Chimney Repair & Flashing in New Jersey
Chimney flashing, crown repair, caps and pointing across North Jersey. The most common roof leak point, fixed properly.
If you have a leak on a pitched roof, the chimney is the most likely cause. It's the biggest break in an otherwise continuous surface, so water running down the roof has to be actively directed around it. That's the flashing's job and flashing is the detail most often rushed, most often reused when it should have been replaced, and most often "repaired" with a tube of caulk. Call (862) 374-7900 and we'll come out and look at it properly.
What We Repair
Chimney Flashing
Done properly it’s two layers: step flashing woven into the shingle courses along the sides, and counterflashing cut into a mortar joint and folded down over it. Water gets directed out and over the roof, and no sealant is holding water back on its own.
What we find instead is one piece of metal caulked to the face of the brick. It works while the sealant stays flexible, then it cracks and the leak returns, usually blamed on the roof instead of the flashing.
Chimney Crown
The concrete slab on top, sloped to shed water away from the flue. Crowns crack in freeze-thaw, and once water is in the crack it gets into the masonry below and every winter widens it. Repairable early; a rebuild if left.
Chimney Cap
The metal cover over the flue opening. Without one, rain goes straight down the flue, damaging the liner from the inside, it’s behind a lot of chimney smells and interior damp. Caps also keep birds and animals out. Cheap to fit, and one of the highest-value small jobs on a house.
Repointing and Masonry
Mortar joints erode. Spalling brick, where the face flakes off, means water has been getting in and freezing. Repointing replaces the failed mortar. We’ll be honest about where pointing solves it and where the masonry is far enough gone to need a rebuild.
Chimney Removal
On homes with an unused chimney that’s become a maintenance liability, taking it down below the roofline and roofing over it is sometimes the sensible answer. Worth pricing against repeated repairs.
What We Refer Out
We don’t sweep flues or inspect liners. If you have a working fireplace or a wood stove and you need a sweep, a creosote inspection or a liner assessment, that’s a certified chimney sweep’s job and you should use one, it’s a fire safety matter rather than a water one, and it’s a different trade with a different certification.
We handle the outside of the chimney: flashing, crown, cap, masonry. If we’re up there and we see something that concerns us about the flue, we’ll tell you to get a sweep in.
Signs Your Chimney Is the Leak
– Ceiling or wall stains near the chimney chase, on any floor
– Damp or white powdery staining on interior chimney brick, that’s efflorescence, mineral salts left behind by water moving through masonry
– A damp or musty smell from the fireplace after rain
– Visible gaps, lifted metal or exposed caulk at the roof-to-chimney junction
– Crumbling mortar you can pick out with a key
– Pieces of brick face or concrete on the roof or in the gutters
– Rust stains on the roof below the flashing line
Chimney Work During a Roof Replacement
If your roof is being replaced, replace the chimney flashing at the same time. It’s a small addition to the cost while the crew is already up there and the shingles are off, and reusing old flashing on a new roof is the most common reason a brand-new roof leaks. Any roofer proposing to leave existing chimney flashing in place on a full replacement should be asked why.
See roof replacement and roof repair.
Where We Work
Chimney work across North Jersey, including Newark, Paterson, Clifton, East Orange, Bloomfield, Montclair, Belleville and Passaic. See all areas we serve.
Get a Free Chimney Inspection
Call or text (862) 374-7900 or email Primebuildconstruction9@gmail.com. We’ll get on the roof, look at the flashing and the masonry, and photograph what we find.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you clean chimneys or inspect flues?
No. That’s a certified chimney sweep’s work and it’s a fire safety issue, not a water issue, we’d rather point you to the right trade than take on something outside what we do. We handle the exterior: flashing, crown, cap and masonry.
How do I know the chimney is causing my leak and not the roof?
Location and timing are the first clues, but the reliable way is to get up there and look at the flashing. We inspect from the roof and, where possible, from the attic. Chimneys are the most common leak source on pitched roofs, so it’s the first place we check.
Can't I just caulk it?
Caulk buys a season or two. It’s a sealant being asked to do a flashing’s job, hold water back rather than direct it away and it will crack. If your chimney has been caulked repeatedly, that’s the diagnosis: the flashing underneath was never right.
What does a chimney cap cost?
It’s one of the cheapest jobs we do and one of the highest value, especially on an unused flue that’s been open to the weather for years.
What's efflorescence?
The white powdery deposit on interior or exterior masonry. It’s mineral salt left behind as water passes through and evaporates. It’s not damaging in itself, but it’s proof water is moving through the masonry, which means finding where it’s getting in.
Do you rebuild chimneys?
We repoint, rebuild crowns, and handle upper-section rebuilds. Full structural rebuilds from the roofline down are a mason’s job and we’ll tell you when you’ve reached that point.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes, registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, with liability insurance and workers’ compensation. Certificate provided before work starts.
My chimney is unused. Do I still need to maintain it?
Yes, while it’s standing an unused chimney still takes water in and can still leak into the house. A cap and sound crown are worth having. If it’s deteriorating badly, removing it to below the roofline and roofing over is worth pricing against ongoing repairs.