Chimney repair in Hudson County, NJ
Close to 3 in 10 Hudson County homes were built before 1940, and a building that old usually has a brick chimney. Most of the wear is at the top, where nobody on the sidewalk can see it. We go up, photograph it, and fix what is failing.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney repairs brick chimneys across Hudson County, NJ, including Weehawken, Union City, Bayonne and Kearny. About 29 percent of homes here were built before 1940, and many still vent gas heat up the old chimney. We fix loose joints, cracked crowns and lifted flashing. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
Old brick, gas exhaust, and chimneys that vent nothing
In Weehawken and Kearny, 38 percent of homes were built before 1940. In Union City it is 32 percent. A building that old usually has a brick chimney, and in many of them a gas heating system or water heater still vents up it. The exhaust from burning gas is wet. When a flue is oversized or cold, that moisture condenses inside and works into the joints.
About 28 percent of homes in the county heat with electricity. In an older building that switched over, the chimney may vent nothing at all. It still takes rain and frost on all four sides, and since nothing depends on it, a cracked crown can go years without anyone looking.
Freeze and thaw does the rest. Hudson County is where the Central Zone begins, and storms here often switch between rain and snow. Water gets into an open joint or a cracked crown, freezes overnight, expands, and opens the joint wider for the next storm.
So the price comes after someone has stood next to the top of your chimney with a camera. On a Hudson County building, that someone is us.
What we check on an older Hudson County chimney
Most chimney damage starts at the top. On a taller building, the top is a long way from where anyone can see it, so we go up when it is safe to and bring the photos back down.
On older Hudson County buildings, we look at
- Hairline and through cracks in the crown.
- Mortar in the highest courses, the first to wash out.
- What the flue is lined with, if we can see down it, and whether anything still uses it.
- Whether a cap keeps the rain out, or whether there is none.
- The metal where the chimney passes through a flat or pitched roof.
- Stains on the inside walls next to the chimney, in every unit, with your tenants' okay.
Brick that rocks loose and a crown split end to end are past repointing. In that case the estimate is for a rebuild. Chimney rebuilding in Hudson County
How a chimney repair works in Hudson County
The top of the chimney gets as much attention as the brick, because that is where most chimney leaks start. All seven steps are on the chimney repair page.
Free inspection
We get up to the top when it is safe to and photograph the cap, crown, flue, brick and flashing.
Written estimate
Which joints, which brick, what else needs work and the price, on paper. Any permit goes on it too.
Repoint and replace bad brick
We grind out the failed mortar, pack in new mortar and tool it to shed water. Cracked brick comes out and new brick goes in.
Fix the top and clean up
If the crown is cracked, the cap is missing or the flashing has lifted, that is on the estimate too. Then we clear the roof and the ground and show you the photos.
Do you need a permit for chimney repair in Hudson County?
It depends on your town. Chimney masonry 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.
Yes. A chimney that vents nothing still takes rain and frost, and a cracked crown lets water down into the brick and the walls around it. If nothing uses the flue, we go over the options with you, from capping it to repairing it, and what each one costs.
Often, yes, near the top. Burning gas makes water vapor, and in an oversized or cold flue some of it turns back to water before it gets out. That water ends up in the mortar. If the liner is the issue, we photograph what we see and put it on the estimate.
The number of joints to repoint, the brick to replace, the state of the crown, cap and flashing, and the height of the building all move it. We do not quote over the phone. Once we have been up there, the price comes to you in writing.
Your town decides. The state exempts some roof, siding and gutter work from permits, but not masonry on a chimney, whatever the building. Before we start, we ask your construction office what it wants, and any permit is on the estimate.
See the top of your chimney before you decide
Give us your town and describe what you see from below. We call you back shortly. The inspection is free, and you get photos of the top of the chimney and a price on paper. If repointing will not last, we say so.
Or call 732-682-9251