Masonry & Tuckpointing in Elk Grove Village, Illinois
Elk Grove Village was built out from 1956 and its median house dates to 1974. The masonry here is fifty-year-old brick, chimneys and stoops, and the Village code says tuckpointing needs no permit.
Fifty-year-old brick, not heritage masonry
Elk Grove Village is a planned suburb with an unusually clear paper trail. The Village's history page says Centex Corporation, a group of Dallas-based land developers, assembled 1,500 continuous acres, that the Village incorporated in 1956 with 116 residents, and that the plan put homes on the west side and a business park on the east side, along the airport.
The Census Bureau's 2024 five-year American Community Survey estimates about 13,700 housing units and a median year built of 1974. The 1970s are the biggest decade at about 29 percent of units, then the 1960s at 24 percent and the 1980s at 19 percent. The 1950s account for 12 percent, 1990 onward for 13 percent and everything before 1950 for about 3 percent.
About 72 percent of the housing was built between 1960 and 1989, so a typical wall here has been through more than fifty Chicago winters. The question is rarely how to preserve it. It is what fifty years of freezing and thawing have done, and whether something behind the brick failed first.
Very old masonry is the exception, and so is the soft lime mortar that goes with it. What the National Park Service asks of every repointing job applies in full: mortar no harder than the masonry around it, matched to what is already in the wall.
No landmark rulebook, and how we checked
We looked for a historic preservation commission and a landmark chapter in the Village Code. Title 2, Boards and Commissions, lists ten chapters, from the plan commission to the parade committee. Title 8, Community Development, lists twelve, including the Building Activity Code, sign regulations and flood hazard areas. None is about preservation.
We checked chapter titles, not every section, and did not read the zoning ordinance line by line. So the claim is we found no historic review, not that none can exist. For a home with known history, one call to Community Development settles it.
A National Register listing would not change much anyway: the National Park Service says it places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do. The oldest structures the Park District documents here are farm buildings, a farmhouse moved in 1976 and a barn dated to about 1880. We found no documented brick landmark and will not invent one.
What the Village code says about permits
The Building Activity Code, section 8-3A-8, lists ordinary repairs an owner may make without a building permit or notice to the Village, and says the list is not all-inclusive. It includes tuckpointing of existing masonry, replacement of existing brickwork, repair of a porch or stoop that does not support a roof, siding, gutters, and like-for-like roof repairs touching no more than 25 percent of the sheathing.
Tuckpointing and replacing damaged brick are on the Village's own list. For plain repointing the permit is not the hurdle. The mortar and the joint work are.
Permits enter elsewhere. The Village's permit FAQ lists stoops, stairs, roofs, fireplaces and fire pits, fire damage and crawl spaces, plus windows or doors when their size or location changes, which in a brick wall means a new lintel. There are also checklists for brick paver driveways, patios and mailboxes.
Chimneys are a grey area. Repointing and replacing brick fits the ordinary-repair line on a plain reading. A rebuilt crown or top courses, a new liner or an altered fireplace appears on neither list, and we found no chimney-specific rule. Phone Community Development at (847) 357-4220 first; the code adds a penalty fee when permit-required work starts early.
The Village has adopted the 2024 International Residential Code and Property Maintenance Code, with amendments. The maintenance code expects exterior walls to be weatherproof and free of breaks and loose material, and chimneys to be kept structurally safe, sound and in good repair.
What the weather does here
The Village's amendment to the residential code lists weathering as severe, the frost line at 42 inches, ground snow load at 25 pounds per square foot and ice barrier underlayment as required. O'Hare, beside the business park, averaged 121.8 days a year below 32 degrees F in the 1981-2010 normals, with about 36.7 inches of snow.
Water soaks into brick and mortar, freezes and breaks off a little more face each winter. The National Park Service lists freeze-thaw cycles, salt expansion and differential foundation settlement among the causes of cracking. So fix the water before the mortar, since the maintenance code expects roof drainage that keeps walls free of dampness, and go easy on de-icing salt near brick or block steps.
How 1960s-80s brick walls fail
The Census Bureau's town-level housing data does not record what houses are made of, so nobody can say what share of Elk Grove Village is brick, and we will not guess. If your house is brick, first learn whether it is solid masonry or a single layer of brick tied to a framed wall, a veneer. A veneer depends on drainage, and when drainage fails the damage starts behind the face. The 2024 residential code the Village adopted gives a yardstick:
- Flashing and weep holes. Flashing sits beneath the first course and at lintels. Weep holes, at least 3/16 inch, go in the outer layer no more than 33 inches apart, directly above the flashing. Holes filled with mortar, caulk or paint trap water behind the brick.
