Chimney rebuilding in Hudson County, NJ
In Kearny, East Newark and Bayonne, the median home was built in the early 1950s, and more than a third were built before 1940. When the top of an old chimney will not hold mortar anymore, we take it down to solid brick and build it back.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney rebuilds brick chimneys across Hudson County, NJ, including Kearny, East Newark, Bayonne and Weehawken. In the first three, the median home was built between 1951 and 1954. We take the chimney apart until the brick below is sound, then lay it back up course by course. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
The oldest chimneys in the county
Kearny's median home was built in 1951 and East Newark's in 1952. In both towns close to 4 in 10 homes went up before 1940. A chimney that old has taken more than seventy winters of rain and frost. When the crown is split through and the top courses shift under your hand, repointing only packs mortar around loose brick.
East Newark also has the most two-family houses in the county, 48 percent of its homes. If one chimney vents the heat or hot water for both units, both households feel it while the stack is open. The estimate lists the number of work days, so you can tell your tenant ahead of time.
With the stack open, the flue is easy to reach. If gas appliances vent through it, their wet exhaust may be part of why the top failed, so we look at the liner before the brick goes back up. Hudson County storms often turn from rain to snow and back, and each freeze widens the gaps in brick that is already loose.
A rebuild is never priced from the sidewalk. We go up, find where solid brick starts, and the photos show you the line.
How we decide whether a Hudson County chimney needs rebuilding
A rebuild costs more than repointing, so it has to earn its place on the estimate. Here is what tips it, and each one gets a photo.
At the inspection, we look at
- Top courses that rock when pushed.
- A crown split from edge to edge.
- Joints empty of mortar several courses deep.
- A lean, or a gap opening between the chimney and the building.
- What vents up the flue, and its liner where we can see it.
- On a two-family house, which units depend on the chimney.
Sometimes the bad brick stops a few courses down, and a partial rebuild or repointing is enough. Then that is what you get a price for. Chimney repair in Hudson County
How a chimney rebuild works in Hudson 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 Hudson 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. In Hoboken's historic districts, exterior work visible from the street goes to the Historic Preservation Commission, and even an in-kind repair gets a certificate of no effect from it. 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 Hudson County, yes. We cover all 12 municipalities, from Bayonne to West New York. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Your construction office decides. Rebuilding a chimney is not exempt under the state rules for ordinary maintenance or minor work, on a single house or a four-family. We ask the town before work starts, and any permit is listed on the estimate.
Yes, with the commission involved. In Hoboken's historic districts, exterior work visible from the street goes to the Historic Preservation Commission, and even an in-kind repair gets a certificate of no effect from it. We check with the city before we start, and the approval goes on the estimate.
It depends on how far down the stack has to come. The number of work days is on the written estimate, so you and your tenant can plan around it. If the chimney vents the heat, we talk through the timing with you at the inspection.
Height drives a lot of it: how tall the building is and how far down the stack comes. A new liner or damaged framing adds to it. We do not quote over the phone. The price comes in writing after the inspection at the top.
Find out how far down the loose brick goes
Tell us your town and what the chimney looks like from below. We call you back shortly, go up for a free inspection, and show you photos and a price in writing. If a repair will last, that is what we price.
Or call 732-682-9251