Chimney rebuilding in Morris County, NJ
Mountain Lakes has the oldest median house in Morris County, from 1949. Netcong, at 1954, has 42 percent of homes on oil. When an old chimney has carried boiler exhaust through that many winters, the top may have to come down to solid brick.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney rebuilds brick chimneys on houses across Morris County, NJ, including Mountain Lakes, Netcong, Boonton Township and Dover. Many older chimneys here have vented oil boilers, and soot, moisture and frost wear out the top courses. When fresh mortar will not hold, we take the stack down to solid brick and rebuild it. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
Old stacks that have carried oil exhaust
Mountain Lakes' median house is from 1949, and close to four in ten were built before 1940. In Netcong, six homes in ten predate 1960. A brick chimney from that era has stood through a long run of winters, and the top courses take the worst of each one.
Netcong is also an oil town, with 42 percent of homes heating that way, and Boonton Township is at 47 percent. An oil boiler venting up an old flue leaves soot and condensed moisture on the way out. That works on the liner and the mortar at the top of the stack, and the lower brick can still look sound when the top is not.
Once the crown has split through and the upper bricks shift by hand, new mortar has nothing solid to hold. That is when the stack comes down to brick that is still sound, and the flue gets looked at while it is open.
Whether it needs a rebuild is a call we make at the top, not from the lawn. You see in photos where the sound brick starts.
Signs a Morris County chimney needs rebuilding
A rebuild costs more than repointing, so it has to be earned. We only price one when the brick above the roof will not take fresh mortar.
What we look for
- Upper courses that rock when pushed.
- A crown split all the way across.
- Mortar gone hollow several courses down.
- A stack leaning off plumb or opening a gap at the wall.
- Heavy soot, cracked liner tiles or gaps between them, as far down the flue as we can see.
- What still vents up the chimney: an oil boiler, a water heater, or nothing.
Plenty of old chimneys only need the top few courses relaid, or new mortar in the joints. If that will hold, it is what we price. Chimney repair in Morris County
How a chimney rebuild works in Morris 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 Morris 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. Mendham Borough has a historic district, where exterior work that needs a permit also needs Historic Preservation Commission review, and roofing and siding changes are reviewed too. 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 Morris County, yes. We cover all 39 municipalities, from Boonton to Wharton. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Ask the town, and we do. A rebuild is not on the state list of work that skips the permit process, so the construction office decides. Any permit it asks for goes on your estimate before work starts.
Yes, with the borough involved. In Mendham Borough's historic district, exterior work that needs a permit also needs Historic Preservation Commission review. We check with the borough first and give you photos and the estimate for the review.
That is the time to decide, because the stack is open. Oil exhaust leaves soot and moisture in the flue, and a cracked liner lets both into the brick. We look down the flue before the estimate, and if the liner needs work, it is on the estimate.
How tall the stack is, how many courses come down, and what the flue needs. A chimney on a two-story house in Mountain Lakes is a different job from a short one on a ranch. We do not quote over the phone. The price is written after we have been to the top.
Find the point where the brick turns solid
Send us your town and what the chimney looks like. We call you back shortly, go to the top at no charge, and give you photos and a written price. If repointing is enough, that is the estimate.
Or call 732-682-9251