Ninety Years in the Fox Valley
Who is going to show up at your door? A family-owned heating and cooling company that has served the Fox Valley since 1936.
Paul F. Hudgens started Elgin Sheet Metal in 1936. The country was in the Depression, and the business was exactly what the name says: a sheet metal shop.
Ninety years later, Elgin Sheet Metal Company is still family-owned, still serving the Fox Valley, and still making ductwork in our own shop today.
How Elgin Sheet Metal Started
In the early years, sheet metal work meant gutters, roofing, furnace pipe and whatever else could be made by hand. Paul’s sons, Paul and Patrick, grew the company into a full heating and cooling business as forced-air systems replaced coal and gravity furnaces across the valley.
Members of the Hudgens family are still part of the company today. That continuity is why many of our customers have called us for more than one generation.
What We Do Today
We repair, maintain and install heating and cooling systems for homes across the Fox Valley. That includes furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, central air and ductless mini splits.
We also still fabricate. Duct, fittings, transitions and plenums get made in our shop for conditions stock parts do not fit. Most residential contractors order duct from a supplier and compromise when it does not fit. We make the part.
That combination of service and fabrication is rare, and it is the reason the name still says Sheet Metal.
How We Work
- We diagnose before we quote. You will know what is wrong before you hear a number.
- We tell you when not to buy. If a twelve-year-old furnace needs a small part, that is what we will recommend.
- We work on every brand, not just the ones we install.
- We size equipment to the house. A load calculation, not a match to the old nameplate.
- We answer the phone. 24/7 emergency service, because equipment does not fail on a schedule.
Companies last ninety years by being the people you call back, not by maximizing the first invoice.
NATE-Certified, Licensed and Insured
Our technicians are NATE-certified, which means they have passed independent, industry-recognized testing on the systems they service. Elgin Sheet Metal is licensed and insured, so your home is protected on every job.
Credentials matter most on the day something goes wrong, and ours are current.
Elgin Sheet Metal, a Guardian Company
In 2026, Elgin Sheet Metal joined Guardian Heating & Cooling, a Chicago HVAC company founded in 1953. The name on the truck has not changed, and neither have the people you call.
What the partnership adds is depth: more technicians during the weeks when everyone’s furnace quits at once, and the resources of two established companies instead of one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long has Elgin Sheet Metal been in business?
Since 1936. Paul F. Hudgens founded the company as a sheet metal shop, and it has served the Fox Valley for more than 90 years.
Is Elgin Sheet Metal still family-owned?
Yes. Members of the Hudgens family remain part of the company, which joined Guardian Heating & Cooling in 2026.
What does the Guardian partnership mean for me?
Same name, same phone number and the same people. Guardian adds more technicians and resources, which helps most during the busiest weeks of winter and summer.
Do you still make your own ductwork?
Yes. We fabricate duct, fittings and transitions in our South Elgin shop. It lets us fix airflow problems that stock parts cannot.
