Chimney rebuilding in Bergen County, NJ
A chimney on a 1950 Bergen County house has been through more than seventy winters. When repointing will not hold anymore, we take it down to solid brick and rebuild it.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney rebuilds brick chimneys on houses across Bergen County, NJ, including Rutherford, Ridgewood, Teaneck and Bergenfield. In those towns the median house was built between 1945 and 1954, so many chimneys have lost the top courses of brick. We take the stack down to solid masonry and build it back. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
When a Bergen County chimney has to come down
In Rutherford the median house was built in 1945. In Teaneck and Ridgewood it is 1950, and in Bergenfield 1954. A chimney that old has been through more than seventy winters. When the crown is cracked through and the top courses rock when you push on them, fresh mortar in the joints will not hold them together.
If the chimney still vents a gas furnace or water heater, the rebuild is the time to deal with the flue, while the stack is open. Condensation from gas exhaust can be part of what wore the top out in the first place, and a new liner is easier to fit before the brick goes back up.
Every freeze pushes a little more water out of the joints and the brick apart a little more. A tall stack also takes wind on every side. In the Highlands, around Mahwah and Oakland, the cold season is longer, so a chimney there goes through more of those cycles each year.
So we do not call for a rebuild from the ground. We get up to the top and show you how far down the damage goes.
How we tell if a Bergen County chimney needs rebuilding
A rebuild is a bigger job than repointing, and we only price one when the brick will not hold fresh mortar. These are the things that decide it.
At the inspection, we look at
- Whether the top courses move when we push on them.
- Whether the crown is cracked through, not just on the surface.
- How far down the mortar has washed out of the joints.
- Whether the stack leans or has pulled away from the house.
- The flue, where we can see into it, for a cracked liner.
- The flashing, which gets replaced when the stack goes back up.
Some chimneys only need the top few feet rebuilt, or just repointing. If that will hold, we tell you and price it instead. Chimney repair in Bergen County
How a chimney rebuild works in Bergen County
How long it takes depends on how far down the stack has to come. All seven steps are on the chimney rebuilding page.
Free inspection
We get up to the top when it is safe to and photograph the brick, crown, cap, flue and flashing. You see how far the damage goes before we talk about price.
Written estimate
How far down we expect to go, what goes back up and the price, on paper. Any permit goes on it too.
Down to solid masonry
We take the chimney apart brick by brick until we reach solid masonry. With the stack open, we check the liner and the framing and show you what we find.
Build it back and clean up
New brick and mortar go up course by course, with a new crown, cap and flashing. Then we haul the old brick away and go over the photos with you.
Do you need a permit for a chimney rebuild in Bergen County?
It depends on your town. Rebuilding a chimney is not on New Jersey's list of ordinary maintenance or minor work, so the construction office in your town decides what paperwork it needs. Ridgewood has historic districts, where exterior work needs a historic preservation permit, though a like-for-like replacement skips the commission review. We check with your town before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
What you can check on us first
- Our New Jersey Home Improvement Contractor license is 13VH13268400. Look it up with the Division of Consumer Affairs.
- We carry insurance and can send you the certificate before work starts.
- The inspection is free, and the estimate comes to you in writing.
- We are open 24 hours.
If it is in Bergen County, yes. We cover all 70 municipalities, from Allendale to Wyckoff. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Your town decides. A rebuild is not on the state list of work that skips the permit process, so the construction office says what it needs. We call them before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
Yes. If it goes back the same, in matching brick and the same shape, the village does not need a commission review. If you want to change how it looks, the Historic Preservation Commission reviews it first.
If the top is falling apart, yes, because the furnace exhaust still has to get out safely. Sometimes the answer is rebuilding just the top few feet and relining the flue. We show you the options and what each costs.
It depends on how far down the stack has to come, how tall it is, and whether the liner or the framing around it needs work. We do not quote over the phone. You get a written price after we have been up to the top and seen how far the damage goes.
Find out how far down your chimney has to come
Tell us your town and what you are seeing. We call you back shortly, inspect the chimney for free, and give you photos and a written price. If a repair will hold, you will hear that from us.
Or call 732-682-9251