Level 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.
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Before
AfterLevel 2 Inspection in Evanston, IL
A Level 2 chimney inspection is the full-system examination required by NFPA 211 whenever a home changes hands, after any chimney fire or significant event, or any time a visual check isn’t enough to confirm what’s happening inside the flue. In Evanston, that means a video camera goes down the liner, every accessible attic and crawl space is checked for clearances, and you receive a written report with photos before we quote a single repair dollar. If your home is in Evanston and you’re not sure what’s actually inside that 100-year-old chimney, this is where you start.
Level Two Chimney Co. has been doing this since 2009 – more than 38,000 inspections and cleanings completed, every single one with a written price before work started and a documented photo record when it was done. That’s not a selling point we added later; it became Clause 4 of the Haven Standard because it was already our default practice. You can reach us at (708) 234-1174 any time – a live person picks up, not a voicemail. And if you want the full picture of what a Level 2 inspection fits into, our Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Evanston page explains how inspection and cleaning work together as a single visit.
When You Need a Level 2 Inspection
Some situations call for more than a flashlight and a trained eye looking down from the top. NFPA 211 specifies Level 2 in a defined set of circumstances, and Evanston’s housing stock – dense with pre-war two-flats, post-war brick ranches, and 1990s colonials that changed hands multiple times – means these circumstances come up constantly. An Annual Sweep helps catch issues before they trigger a Level 2 requirement.
- You’re buying or selling the home. Real estate transactions in Evanston require documented flue condition, and a Level 2 is the only inspection type that satisfies most lenders and insurers. If you’re closing on a house in the Lakeshore or Ridgeville neighborhood and the seller’s disclosure says “chimney cleaned annually,” that tells you nothing about liner integrity.
- You had a chimney fire. Chimney fires – even the quiet, fast-burning kind that owners sometimes don’t notice – can crack the clay tile liner or fracture the flue at a joint. A camera scan is the only way to see those fractures without tearing out the masonry. If you smelled something sharp in January and the damper felt hotter than usual, call us.
- You’re switching fuel types or appliances. Adding a gas insert to a wood-burning fireplace, or swapping a wood stove for a pellet appliance, changes the flue’s required temperature rating and liner diameter. NFPA 211 mandates a Level 2 any time the appliance changes. We see this regularly in Evanston’s older homes when homeowners update to high-efficiency heating systems.
- You’ve had weather events that could have affected the structure. Evanston sits right on Lake Michigan, and the freeze-thaw cycles here are harder on masonry than they are ten miles inland. Repeated cycles crack mortar joints and push apart clay liner sections. After a winter with multiple deep freezes followed by rapid thaws – which Evanston gets most years – internal damage is possible even when the exterior looks fine.
- The last inspection was done without a camera. If someone came through, shone a light from the firebox and called it an inspection, you have a Level 1 at best. A Level 2 with camera documentation is a different product. The footage and photos stay in your file; if you ever need to file an insurance claim, you have proof of pre-loss condition.
- You’re seeing smoke spillage, slow draft, or unexplained odor. Draft problems in Evanston row houses and bungalows are sometimes structural – a cracked smoke chamber, a collapsed liner section, or a flue sized wrong for the appliance. A Level 2 tells you which one it is before you spend money on the wrong fix.
Our Level 2 Inspection Process
Here is exactly what happens when a Level Two technician arrives at your Evanston home. No surprises, no scope creep, no “we found something – that’ll be extra” after work starts. The written price comes before the work does, every time, under Haven Standard Clause 1.
- Pre-visit confirmation and tech assignment. You get a text when your technician is on the way, with a name attached – not a truck number. Our crews are background-checked and uniformed. You know who’s coming before they knock.
- Written scope and price delivered before we start. We walk the exterior, identify the flue type, count the appliances connected to the system, and note any visible exterior damage – spalling brick, cracked crown, missing cap. Then we give you a written price for the full Level 2. You approve it in writing. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1: written price, written scope, written warranty before anyone picks up a tool.
