Chimney Rebuild May 2015

Wondering What A Chimney Rebuild Looks Like? 

Pictures and Comments on a Full Chimney Rebuild

May 2015, Shirley, NY

We don't often recommend a full chimney rebuild due to the cost to the homeowner, but this chimney was in bad shape. There were creosote leaks at the bottom, efflorescence at the top hip, and even though the top courses had been rebuilt recently, the body of the chimney was breaking down. 

Here you can see my assistant (Brave Jack! The Chimney Climber) up at the top of the chimney, removing the original flue and beginning removal of the bricks that had recently been repaired. It's too bad, because the workmanship was pretty solid. Give them a minus, though, because they didn't use matching bricks. 

See the black drip marks, with plants growing in there? Also see the blue slate on the hips? I've no idea why this was done except that it made for a convenient shortcut for the person who repaired this last. You can see the effects of water damage in the cement at the bottom, too. 

Here's the process - we pulled down everything, working from the inside rebuilding the interior wall, (note the excess buttering that is used to adhere the inner fill around the new flues), and then finally, the brand new surface bricks are laid.

Here we are at the second hip - Now you can see how the flues are side by side, and how the inside of the chimney has been filled and sealed thoroughly. Note that we keep careful eyes on how level and plumb the new bricks are laid. It's essential in building a solid chimney. 

Now we're getting up there - past the hips and into the stack. With each seven or so courses of brick, we lay in  new piece of ceramic flue. This will be continued all the way up.

A little closer look at the brick work - you can see that the mortar of the bricks laid the day before is a different color already. Since the mortar needs a little time to set up, it's best to work only a certain number of courses a day. 

On day three we made it to the roof-line. This is as high as we can go using ladders - after this we had to erect scaffolding. 

We've done the majority of the chimney in this picture, and are working on smoothing the mortar for the final work on the hips.

Here's the completed chimney. Along with using brick for the hips, we installed a lip at the top - here in NY a lip on the top of the chimney is code. We also flashed the chimney properly to the roof, and added a cap on the top. The day after, we applied moisture barrier/brick seal from the top to the bottom, insuring the water will neither leak in from the outside, nor will it allow efflorescence (white mineral leakage) from the inside. This chimney should last up to 100 years if properly cared for. 

How do you care for a chimney? Getting it cleaned twice a year is mandatory for safe operations. During each cleaning, the chimney sweep will examine the mortar for environmental breakdown - ice during the winter can get into cracks - so any loose or moving mortar or bricks should be repaired immediately. This chimney will probably not see any damage for many, many years. It's a good idea to get the chimney sealed every few years. Brick/mortar moisture barrier comes as a spray-on application. Not only is it very affordable, but it will prevent problems in the long run. 

Hope you liked this inside look at a chimney rebuild! As always, if you have any questions, call or email me. I'd be glad to help. 

Your blogging roofer, 

Nick Muja

Best Quality Roofing and Chimney, Inc. 

https://www.bestqualityroofingchimney.com

631-281-9100