- Lintels. Steel lintels are meant to be shop-coated against rust, and the Park Service lists failed lintels among the causes of cracking over openings. Rust stains, a lifting joint above a window or a stair-step crack from a corner point there.
- Mortar. The Park Service calls improper repointing a major source of damage: hard, high-portland-cement mortar is less permeable than brick and can speed its decay. Match the wall, not the strongest bag.
- Cleaning and coatings. Abrasive cleaning strips the hard outer surface of brick, and impermeable coatings trap moisture. Be wary of sandblasting or a film-forming sealer.
- Cracks. Monitor first. The Park Service says active cracks get flexible sealant and inactive ones get pointed, so repointing before you know which kind you have risks doing the job twice.
Chimneys: the most exposed masonry on the house
A chimney is brick standing alone in the weather, with a roof junction at its base and a flue inside, so it is exposed on every side. First establish what you have. If your fireplace is a factory-built unit with a metal flue in a framed chase, the brick or siding may be only a veneer around it, and the code treats those units in their own section.
Where chimneys fail, from the top down
- Crown. The slab that sheds water off the brick. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) says it should project about two inches on every side and prefers a cast crown with an expansion joint to a sand-and-mortar wash. The residential code, which calls it a cap, requires concrete, metal or stone sloped to shed water, with a drip edge and a caulked bond break around the flue liners. A cracked or eroded crown lets water into the brick below.
- Cap. CSIA says a well-designed cap keeps rain, birds and animals out.
- Flashing and cricket. The roof seal. The maintenance code expects roof and flashing to be sound and tight, and the residential code calls for a cricket, a small saddle that diverts water, when the chimney is wider than 30 inches along the ridge and does not intersect it. Stains on the ceiling beside the chimney are a typical symptom.
- Brick and joints. CSIA calls common brick a sponge and says defective joints, or the wrong mortar, increase water intake. The top courses are the most exposed, so look there first.
- Flue liner. The code requires masonry chimneys to be lined. CSIA lists cracked or collapsed flue tiles, cracks in exterior masonry and smoke escaping through joints as warning signs. A liner is hard to judge from the roof.
When to have one inspected
CSIA recommends an annual check by a certified chimney sweep. Add one before changing what is connected to the chimney, before relining, when buying or selling, after a chimney fire, and when brick or tile fragments appear in the firebox.
What a sound repair scope looks like
A written scope should read top to bottom, each element marked sound, repair or replace:
- Crown: rebuilt as a cast crown with an overhang and expansion joint, not a thin skim over a cracked slab.
- Brick: spalled units cut out and replaced, then joints raked and repointed with matched mortar.
- Flashing: reset together with the roofing it laps. Roofs are on the Village's permit list, so ask who handles that.
- Height: a rebuilt top still reaches 3 feet above where it crosses the roof and 2 feet above anything within 10 feet.
- Liner: clay tile, a listed system or another approved material; raise any liner change with the Village first.
- Water repellent: only a breathable one. The Park Service warns that impermeable coatings trap moisture.
A cracked crown and open joints are a maintenance job, not an emergency. Smoke in the joints, collapsed liner tiles or a leaning stack are different: leave the fireplace unused until someone qualified has looked.
Stoops, steps and pavers
Stoops and steps are where the permit rules get specific. The Village's permit FAQ lists stoops and stairs, while the ordinary-repair list covers a stoop that does not hold up a roof. So patching and repointing is ordinary repair, replacing a stoop or building steps is permit territory, and a roof above means ask. A stoop that has sunk or pulled from the house may be moving on its base, which repointing will not cure.
Townhomes, condos and the business park
Not everyone owns a freestanding house. The ACS estimates about 29 percent of units are in buildings of two or more units and about 12 percent are single-family attached, while about 75 percent of households own their home. If your building has an association, its documents decide who hires the mason and what must match, and the Village's permit rules still apply. Ask the board for its exterior schedule before requesting quotes.
Nearly half the village is industrial: 5.81 of 11.83 square miles, around a six-square-mile business park. This page is written for homeowners and small buildings. Commercial and industrial work follows a separate permit list, including zoning and occupancy approval.
Questions worth asking before you sign
- Is my wall solid masonry or veneer, and where are the weep holes and lintels?
- What mortar is in the wall, and what will go in? A mason should identify the existing mix and match it.
- How will old mortar come out, and how are the brick edges protected? The Park Service warns that poor repointing can damage the units themselves.
- Does anything need a permit, and who calls the Village? Phone (847) 357-4220 and note who you spoke to.
- Where does the water go after the repair?
Signs your masonry needs a look
- Joints recessed behind the face, or mortar that crumbles to sand under a key
- Spalling: brick faces flaking or popping off, often at chimney tops and stoop corners
- Rust stains, lifting or a horizontal crack above a window or door
- Stair-step cracks following the joints, or a crack wider this autumn than last spring
- Water stains beside a chimney, or brick and tile fragments in the firebox
Any of these is worth a look before the next freeze-thaw season.