- Camera scan of the full flue length. A video camera goes down the liner from the top cap to the smoke chamber. We’re looking at liner condition – clay tile, cast-in-place, or flexible metallic – joint integrity, any deposits, obstructions, and clearance to combustibles in the attic or wall chase. In Evanston’s older homes with unlined flues or original clay tile, this step routinely reveals damage that a visual inspection from either end simply cannot see. The footage is saved and attached to your record.
- Accessible space inspection. Per NFPA 211 Level 2 standards, we access attic spaces and crawl spaces where the chimney passes through, checking clearances and looking for signs of heat transfer to structural members. In Evanston two-flats and coach houses, this sometimes means inspecting two separate flue systems in the same structure.
- Firebox, smoke chamber, and damper assessment. We check the firebox walls and floor for spalling (surface flaking of the refractory material), inspect the smoke chamber for parging integrity (the smooth mortar coat that directs combustion gases upward), and test the damper for operation and seal. Class III creosote – the hard, glazed type that’s nearly impossible to brush out and the most serious fire hazard – gets flagged specifically in the written report.
- Documented photo record and written findings report. Every deficiency is photographed. You receive a written report naming what was found, what it means, and what the repair options are – with prices attached. If a liner needs relining with a DuraFlex system or a smoke chamber needs HeatShield resurfacing, that cost is in the report before you decide anything. Clause 4 of the Haven Standard requires this photo record on every visit; it’s not an add-on.
Before
AfterLevel 2 Inspection Pricing in Evanston
A Level 2 chimney inspection in Evanston runs $249 to $399 for a standard single-flue system. That range reflects real variation in job conditions – not a bait price that climbs once we’re inside.
| Condition | Typical Price Range |
|---|---|
| Single-flue, standard access, residential | $249 – $299 |
| Two-flue system or multi-story home | $299 – $349 |
| Pre-1940 unlined masonry flue (additional documentation required) | $349 – $399 |
| Real estate transaction report (formatted for underwriting) | Add $50 – $75 to above |
What affects cost: flue count, overall chimney height (taller chimneys in Evanston’s Victorian-era homes take longer to camera), whether attic access is straightforward or obstructed, and whether the report needs to be formatted specifically for a real estate transaction or insurance carrier.
What does not affect our price: finding something. If the camera reveals a cracked liner, that’s in the report. The inspection price doesn’t change because of what we found, and no repair work starts until you’ve approved a separate written quote. If you have a written estimate from another company, we’ll give you a free second opinion on it – no obligation.
Call (708) 234-1174 for a firm written quote. The number on the page is the number we quote. Every time.
What the Evanston Housing Stock Means for Your Chimney
Evanston’s housing inventory spans roughly 120 years of construction, and that range matters for chimneys. Homes in the Lakeshore Historic District and West Side neighborhoods were built before liner standards existed – many have unlined flues that direct combustion gases up through bare masonry. That worked for coal-fired boilers operating at relatively low temperatures; it’s a documented hazard for modern gas appliances, which produce acidic, low-temperature flue gases that condense on unlined brick and cause spalling and mortar deterioration. Professional Soot Removal becomes critical when those gases leave residue in unlined systems.
In the Central Street corridor and the Noyes-Evanston neighborhoods, we see a lot of mid-century homes with original clay tile liners that have reached the end of their functional life – joints opened by freeze-thaw cycles, sections dropped, tiles cracked at the offsets where the flue changes direction. These are not visible from the firebox or from the rooftop. They show up on camera.
The newer construction on the south end of Evanston near the Dempster corridor tends to have factory-built fireplaces with metal flues – different set of issues, but still requiring Level 2 documentation for real estate transactions and appliance changes.
We’ve been doing Level 2 inspections in Evanston long enough to know what to expect by block. That experience informs how we set up the camera, where we look hardest, and what we flag in the written report.
