Chimney rebuilding in Union County, NJ
Half of Hillside's houses date to 1950 or earlier, and half of Plainfield's to 1952 or earlier. Brick that has sat through that many freezes eventually stops holding mortar. At that point we dismantle the stack to sound masonry and lay it back up.
NJ HIC 13VH13268400 · Licensed and insured · Free inspection · Open 24 hoursModern Home Roofing & Chimney rebuilds failing brick chimneys in Union County, NJ, including Hillside, Plainfield, Westfield and Roselle Park, where median homes were built between 1950 and 1953. When top courses rock and crowns crack through, we dismantle the stack to sound brick and lay it back up course by course. NJ HIC 13VH13268400.
Chimneys past the point of repointing
Hillside's median house dates to 1950. Plainfield and Roselle Park follow at 1952, Westfield and Summit at 1953. In Westfield 37 percent of homes predate 1940, and in Plainfield 36 percent. Chimneys on those houses have lived through at least seven decades of freeze and thaw.
Once a crown has cracked clean through and the upper bricks move under a hand, fresh mortar has nothing firm to bond to. The fix that lasts is taking the stack apart to sound brick and laying it up again.
Gas heats most Union County homes, and many older furnaces vent through exactly this kind of chimney. With the stack open during a rebuild, the flue is easy to reach, and fitting a liner then is simpler than after the brick is back.
A rebuild call never comes from the ground. We climb up, measure how deep the damage goes and show you the photos.
Signs a Union County chimney is past repointing
Rebuilding costs more than repointing. We only recommend it when the existing brick cannot hold new mortar, and these checks decide that.
Up at the chimney, we look for
- Upper courses that rock under a hand.
- A crown cracked through its full depth.
- Joints hollowed out several courses down.
- A lean, or a gap opening between stack and house.
- Cracks in the flue liner, where visible.
- The flashing, which is renewed once the stack is rebuilt.
Plenty of chimneys only need the top few feet relaid, or just new mortar. When that will last, that is the job we price. Chimney repair in Union County
How a chimney rebuild works in Union 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 Union 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. Westfield requires a certificate of appropriateness for exterior changes in its historic districts, though a repair that matches the old material and look is exempt. 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 Union County, yes. We cover all 21 municipalities, from Berkeley Heights to Winfield. Put your ZIP code in the estimate form and we confirm it when we call you back.
Your town makes the call. Rebuilding a chimney is on neither state list of ordinary maintenance or minor work, so the local construction office sets the paperwork. We contact it first and include any permit in the estimate.
Yes, with the town in the loop. Westfield requires a certificate of appropriateness for exterior changes in its historic districts, and exempts a repair that matches the old material and look. Whether your rebuild counts as that kind of repair is the town's call, so we ask before we start.
If the furnace or water heater vents through it, that exhaust needs a safe way out. Sometimes the answer is relaying just the upper section and adding a new flue liner. You see each option with its price.
The main factors are how much of the stack comes down, its height, and whether the liner or the framing needs attention. We do not quote over the phone. The written price comes after we have been up top and know how deep the damage runs.
Find out how much of your chimney is still solid
Give us your town and a word on what you are seeing. We call you back shortly, inspect for free, and give you photos and a written price. If repointing will do, that is what we recommend.
Or call 732-682-9251