RebuildsChimney Repointing & Rebuilds
Spalled brick and eroded joints repaired; leaning or loose tops taken down and relaid course by course.
- Lime mortar matching
- Corbel and top rebuilds
- Salvaged brick reuse
24/7 dispatch · Summit
Tall Chimneys, Slate Roofs& Hillside WallsChimney and masonry care for Short Hills, Summit, Millburn, Chatham and Madison
The hills between Summit and Millburn are full of Tudor, Colonial Revival and shingle-style houses built from about 1900 to 1940. They carry big multi-flue chimneys, clay pots and slate or tile roofs that punish careless work. Short Hills Chimney & Masonry looks after those stacks, the flashing where they meet the roof, and the brick and stone walls that hold up sloped yards. Our office is on Broad Street in Summit and the phone is answered around the clock.
1900–40houses we know
Slatesafe roof work
24/7phones
Evening call · Short Hills
9:41
SH
Short Hills Chimney
Dispatcher online
Text
Messages from the hills
Pots loose, crown openWater in
Pots reset, crown sealedDry attic
Tudor & Colonial Revival homes
Big stacks need a careful hand
Clay chimney pots
Original terra-cotta pots get reset in fresh mortar. Cracked ones are matched in shape and colour, not swapped for a generic cap.
Slate & tile roofs
We use roof hooks, ladders and pads so nobody walks on slate. A broken slate costs more than the repair itself.
Copper flashing
Step and counterflashing in copper, cut into the mortar joints, the way these chimneys were done originally.
Mortar that matches
Soft, lime-rich mortar tinted to blend with century-old joints, so repairs don't look patched.
Buying or selling
Chimney checks when a house changes hands
Houses here sell fast and buyers' inspectors often write "have chimney evaluated by a specialist." The national fire code guideline (NFPA 211) calls for a Level 2 inspection at sale. Here is how we keep it from holding up a closing.
CALL
Tell us the date
Attorney review or closing dates go on the schedule first, so the visit lands in time.
CAMERA
Level 2 with video
Every flue scanned top to bottom, plus attic, roof and basement access points where the chimney passes.
REPORT
A report agents can use
Plain findings with photos and itemized prices, ready to forward to the other side.
FIX
Repairs before closing
Caps, crowns, flashing or relining done ahead of the walkthrough when the parties agree.
What we handle
Chimney and masonry work from Broad Street
For estates on Hobart Gap Road, cottages near the Summit train station and everything between.
Rebuilds
LeaksFlashing & Leak Repair
Ceiling stains beside the chimney traced and fixed with new step and counterflashing.
- Copper or lead-coated
- Slate-safe access
- Cricket for wide stacks
InspectionsLevel 2 Inspections
Video flue scans for sales, purchases, insurance and first use in a newly bought home.
- Photo report
- Fast scheduling
- Itemized pricing
WallsGarden & Retaining Walls
Brick and stone walls on sloped lots rebuilt with drainage behind them so they stay put.
- Bulging walls reset
- Weep holes and gravel
- Caps and piers
LinersStainless Liners
Cracked clay tile or unlined flues relined for fireplaces, inserts, boilers and water heaters.
- Insulated liners
- Oval and multi-flue
- Lifetime warranty liners
SweepsSweeps, Caps & Fireboxes
Clean sweeps with sealed vacuums, new caps and screens, and firebox repairs.
- Drop cloths, no dust
- Multi-flue caps
- Firebrick replacement
Sloped lots
Walls that hold back a hillside
Summit sits on the Second Watchung ridge and many Short Hills streets climb too. Terraced yards depend on old brick and fieldstone walls, and when water builds up behind them they lean, bulge and drop stones onto the lawn.
Leaning & bulging
We take down the failed section, number the stones if they're original and reset them on a proper base.
Drainage first
Clean stone backfill, a perforated pipe and weep holes relieve the water pressure that pushed the wall over.
Garden steps & piers
Brick or stone steps between terraces and the piers that anchor wall ends and gates.
Taller walls, engineered
Walls that hold back a lot of soil may need an engineer's design and a township permit. We'll say so up front.
Wet soil pushingBulging
Drained and relaidStanding straight
Service area
From Broad Street to the next town over
Summit is central to Union, Essex and Morris County towns along Route 24 and the Morris & Essex rail line. Choose a town for a rough drive time.
Heading toShort Hills
Roughly8 min
Choose a town
Phone answered
Van leaves Broad St
Text when close
Roof, flue and walls checked
Estimates start at 320 Broad St, Summit. Route 24 at rush hour and school pickup on Hobart Ave stretch them, so the dispatcher gives you the real figure.
What happens if I call at 3 a.m.?
A person answers. Bricks falling from a stack after a storm, water coming in around the chimney or an animal stuck in a flue all get sent out promptly. For smoke in the house, a gas smell or a carbon monoxide alarm, get everyone outside and dial 911 before calling us.
Can you work on a slate roof without breaking it?
Yes. We hang roof ladders and hooks from the ridge and keep weight off the slate. If a slate cracks anyway, we replace it.
Our chimney has old clay pots. Do they have to go?
No. Sound pots are reset; cracked ones can usually be matched. A screened cap can sit on or inside a pot to keep animals out.
The buyer's inspector wants a chimney specialist. How quickly can you come?
Tell us the attorney review or closing date and we schedule around it. The Level 2 report with photos follows soon after the visit.
Why does my garden wall lean?
Almost always water. Soil behind the wall stays wet with no way to drain, and frost pushes it outward. Rebuilding with drainage fixes the cause.
Do you need a permit for wall or chimney work?
Some jobs do, such as tall retaining walls or new liners for heating appliances. We tell you which, and handle the paperwork when needed.
Which towns do you cover?
Short Hills, Summit, Millburn, Chatham, Madison, New Providence, Berkeley Heights, Springfield, Maplewood, South Orange, Livingston and Mountainside.
Coverage
Union, Essex & Morris towns
Neighborhoods on both sides of the Short Hills–Summit line, plus the rail towns east and west.
- Short Hills
- Summit
- Millburn
- Chatham
- Madison
- New Providence
- Berkeley Heights
- Springfield
- Maplewood
- South Orange
- Livingston
- Mountainside
Tall chimney, slate roof, tilting wall? Ring us.
Short Hills Chimney & Masonry runs a dispatch line that never goes to voicemail at night.
(908) 376-6052 Call Short Hills Chimney
Short Hills Chimney & Masonry
320 Broad St unit 102
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 376-6052
Map to the office →
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 376-6052
Map to the office →
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