The Documentation You Leave With
At the end of a Level 2 inspection, you have a specific set of documents in hand:
- The written inspection report, naming every component examined, its condition, and any deficiencies found – described in plain terms after the trade term. (“The flue liner – the clay tile channel that carries combustion gases out of the house – shows a 4-inch diagonal crack at the first offset above the smoke chamber.”)
- Still photographs of every deficiency, indexed to the written report.
- Camera footage of the full flue length, saved to your customer file.
- Written repair options with prices, if repairs are indicated – formatted so you can compare them or share them with another contractor for a second opinion.
- The 365-Day Done Right Promise stamped on every job: if it’s not done right, we make it right.
This documentation archive is what we mean when we say Level Two made camera-scan documentation the default in 2009. It’s the practice that became Clause 4 of the Haven Standard. The record exists because future you – the one dealing with an insurance adjuster or a home sale – will need it.
FAQs – Level 2 Chimney Inspection in Evanston
How much does a Level 2 inspection cost in Evanston?
A Level 2 inspection in Evanston costs $249 to $399 for most homes, depending on flue count, chimney height, and whether a formatted real estate report is needed. See How Much Does Chimney Cleaning & Sweep Cost? (2026 Price Guide) - Evanston, IL for related pricing on maintenance services. The written price is given before anyone starts work – not after the camera is already up there. Call (708) 234-1174 for a firm number specific to your address.
What’s the difference between a Level 1 and Level 2 inspection?
A Level 1 is a visual examination of the readily accessible portions of the chimney – what a technician can see from the firebox and the rooftop without tools. A Level 2 goes further: a video camera scans the full interior of the flue, accessible attic and crawl spaces are checked for clearances, and everything is documented in a written report with photographs. NFPA 211 requires a Level 2 for any real estate transaction, after a chimney fire, or any time the appliance connected to the chimney changes. Most “inspections” offered at a low flat rate are Level 1 at best – a Level 2 is a different scope of work entirely.
How long does a Level 2 inspection take?
For a standard single-flue home in Evanston, plan on 60 to 90 minutes. Homes with multiple flues, complex attic access, or pre-1940 unlined masonry – which we see regularly in Evanston’s older neighborhoods – can run closer to two hours. We don’t rush the camera scan; a frame missed is a deficiency potentially missed, and the written report has to be accurate.
Can I use your Level 2 report for a real estate closing or insurance claim?
Yes. Our written inspection reports are formatted to include all component descriptions, documented deficiencies with photographs, and camera footage references that satisfy most underwriters and real estate attorneys in the Evanston market. If your lender or insurer has a specific format requirement, let us know before the inspection and we’ll structure the report accordingly. The additional cost for a transaction-formatted report is $50 to $75 on top of the base inspection price, and it’s noted in the written quote before we start.
Key Takeaways
- A Level 2 inspection means a camera down the flue, not just a visual check – NFPA 211 is specific about what the standard requires.
- Evanston’s pre-war housing stock and lake-effect freeze-thaw cycles make internal liner damage common and invisible without a camera scan.
- Price range is $249 to $399 for most Evanston homes, written and approved before work starts.
- You leave with photographs, camera footage, a written report, and written repair prices if anything needs attention.
- The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every inspection – if it’s not done right, we make it right.
- A free second opinion is available on any written competitor estimate.
Schedule Your Level 2 Inspection in Evanston
If you’re buying a home in Evanston, had any kind of chimney event this past heating season, or simply haven’t had a camera scan done and want to know what’s actually in that flue, schedule a Chimney Cleaning & Sweep or call (708) 234-1174. A live person answers around the clock – no voicemail, no web form to wait on. We’ll give you a written price before anyone comes to the house, and a written report with photographs when the inspection is done. That’s been the standard at Level Two since 2009, across more than 38,000 chimneys. Evanston is part of that record, and your home can be too.
You can also learn more about how inspection and cleaning work together on our home page, or review the full scope of services on our Chimney Cleaning & Sweep in Evanston page.
Written by Corrine Halstead, Owner at Level Two Chimney Evanston, serving Evanston.