Chimney Sweep Serving Lakes of the Four Seasons
A private lake community straddling two counties, with fireplaces from two different building traditions. We sweep and repair both kinds.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years in the trade
Who runs Lakes of the Four Seasons?
Lakes of the Four Seasons has no town hall or municipal government; the community is run by its property owners association. The Lakes of the Four Seasons Property Owners Association is that governing body, and the development was founded in 1966 as a private-membership lake and golf community. The county line runs through the middle, so county services come from Lake County or Porter County depending on your street. Schools split the same way: the Lake County side is in the Crown Point school system, whose high school is Crown Point High School, and the Porter County side is in the Porter Township system, home of Boone Grove High School.
The community is built around four lakes: Lake Holiday, Big Bass Lake, Lake on the Green and Trouthaven Lake. We take calls from Lake Shore Drive, from the golf course streets and from everywhere between. Because it is a private community, check with the association office about contractor entry before your appointment and we will supply whatever details they ask for.
Which fireplaces are found here?
Two kinds, as a rule: masonry fireplaces in the earlier houses and first-generation factory-built fireplaces in those that followed. The Census ACS 2019-2023 median year built for Lakes of the Four Seasons is 1981, between the 1966 founding and the present, and that mix is what houses of those decades typically hold.
Masonry from the first years
These have clay-tile liners and mortar crowns well into middle age. They need regular creosote removal and, when the top has cracked, crown repair and a fitted cap.
Prefab units from the 1980s and 1990s
A factory-built fireplace of that age is often at the end of its service life. The firebox and chimney were listed together, and when the maker has discontinued the model, replacement panels, caps or pipe sections may no longer exist. Mixing in parts from another brand voids the listing. A Level 2 inspection of the prefab system tells you whether repair is still possible; many owners then choose a serviced gas fireplace as the practical route.
Do trees and wildlife affect chimneys here?
They can: wherever branches overhang a roof, leaves clog cap screens and animals treat an open flue as shelter.
Birds in the flue
Chimney swifts are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so an active nest cannot be removed. If you hear chattering in the flue in summer, keep the damper closed; we sweep after the birds leave in the fall and fit a cap so they cannot return.
Raccoons and squirrels are a different matter: they need removing by a wildlife specialist before the flue is swept and capped. Leaves matted on a cap screen restrict draft enough to push smoke into the room, so a look at the cap each fall is worthwhile.
We also serve Winfield next door; the other towns are on the service area page.
Questions from Lakes of the Four Seasons
Do I need to arrange entry for a chimney sweep at Lakes of the Four Seasons?
Check with the Property Owners Association. Lakes of the Four Seasons is a private community, and the association sets its own rules for contractor access. Ask the office what it needs before your chimney appointment, then tell us when you call; we will give you the crew and vehicle details to pass on so the visit starts on time.
Can a 1980s prefab fireplace in Lakes of the Four Seasons be repaired, or must it be replaced?
It depends on parts. A 1980s factory-built fireplace in Lakes of the Four Seasons can be repaired while the manufacturer’s own panels, cap and pipe are still available. Once the model is discontinued and a listed part cannot be obtained, the safe course is replacing the fireplace and chimney as a matched system.
What should I do about birds nesting in my Lakes of the Four Seasons chimney?
Leave them until they go. Birds nesting in a Lakes of the Four Seasons chimney in summer are usually chimney swifts, which federal law protects while the nest is active. Keep the damper shut to contain noise and debris. After they migrate in the fall, the flue is swept and a cap with a mesh screen is installed.
Does it matter whether my house is on the Lake County or Porter County side?
Not for sweeping or inspection. NWI Chimney Sweep serves both halves of Lakes of the Four Seasons the same way. The county line matters only if a rebuild raises a permit question, because the answer then comes from the building department of whichever county, Lake or Porter, your lot sits in.
Why does my Lakes of the Four Seasons fireplace smoke when the house is closed up?
A fireplace needs a large volume of air to draft. In a tightly closed Lakes of the Four Seasons house, kitchen hoods, bath fans and the clothes dryer compete for that air and can reverse the flue. Opening a nearby window slightly while lighting, and warming the flue with a roll of burning newspaper, usually confirms the cause.
Can leaves on the cap block a Lakes of the Four Seasons chimney?
Yes. Wet leaves plaster themselves across the mesh of a chimney cap and soot then glues them in place. On a Lakes of the Four Seasons home with trees near the roof, a blocked screen shows up as slow, lazy smoke and a smell in the room. Clearing the screen is part of every sweep.
Should a Lakes of the Four Seasons fireplace used only on holidays still be inspected?
Yes. NFPA 211 calls for a yearly inspection however little a fireplace is used. A Lakes of the Four Seasons fireplace lit only a few evenings a year makes little creosote, but caps loosen, crowns crack and animals move in regardless of use. Sweeping is done only when the deposits call for it.
How do I know whether my Lakes of the Four Seasons fireplace is masonry or factory-built?
Look inside the firebox. A masonry fireplace in a Lakes of the Four Seasons home has individual firebrick with mortar joints and a clay or brick flue above. A factory-built one has large cast panels, a metal frame around the opening, a round metal flue and a rating plate naming the manufacturer and model.
Call about your fireplace at the Lakes
We answer from 7am to 9pm, seven days a week, for both sides of the county line.
Call (219) 203-9797