Elk Grove Village and the surrounding area
Elk Grove Village sits in northwest Cook County and reaches into DuPage County. If you are comparing neighbouring towns, see masonry in Schaumburg, masonry in Arlington Heights, masonry in Mount Prospect or masonry in Des Plaines, start with our greystone, landmark and estate work if yours is an older property, or browse every area we serve across Chicagoland.
Questions Elk Grove Village owners ask
Do I need a permit to tuckpoint in Elk Grove Village?
Under the Village's Building Activity Code, no. Section 8-3A-8 lists tuckpointing of existing masonry and replacement of existing brickwork as ordinary repairs, made without a building permit, notice to the Village or inspection. The list is not all-inclusive, and it is the Village's rather than ours. For a new opening, a structural repair or a rebuilt chimney, phone Community Development at (847) 357-4220 first, because a penalty fee applies when permit-required work starts early. Townhome and condo associations may add rules of their own.
Does chimney repair or a new fireplace need a permit in Elk Grove Village?
We found no chimney-specific rule, so ask. The Village's permit FAQ lists fireplaces and fire pits, and roofs, as permit work. On a plain reading, repointing a chimney and replacing damaged brick fit the ordinary-repair line, while rebuilding a crown or the top courses, relining a flue or altering a fireplace appear on neither list. Phone Community Development at (847) 357-4220 before work starts and note who you spoke to.
Is there a historic district or landmark review in Elk Grove Village?
We found none. Title 2 of the Village Code has ten chapters on boards and commissions and Title 8 has twelve on community development, and none concerns preservation or landmarks. We checked chapter titles, not every section, and did not read the zoning ordinance line by line, so this means no historic review was found, not that none can exist. The National Park Service adds that a National Register listing places no restrictions on a non-federal owner; only state or local law can.
How old are Elk Grove Village homes, and are they brick?
The Census Bureau's 2024 five-year American Community Survey estimates a median year built of 1974. About 72 percent of roughly 13,700 housing units date from 1960 to 1989, and only about 3 percent from before 1950. Whether homes are brick is unknown: the American Community Survey does not ask about exterior wall material, so any percentage you are quoted is invented. If yours is brick, it is solid masonry or a veneer over a framed wall, and a mason can tell which in minutes.
Does a 1970s brick wall need lime mortar?
Ask what is in the wall now. The National Park Service says repointing mortar should be softer or more permeable than the masonry units and no harder than the existing mortar, since a stronger joint pushes stress into the brick and causes cracking and spalling. With only about 3 percent of homes predating 1950, lime mortar is the exception here, and the Park Service notes that even early twentieth-century buildings may have portland cement mortar. Match the existing mix rather than defaulting to the hardest.
How often should a chimney be inspected?
The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends an annual check by a certified chimney sweep. Add one before changing the appliance or fuel connected to the chimney, before relining, when you buy or sell, after a chimney fire, and when brick or tile fragments appear in the firebox. A cracked crown or open joints is a maintenance job, not an emergency.
What are the usual chimney failure points?
From the top: the crown, which the Chimney Safety Institute of America says should project about two inches and prefers cast with an expansion joint; the cap, which keeps out rain and animals; the flashing and, on wider chimneys, the cricket; the brick and joints, since common brick acts like a sponge; and the flue liner, where cracked tiles, cracks in exterior masonry or smoke through the joints are warning signs.
What do weep holes and steel lintels have to do with my brick?
If your brick is a veneer over a framed wall, they are its drainage and its support. The 2024 residential code the Village adopted calls for flashing beneath the first course and at lintels, weep holes of at least 3/16 inch no more than 33 inches apart directly above the flashing, and noncombustible lintels, with steel ones shop-coated against rust. Weep holes mortared, caulked or painted shut trap water behind the brick, and failed lintels are a listed cause of cracking over openings.
Who decides on masonry work if I live in a townhome or condo?
Your association's governing documents, together with the Village's permit rules for the work itself. The American Community Survey estimates that about 29 percent of Elk Grove Village's housing units are in buildings of two or more units and about 12 percent are single-family attached homes. Ask the board for the exterior maintenance schedule, who pays for repointing and chimney work, and whether materials must match.
Is MasonryPros.us a masonry contractor?
No. MasonryPros.us is a free matching service run by Media Express LLC, a Chicago digital agency. It does not perform masonry work, has no office in Elk Grove Village and does not recommend a specific contractor on this page. You describe the job once, we pass it to contractors who handle that kind of work, and there is no obligation to hire anyone. Everything here is general guidance from the sources it names, so confirm permit questions with the Village.