Chimney repair in Ocean County, NJ
Most Ocean County houses are newer, but a few towns are full of houses from before 1960, many with a brick chimney, and some still vent oil heat. Near the water, the flashing takes salt air too. We go to the top and fix what is failing.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney repairs brick chimneys on houses across Ocean County, NJ, including Island Heights, Pine Beach, Lakehurst and Point Pleasant Beach. In Lakehurst 30 percent of homes heat with oil, against about 6 percent statewide, and oil exhaust is hard on a flue. We repoint joints, fix crowns and reseal flashing. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
Old chimneys in a young county
Across Ocean County, about 16 percent of homes were built before 1960. In a few towns it is far more: 54 percent in Island Heights, 58 percent in Ocean Gate and 49 percent in Pine Beach. Houses that old often have a brick chimney, and the mortar near the top usually goes first.
Oil heat is rare in the county, about 3 percent of homes, but not in every town. In Lakehurst 30 percent of homes burn oil, in Plumsted 26 and in Pine Beach 18. Burning oil sends soot and water vapor up the flue, and over time both wear on the liner and the joints near the top. Gas, which heats most homes here, also makes wet exhaust, and in a flue that is too large or too cold some of it condenses inside.
Near the water, the flashing where the chimney passes through the roof takes salt air, and a nor'easter drives rain into the brick from the side. A chimney stands above the roof with nothing around it, so it takes the wind on every face.
So nobody prices your chimney from the lawn. We go up when it is safe to, look into the flue where we can, and bring back photos of the top.
What we check on an Ocean County chimney
The top of a chimney is where the weather hits hardest and where nobody looks. We photograph it up close, so the pictures show you the same thing we saw.
On older and shore houses, we look at
- The crown, for cracks that let rain into the brick below.
- Joints near the top that have lost their mortar.
- Soot and wear in the flue, where we can see into it, most of all on an oil system.
- Rust on the flashing and on any metal cap.
- Whether the cap is still there after the last storm.
- Stains on the brick, or on the ceiling beside the chimney.
When the top courses shift under a hand and the crown has split all the way across, new mortar will not save it. We price a rebuild instead. Chimney rebuilding in Ocean County
How a chimney repair works in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Beach Haven's historic district, even replacing the roof on a one- or two-family house needs a certificate of appropriateness first. 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 Ocean County, yes. We cover all 33 municipalities, from Barnegat to Tuckerton. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
It can. Oil exhaust carries soot and moisture, and over the years they work on the liner and the mortar near the top. We look into the flue where we can at the inspection and show you the photos. If the liner is the problem, it goes on the estimate.
Mostly it goes after the metal. Flashing and caps rust near the water, and once the flashing lets go, rain gets in beside the chimney. A nor'easter also soaks the brick from the side. We check the metal and the joints together.
It depends on how many joints need new mortar, how much brick is cracked, whether the crown, cap or flashing needs work as well, and how tall the chimney is. We do not quote over the phone. You get the price in writing after we have been to the top.
Your town decides. Chimney masonry is not on New Jersey's ordinary maintenance or minor work lists, so the construction office says what paperwork it needs. We ask before we start, and any permit goes on the estimate.
See what the top of your chimney looks like
Tell us your town and what you have noticed. We call you back shortly, go up for a free inspection, and give you photos and a written price. If a smaller repair will do, that is what we price.
Or call 732-682-9251