferred Chimney Cap & Crown Company
We’ve worked on chimneys in Highwood since the early 1980s, back when Sheridan Road was still lined with family-owned groceries and the Fort Sheridan Army base hadn’t yet become private homes. That longevity means something in a town where contractors come and go. Our technicians have photographed and documented hundreds of Highwood inspections, many on the same streets, year after year.
Homeowners in Highwood’s 60040 ZIP code call us back because we explain what we found in plain English, show the photos, and give an upfront number that matches the final invoice. No renegotiating on the doorstep. The 90-Day Done Right Promise covers every cap and crown job in writing. If it’s not right, we come back. No paperwork to dig up, no argument.
Our background-checked, uniformed technicians complete most chimney cap and crown jobs in Highwood in a single visit. We stock Gelco and Olympia Chimney caps in common sizes, and we fabricate custom solutions for the non-standard flue openings that turn up constantly in Highwood’s older housing stock.
Our Chimney Cap & Crown Services in Highwood
Custom Cap Fabrication for Non-Standard Flues
Highwood’s dense cluster of early-20th-century immigrant-built bungalows and Fort Sheridan’s converted 1880s Army housing means a uniquely high concentration of unlined or clay-tile-lined chimneys that, after decades of gas conversion, now need custom caps to fit non-standard flue sizes. The 8×13 opening we encounter on Fort Sheridan-era chimneys won’t accept a stock cap from a big-box store. We measure, fabricate from marine-grade stainless steel or copper, and install with proper clearances and liner adapters. A custom cap in Highwood typically runs $520-$780, depending on metal choice and whether we need to extend the flue.
Crown Repair and Rebuilding
Original mortar crowns on Fort Sheridan-era chimneys crack from freeze-thaw cycles accelerated by lake-effect moisture, allowing water to seep into the brick core. We cut out the damaged crown, pour a new concrete crown with proper slope and drip edge, and seal it with an elastomeric coating formulated for Lake County’s salt-air exposure. Crown repair in Highwood generally costs $380-$650. Full rebuilds on severely deteriorated Fort Sheridan stacks can reach $890-$1,400.
Crown Coating and Preventive Sealing
For crowns with minor cracking but sound structure, we apply a flexible crown coating that bridges hairline cracks and sheds water. In Highwood, we recommend recoating lake-facing chimneys every 4-6 years, sooner than the 7-10 year interval we’d suggest for inland Highland Park or Deerfield homes. Crown coating runs $340-$480 in Highwood, including surface prep and minor crack filling.
Cap Replacement on Existing Flues
Sometimes the cap failed but the crown beneath is sound. We match the replacement to Highwood’s conditions. Decorative copper or galvanized caps on lake-facing roofs corrode prematurely from persistent east winds carrying salt spray, needing replacement with marine-grade stainless steel. Standard stainless cap replacement: $280-$420. Upgrading to marine-grade for lakefront homes: $390-$560.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Highwood
We install DuraFlex liner adapters, Gelco and Olympia Chimney caps, and specify HeatShield refractory mortar for crown rebuilds where the flue interface needs thermal protection. For Highwood customers, we keep common Gelco and Olympia Chimney cap sizes in stock, which means faster turnaround on standard replacements. Custom fabrications ship from our Chicago workshop and typically install within a week. We don’t use builder-grade substitutes. The materials we specify are the same ones we’d put on our own homes.
Common Chimney Cap & Crown Problems We See in Highwood Homes
- Freeze-thaw spalling on Fort Sheridan mortar crowns. The original lime-mortar crowns on 1880s-1900s chimneys absorb lake-driven moisture, then the winter freeze cycle pops off surface layers. We rebuild with Portland-based concrete and elastomeric seal to break that cycle.
- Clay tile liner separation in unlined bungalows. Clay tile liners in unlined Highwood bungalows shift and separate at joints under temperature swings, leaving gaps that require custom crown extensions rather than standard caps. A stock cap won’t seal properly over a shifted liner.
- Salt-spray corrosion on lake-facing caps. Decorative copper or galvanized caps on lake-facing roofs corrode prematurely from persistent east winds carrying salt spray, needing replacement with marine-grade stainless steel. We’ve replaced 5-year-old galvanized caps on Sheridan Road homes that looked 20 years old.
- Coal-era flue sizing mismatched to gas appliances. Technicians working the Fort Sheridan neighborhood regularly encounter 1880s-1900s era chimneys, some originally designed for coal, that have been quietly venting gas appliances for decades with no relining. The combination produces heavy deposits and dangerous liner gaps that would be unusual to find this frequently in any neighboring North Shore city. Custom caps with proper liner adapters are essential.
Pricing for Chimney Cap & Crown in Highwood, IL
| Service | Typical Range in Highwood |
|---|---|
| Standard stainless steel cap replacement | $280-$420 |
| Marine-grade cap (lakefront/salt exposure) | $390-$560 |
| Custom fabricated cap (non-standard flue) | $520-$780 |
| Crown coating (preventive) | $340-$480 |
| Crown repair (partial rebuild) | $380-$650 |
| Full crown rebuild | $890-$1,400 |
What moves the number? Accessibility (steep roofs on Sheridan Road’s older two-flats cost more to rig safely), flue size and condition, and whether we need to install a liner adapter. We give you the full price before we start. The estimate is free, and the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice. Call (888) 289-6055 for an exact quote on your Highwood chimney.
We Also Serve Cities Near Highwood
Our Chimney Cap & Crown in Highwood coverage extends throughout Lake County and the North Shore. We regularly work in Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield, and Northbrook. Each community has its own chimney characteristics, from Lake Forest’s estate homes to Deerfield’s mid-century splits, but Highwood’s concentration of century-old masonry remains unique in our service area.
Serving Highwood, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Highwood 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 - Chimney Cap & Crown in Highwood
Probably. Most Highwood bungalows built between 1910 and 1940 have unlined or clay-tile-lined flues with dimensions that don’t match modern stock caps. We measure on site and fabricate to fit. Call (888) 289-6055 and we’ll check your flue size during the free estimate.
The 1880s-1900s mortar crowns were built with lime-based mixes that deteriorate faster under modern freeze-thaw stress, and many have been patched repeatedly with incompatible materials. We remove the failing crown, assess the brick beneath, and rebuild with proper concrete and slope. The salt-air exposure on Fort Sheridan’s lakefront position also demands elastomeric sealing that inland homes don’t require.
Every 4-6 years for chimneys on lake-facing elevations. The east-wind salt spray and freeze-thaw cycling degrade sealants faster than in Highland Park or Deerfield. We inspect crown condition during every sweep and tell you straight whether it’s time.
Yes, if the crown is sound and properly sloped. We inspect for cracks, deterioration, and proper drainage. If the crown is failing, a new cap on a bad crown wastes your money. We’ll show you photos and explain what we found. Most jobs complete in one visit.
Marine-grade 304 or 316 stainless steel. We avoid galvanized steel on lake-facing Highwood homes and specify copper only when the homeowner accepts the maintenance cycle. Marine-grade stainless costs more upfront but outlasts standard grades by a decade or more in this environment.
Ready to protect your Highwood chimney? Call (888) 289-6055 for a free estimate. A live person answers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll be there when we say, we’ll show you photos of what we find, and we’ll stand behind the work with the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Written by the team at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Highwood and Chicago-area communities since 2014.